University of Massachusetts – Lowell

Our goal at Peace and Conflict Studies is to prepare students with the intellectual foundation and practical skills to be successful in school and in a career. Through this interdisciplinary program at UMass Lowell, undergraduate students explore methods for promoting social justice, participating in advocacy work, causes of conflict and violence, approaches to resolve conflicts and violence, and practices to transform conflict and build peace. We combine theoretical and experiential education to prepare students for success in school or their careers. Peace and Conflict Studies focuses on understanding the need for attaining equality and social justice both internationally and domestically, understanding the root causes of social injustice and lack of equality, and developing solutions to these pressing social issues. Within the field, “peace” is defined as more than the absence of war. Rather, it is the presence of the conditions necessary to build a “just peace,” including access to education and physical necessities, societal justice, and security from harm. The idea is rooted in the understanding that a just peace is the only sustainable kind of peace.