Have you ever wondered how you can create change? Making a difference in our communities and in the world doesn’t happen overnight, but with the proper skills and education, you can place yourself one step closer to fulfilling your passion for change.
At the Joan B. Kroc School for Peace Studies, we offer different graduate degree options with one thing in common: building peacemakers. Maybe you’ve just decided you want to help create more peaceful communities or you’ve been considering this pathway for a while. Whatever your future holds, we have the resources, ideas, faculty, research, and most importantly, we have the passion to help you begin this journey.
What Peace Studies Degree Program is Right For Me?
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the best program for you – length of the program, modality options, cost – but most importantly, deciphering which graduate program is best for you based on your individual interests.
Are you a peacekeeper, a leader, or an explorer? An innovator, healer, or negotiator? Maybe you are a mix of all attributes. Whatever the case might be, we’ve compiled a quiz we think you might be interested in taking!
Answer fun questions in our new quiz, What Kind of Peacebuilder Are You? to determine what your interests, skills, and passions say about you. In turn, discover the potential program pathways you can take in the peace and justice field based on your individual answers!
In the quiz, you’ll match with a degree program that pairs best with your answers. If you feel on the fence about your answers, we encourage you to take it again and see if you get the same result! You’ll either receive MA in Peace and Justice (MAPJ), MA in Social Innovation (MASI), MS in Conflict Management and Resolution (MS-CMR), or JD/MA in Pace and Justice (JD/MAPJ). To learn about each of these programs, see below!
MA in Peace and Justice
Building upon a broad range of undergraduate majors, MAPJ students learn how to address a wide range of peace and social justice challenges, including armed conflict, refugee and forced displacement issues, human rights abuses, and environmental injustices.
MA in Social Innovation
With various undergraduate majors, MASI students learn the skills necessary to develop sustainable, scalable solutions to tackle humanity's urgent challenges, whether that leads to growing their own social impact startup as a social entrepreneur or leading innovative programs in an established organization.
MA in Conflict Management and Resolution
With various backgrounds, MS-CMR students learn the skills necessary to expertly navigate intra-societal conflicts and create positive conversation at the individual, workplace, community, national and international levels.
JD/MA in Peace and Justice
Through the USD School of Law and the Kroc School, JD/MAPJ Dual Degree students study law and policy while gaining a deep understanding of the historical, institutional and cultural factors that drive conflict, injustice, oppression, and poverty. With a Juris Doctor and graduate degree in peace and justice, JD/MAPJ graduates combine peace and law to make a global impact through careers in the public and private sectors, as well as intergovernmental organizations and nonprofits.
Gaining Peace Education at Kroc School
The world needs more changemakers like you to stand up and make a difference in our world. If you have any questions about our programs or the quiz, or if you would like to receive more information about Kroc School, please feel free to schedule a one-on-one virtual meeting with an admissions advisor today!
Learn more about the peace studies courses offered at Kroc.
If you haven’t already, find out what program is best for you!
About the Author
The Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies (Kroc School) at the University of San Diego is the global hub for peacebuilding and social innovation. Founded in 2007, the Kroc School equips the next generation of innovative changemakers to shape more peaceful and just societies. We offer master's degrees in peace and justice, social innovation, humanitarian action, conflict management and resolution, and a dual degree in peace and law — programs that have attracted diverse and dynamic students from more than 50 countries. In addition to our graduate programs, the Kroc School is home to the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ). Founded in 2001, the Institute supports positive change beyond the classroom. Through groundbreaking research, experiential learning, and forward-thinking programs, the Kroc School and Kroc IPJ are shaping a future in which peaceful co-existence is the new normal.


