U.S. citizens and residents or non-U.S. citizens in the United States on a non-tourist visa (that do not have study restrictions) are eligible to apply. International students in need of the Form I-20 are encouraged to apply for the MS Conflict Management and Resolution degree program.
During a 20-day-long residency at the University of San Diego campus, students will take 6 credits of course work: Conflict Analysis and Resolution (3), and Mediation (3). The remaining 3 credits will be completed through a remote (live Zoom), synchronous mode of instruction during the following semester and can be satisfied by the recommended course, Intervention Design (3), or by another similar skills course upon the approval of the program coordinator. Prior to the start of their residency, students are expected to complete the course readings, participate in zoom sessions, and write a reflection paper. After completion of the residency, the students will submit final assignments, one for Conflict Analysis and another for Mediation Design.
Students are required to complete 9-units to complete the Graduate Certificate. Classes are offered in various modalities (in-person, hybrid and online) and in different semesters. In-person courses will meet on campus for all sessions. Courses that are offered in a hybrid modality will have synchronous remote sessions via Zoom and an in-person week-long residency either at the University of San Diego campus, or in Madrid Spain. Fully online classes will be offered online via Zoom. Please look at the semester schedule for upcoming course offerings.
All remote offerings will be held synchronous in the Pacific Time Zone on Zoom. Attendance and participation requirements will be set by each professor for each class.
Yes, this certificate is available to current USD Graduate students. We suggest that you first contact your faculty advisor to discuss how these courses fit with your current program. Some students may need to exceed their required units for their degree if seeking this certificate. The Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution is a USD Embedded Graduate Certificate. Embedded certificates are intended to encourage students to select coursework within their degree program that constitutes a coherent concentration in a particular area of study.. Interested students should submit a Petition Form to the Kroc School.
California does not license mediators, and there is no single statewide standard for all court mediators. Under the Dispute Resolution Programs Act (DRPA), mediators in DRPA-funded programs are expected to complete at least 25 hours of classroom and practical mediation training. Many California Superior Courts require roughly 30–40 hours of formal mediation training from a recognized provider for their civil mediation panels.
Our Graduate Certificate in Mediation & Conflict Resolution includes a semester-long, 3-unit mediation course (KROC 533) that provides more than 40 hours of skills-based, experiential mediation training, along with additional graduate coursework in negotiation and intervention design. Taken together, this training meets or exceeds the mediation training-hour expectations used in DRPA-related programs and in many California court-connected civil mediation panels.
However, each DRPA-funded program and each Superior Court sets its own admission criteria. Many panels also require specific professional backgrounds (such as bar membership) and documented mediation experience. Completing this certificate does not automatically place you on any particular court or DRPA panel, but it provides strong, graduate-level preparation that typically satisfies the training-hours component of those requirements. Prospective mediators should always check the current requirements of the specific panel or program they plan to apply to.
Yes, if you decide to pursue an MS in Conflict Management and Resolution degree with the Kroc School at USD after you have earned the Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, the units earned will be rolled over to the degree.
Please visit the Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution page. You may also email any questions to krocadmissions@sandiego.edu.
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