Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research
Thinking peaceful change
Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research (PEACE) provides a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to peace and conflict research. Ranked as a Top 10 degree in conflict resolution and peacebuilding by the Peacekeeper in 2017, PEACE facilitates understanding the complex nature of wars and conflicts as well as their short- and long-term consequences.
PEACE examines, for example, how violent conflicts, ethnic and religious discrimination and human rights violations produce forced displacement and how different actors can respond to these crisis situations
During their studies, students learn about the preconditions for conflict resolution and sustainable peace in local, international and global contexts. Special emphasis is placed on various tools and phases of conflict transformation - peacebuilding, mediation, reconciliation and dialogue.
Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research is hosted by Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), which is internationally acknowledged for its high quality research since its founding in 1969. Close contacts with the research community at TAPRI guarantees the high level of teaching and allows the students to have a dialogue with experts in the field.
Furthermore, the teaching draws from close contacts with practitioners in the fields of conflict resolution, civilian crisis management and mediation, giving students an excellent opportunity to engage with practitioners.
Type
Degree earned
Planned duration
Extent of studies
City
Campus
Form of learning
Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens
Link to scholarship programme
Upon completion of the Master's Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research, the student:
- is able to assume active roles to recognise, analyse and resolve global challenges and to become a proactive contributor to a more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure world.
- gains interdisciplinary understanding of the short- and long-term consequences of conflicts.
- learns to understand the preconditions for conflict transformation, conflict resolution and peace in local as well as in international and global contexts.
- learns to analyse the evolution of conflicts and conflict resolution and gains knowledge of peacebuilding, mediation and negotiation.
The language of instruction is English.
Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research offers an interdisciplinary approach to peace and conflicts, which derives from the high-quality and topical research carried out at Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI). It also draws from close contacts with practitioners in the fields of conflict resolution, civilian crisis management and mediation. The aim of the studies in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research is to facilitate the understanding of the complex nature of wars and conflicts as well as their short and long-term consequences. During their studies, students learn about the preconditions for conflict resolution and sustainable peace in local as well as in international and global contexts. Special emphasis is given to the various phases and means of peaceful conflict transformation and resolution, particularly to peacebuilding, mediation and dialogue. Hence the advanced studies in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research focus not only on the study of conflicts, but primarily on their transformation and resolution.
The tuition fee of the programme is 10 000 euros per academic year for non-EU/EEA students with a scholarship system for fee-paying students. For more information, please see Tuition Fees and Scholarships.
Studies in the Master’s Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research consist of the following elements:
- Advanced Studies in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research (90 ECTS) form the core of the degree. They enable the students to acquire in-depth theoretical, methodological and conceptual knowledge in Peace and Conflict Research. The studies include a Master’s thesis (40 ECTS) which is an individual research project that enables the student to demonstrate his/her in-depth knowledge in an area relevant to the content of this specialization.
- Joint Studies (17-22 credits) focus on general orientation to studies, research methods, language studies and academic writing skills.
- Free Choice Course Units (8-13 credits)
For more information, please see the Curriculum.for the specialisation of Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research in the Master's Programme of Social Science Research as a refrence, until the Curricula of Master's Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research will be published in March 2022. No major changes are expected to the curriculum in 2022.
Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research prepares students for postgraduate studies, independent research work as well as for professional activities which include various tasks in the global society, ranging from interpersonal relationships to international conflict situations. There is a growing need for expertise in conflict resolution, mediation and crisis management in the service of governments, international organisations, NGOs and media.
In addition to studies in one’s own degree programme and specialization, students may take full advantage of the teaching offered by the Tampere higher education community ranging from technical to vocational studies in various fields.
The degree gives eligibility for postgraduate studies in humanities (history) and social sciences (international relations, peace and conflict research, social anthropology, and other social sciences). At Tampere University, students can continue, for example, to doctoral studies in the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences.
Carefully read through the general eligibility criteria and the programme-specific eligibility criteria and see whether you meet them. For additional questions on applying, application documents and application process, please contact our Admissions office. For questions regarding the content of the programme, please contact soc.studies.tau@tuni.fi.
Click to see the admission criteria
Show
Eligibility criteria in the master's programmes consist of two parts: Tampere University's general eligibility criteria, and programme-specific eligibility criteria, which specify and/or add information to the general criteria. Applicant must meet both to be considered eligible. Applicants who do not meet both the general eligibility and the programme-specific eligibility criteria will not be selected as students in Tampere University.
General eligibility
To be eligible to apply to a master’s programme at Tampere University, you must have:
1. Bachelor’s degree - nationally recognized first cycle degree
- an applicable bachelor’s degree at a university or a university of applied sciences in Finland
- a bachelor's degree completed in a university outside Finland which provides eligibility for equivalent University master’s degree studies in the country in which it was awarded.
- with a minimum scope of 180 ECTS credits, three to four years of full-time study
- from a relevant field for the master’s degree programme that you’re applying to
- from a recognised institution of higher education
2. A good command of the English language for academic purposes. For more information, please see Language requirements.
Applicants in their final year of the bachelor’s degree, who are due to graduate in the spring of 2022, are eligible to apply if the degree will be completed by 31 July 2022, provided that you fulfil all other requirements and deliver officially certified copies of educational documents by 22 August 2022. In this case, they would be accepted conditionally. Their applications will be assessed based on the officially certified transcript of records which they submit at the time of applying. Please see special instructions for applicants in the final year of the Bachelor's degree.
Admission to studies leading directly to a master's degree will be based on the applicant’s bachelor's degree conferred by a university or a university of applied sciences. Depending on programme-specific admission requirements, the programme may take into account skills previously acquired by applicants when considering applications.
Please see detailed information on the General eligibility criteria web page.
Programme specific eligibility criteria
To be eligible to apply to the Master's Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research, an applicant must have a successfully completed Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Humanities, Social Sciences or in some other field/discipline appropriate for the content of the programme.
When applying to a master’s programme at Tampere University, you must submit evidence of your good command of the English language for academic purposes. You have two options of demonstrating your English language proficiency: language tests or previous studies.
In both cases you must submit a document as a proof of language skills. Please see detailed instructions and additional information on the language requirements web page.
Tests and the required minimum results
TOEFL iBT/ TOEFL iBT Home Edition/ TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition
92 overall with no section below 20
IELTS Academic/ IELTS Indicator
6.5 overall with no section below 5.5
PTE Academic
62 overall with no section in Communicative Skills below 42
C1 Advanced, previous as CAE
C
C2 Proficiency, previous as CPE
C1
National Certificate of Language, Proficiency (English)
Proficiency level 5 on all the subtests (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
Please see detailed instructions and additional information on the language tests accepted on the language requirements web page.
Previous studies
It is possible to be exempted from submitting a language test score if you have completed particular studies listed by Tampere University that demonstrate your good command of English for academic purposes. Only studies that fulfill the criteria will be accepted, so if you apply without a valid language test result, carefully examine the exemptions listed by Tampere University and how to submit documents.
20 students.
Students are selected to the programme from those applicants who submit a complete application (application and sufficient application documents) by the deadline and fulfil the official eligibility criteria.
The student selection is made by an admissions committee based on the academic qualifications and merits shown in the application documents. Please note that not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted.
Students admitted to a Master’s Programme may be required to complement their earlier degree with complementary studies. The complementary studies will be decided at the faculty case by case (maximum 60 ECTS credits).
The number of eligible applicants annually exceeds the number of students that can be accepted. The student selection is made by an admissions committee on the basis of the academic qualifications and merits shown in the application documents.
In the selection process, the following judgmental requirements are evaluated as a composite:
- High enough academic performance in Bachelor’s degree studies
- General quality of all previous university studies
- Specific quality of all previous university studies: documented interest in Peace and Conflict Research
- Evidently high academic and professional motivation to study in this programme at Tampere University
The applicants with the best combination of merits will be selected.
Admissions step-by-step checklist
- Check the general eligibility and programme-specific eligibility criteria of the programme/s you wish to apply. You are allowed to apply to three programmes at the same time.
- Read through the instructions on how to apply and start preparing your application documents as early as possible!
- Take a language test if required, please see the language requirements.
- When the application period opens, fill in the online application at Studyinfo.fi during the application period and upload required enclosures to the application. The application period is 8 December 2021 at 8.00 (UTC+2) - 12 January 2022 at 15.00 (UTC+2).
- Upload all required enclosures and send the educational documents by post to Tampere University Admissions Office within two weeks, by 26 January 2022 at 15.00 (UTC+2). The documents must reach the University by the given deadline and they must be delivered according to the country-specific requirements, if applicable.
- You can apply for a scholarship on the application form, if applicable.
- Wait for the admission results to be announced at early April 2022 (Originally end of March. Information updated on 23.2.2022).
- If you are offered a study place, remember to accept it by the given deadline. Pay the tuition fee, if required.
- Start preparing for your arrival in Finland well in advance.
- Register as a student and join the Tampere University community when the studies start in August 2022!
Additional information on application process in detail.
Online application form
The online application form will be available only during the application period at Studyinfo.fi. The application period starts on 8 December 2021 at 8.00 (UTC+2) and ends on 12 January 2022 at 15.00 (UTC+2).
You will need to upload copies of all required documents as enclosures on the application form. In addition to the general application enclosures, some programmes have listed additional programme-specific enclosures that are needed when applying to these specific programmes.
In addition to uploading the application documents as enclosures to your application form in Studyinfo.fi, you must submit the officially certified copies of your educational documents to Tampere University Admissions Office by post according to the Tampere University instructions. Applicants whose degrees have been awarded in certain countries need to pay special attention to the documentation and documents from these countries must be submitted in a particular way. These country-specific requirements must always be followed first and foremost, prior to the regular requirements.
Applicants must post the educational documents to Tampere University Admissions Office so that they arrive by 26 January 2022 at 15.00 (UTC+2). Please see the list of the required general application enclosures and detailed instructions on the Application documents webpage.
There are no programme-specific enclosures when applying to this programme.
However there are programme-specific questions on the application form and you will be asked:
- Do you have previous university level studies and /or work (including volunteer work) experience related to Peace and Conflict Research? If any, please indicate briefly the content and extent of these studies and/or work experience.
There is a small delay in the admissions process and the admission results will be published in early April 2022 (Originally end of March. Information updated on 23.2.2022). All applicants will be informed about the admissions results.
Please see additional information regarding the publication of student selection results and Tampere University rectification procedure.
