Certificates Overview
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. Students must be enrolled in a graduate degree program in order to pursue an embedded certificate. Some students may need to exceed their required units for their degree if seeking a certificate. The Kroc School is excited to offer several embedded graduate certificates. Additional embedded graduate certificates outside of the Kroc School may be pursued using specific Kroc School and approved elective courses. Students should discuss all certificate options with their faculty advisor.
Certificate in
Mediation & Conflict Resolution
The Kroc School is excited to offer an embedded certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution (MCR) to students. The certificate is 9 units. The three courses that make up the certification are designed to build upon one another, with content and expectations compounding. Kroc 530 and Kroc 533 must be taken prior to enrollment in Kroc 531. Students must receive a B or higher in all three courses to successfully complete the certificate.
Program Requirements
Required courses are offered both in hybrid and in-persona modalities. Hybrid courses have a required intensive week-long residency that takes place in San Diego or Madrid, Spain. Check course schedules for current and upcoming offerings. Please note both modalities are not offered every semester and residency location rotates.
Units: 3
In all human societies, conflict is an integral part of daily life at interpersonal, intra-group, inter-group, and inter-national levels. Conflict can be constructive, focusing attention on neglected voices or social injustice and driving cultural and political change. It can also be destructive, damaging relationships, polarizing societies, or escalating into violence and war. In our increasingly interconnected world, it is crucial to develop effective methods to understand the sources and dynamics of conflicts and to deal with conflict productively. This course is designed to familiarize students with the interdisciplinary fields of peace and conflict studies, providing an overview of core concepts of contemporary theory and practice, as well as of the recent critical turn. We examine frameworks for analyzing the origins and processes of social conflict and violence and leading practical approaches to the conduct and evaluation of conflict resolution interventions. The course employs diverse methods and media, including lectures, discussions, interactive exercises, film, written assignments, and a conceptualization of an intervention. The course features experiential learning activities that provide opportunities for practical application of course concepts. Active participation in every class is essential; readings are always necessary but not sufficient for learning the material.
Units: 3
This course will focus on skills-building in mediation. Students will learn and practice a variety of tools and methods of mediating conflicts and disputes. Our experiential class will be divided between learning the traditional mediation skills, practice, and theory, including the benefits and limitations of mediation as a dispute resolution method on the one hand, and alternative approaches to mediation on the other. The alternative models will include the needs analysis-based Problem-Solving Workshop, the narrative analysis-based Mediation of History, and the Evolving Designs model aimed at work in multi-party environments. After taking this course, students will be able to: differentiate among various mediation processes; distinguish between interest-based and needs-based approaches; differentiate between the traditional and alternative mediation practices; demonstrate awareness in regard to ethical dilemmas of mediation practices; possess the skills to serve as a mediator; design and lead context-appropriate mediation processes.
Optional Kroc Electives
Elective courses are offered in varying formats including online, in-person, and hybrid. Course modality and availability vary by semester. Check course schedules for current and upcoming offerings.
Non-Kroc electives will be considered on a case-by-case basis with approval from the Program Director and your Faculty Advisor.
The Intervention Design course provides a framework for students to synthesize and apply knowledge and practical skills gained during the program to create a specific conflict management/resolution project. The course is also a chance to create a key Kroc School Portfolio item that students can showcase to prospective employers, donors, or partners. The course is a requirement for the MS in Conflict Management & Resolution (MS-CMR) program and an elective option for the Graduate Certificate in Mediation & Conflict Resolution.
Starting with a solid understanding of the evolution of thinking and practice among key development and peacebuilding actors, this course is designed to prepare students to design, monitor and evaluate peacebuilding programs and project. Students will not only understand best practices in project design and management but also learn the skills and tools necessary to effectively carry out projects.
The ability to facilitate difficult conversations is something that effective practitioners bring to their work. Ranging from a team struggling to agree on a new direction or a community in conflict over challenging issues or a complex shared history, practitioners must learn how to deal with difference, how do to deal with discomfort and how to deal with distractions. In an era characterized by increasing division and polarization, our ability to listen in order to understand rather than reply, has never been more challenged or more important. Being able to engage in healthy dialogues as a participant is a core skill for working on peace, justice and social change.
The aim of this course is to introduce, reinforce and encourage the core skills required by practitioners facilitating and engaging in dialogue. They incorporate both the design and facilitation of conversational space. They complement the skills used by mediators and focus of the class will be on a broad range of methodologies that can be used by someone shaping and holding such spaces.
This course explores the dynamics of conflict within organizational settings and examines strategies for effective conflict management, resolution, and transformation. Through conflict theories and real-world case studies, students learn to analyze organizational conflict and apply appropriate interventions to address the root causes of organizational conflict. By taking this course, students will learn: to apply conflict management principles to high-stakes environments such as healthcare, where collaborative problem-solving and effective communication are essential; to apply conflict resolution practices to address interpersonal and inter-team conflict in the workplace; to apply conflict transformation practices to create positive organizational change. Students learn to engage constructively with conflict, irrespective of their role and title within the organization.
This course explores the dynamics of international peace and security. It covers both foundational and emerging theories in international relations, peace studies, and security studies. We will examine various explanations for war, and review the evolution of warfare and its varieties, including interstate, civil, and proxy conflicts. We contrast the perspectives of war- making as state building, with the perspective of peace building as state building. We cover contested meanings of security and review a range of security threats, including terrorism, environmental and climate security, cybersecurity, nuclear security, health security and changes in migration and the role of non-state actors. We examine post-WWII international systems and global order, including its organizations and norms, and discuss when and whether international peacekeeping interventions succeed, and how they interact with local peacebuilding, antiwar and nonviolent movements. Finally, we discuss the role of non-democracies in the global system and in international peace and security, specifically. The course will be offered in collaboration with the Department of International Relations of the Universidad Pontifica Comillas in Spain, with two sessions virtually integrating Comillas faculty and students.
This course introduces the philosophy and varied practices of restorative justice. Restorative justice is a philosophical approach that embraces the reparation of harm and healing of trauma, often in a legal setting. A central practice of restorative justice is a collaborative decision-making process that includes harmed parties, people who have caused harm, and others who are seeking a resolution that includes meaningful accountability, taking responsibility for repairing harm and proactive social support.
Restorative justice is a global social movement with applications ranging from the way a teacher responds to minor misbehavior in school classroom, a prosecutor’s diversion of a case toward a restorative process and away from incarceration, or a society’s healing approach in the aftermath of war or genocide. Restorative approaches draw upon a variety of cultural and religious justice traditions that, in many ways, challenge the Western legal tradition of adversarial adjudication and punishment.
In addition to exploring the history and philosophy of restorative justice, students will learn the facilitation skills necessary for hosting restorative processes. We will develop skills for both “restorative circles” and “restorative conferences,” two distinct and commonly used restorative practices. The course is highly experiential with intensive role play and debriefing.
Narratives about Self and Other as well as stories about past glories and traumas can entrench us further into conflict or help create pathways out. Narratives contribute to our vulnerability and resilient. Poorly formed narratives leave us vulnerable when the world does not match our story or when they cut us of from people, resources, and solutions. Better-formed narratives give us room to engage with complexity and respond to challenges with creativity and humanity.
When we innovate and/or create conflict interventions without addressing the poorly formed stories in circulation, we create short term solutions at best. Narratives of distrust and unaddressed indignities, for example, can upend initiatives for positive peace. Interventions that do not consider narrative ecologies can even set communities on the road back to war or totalitarian regimes.
This course examines narratives circulating in a variety of conflict and post-conflict settings and while discussing approaches to guide groups towards better-formed stories.
This attention to narrative could not come at a more important moment. The growing polarization, fueled in part by social media, has divided many communities. Methodologies that can interrogate and respond to conflict narratives will be critical as the country navigates governance in these polarized political waters.
Together we will study how narratives operate in conflict and how we can engage with narratives to support healthier, more conflict resilient communities. We begin by studying the role of narrative in conflict in our lives and in large group protracted conflicts. Then we will explore these narratives through role plays and other simulations. We will engage in diverse topics such as male guardianship in Saudi Arabia, NFL national anthem policy, and Hawaiian Telescope on sacred Indigenous lands.
The in-class role plays introduce a variety of voices on the topics we will discuss. In role plays we can unearth differing perspectives without any one student needing to take ownership of the view. This allows for richer discussions and more accurate representation of the narrative dimensions of any conflict.
After each role play you will be asked to reflect on the experience in an anonymous survey. I may also ask to interview you at the end of the term to better understand what you got out of the experience. I am writing an article about the contributions of role plays in the classroom.
Throughout the semester you will develop your own simulations for use by faculty and instructors around the world. This research project requires you to understand and articulate a conflict from multiple viewpoints while finding ways to engage others in understanding and responding to that landscape. You can do this alone or in pairs.
*Semesters available list is subject to change. Please be sure to check the Course Schedule as updated for each semester.
If you are interested in pursuing the embedded certificate in Mediation & Conflict Resolution, discuss how this will fit into your degree trajectory and professional pursuits with your faculty advisor.
After discussion with your faculty advisor, complete the Petition Form and the Course Checklist. Both forms will be submitted to Vanessa Watkis, Coordinator of Student Success, via email (vwatkis@sandiego.edu)
The program will be added to your Graduate Student Record and will appear on your transcript. Upon successful completion of the program requirements, the Kroc School will update your Graduate Student Record and issue a digital certificate.
Knowledge
Students will be able to integrate and apply the complex skills and thematic knowledge required to navigate and address a range of conflict situations effectively using one or the combination of mediation methods: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Needs Analysis-based Problem-Solving Workshops, or Narrative Analysis-based methods.
Diverse Perspectives
Students will be able to apply logistical, legal, political, economic, cultural, and environmental lenses to conflict analysis and mediation, and to appreciate the values and strengths of people from different cultural/ethnic/political/religious backgrounds and perspectives.
Critical Inquiry
Students will be able to analyze and research the historical, structural, and cultural parameters in which conflicts develop.
Applied Learning
Students will be able to apply interdisciplinary skills to navigate, anticipate, manage, and address a variety of conflicts in individual, community, organizational, and international contexts.
Communication
Students will be able to communicate effectively in challenging conflict contexts, clearly communicating their knowledge while demonstrating intercultural awareness, trauma awareness, and conflict sensitivity.
Ethical Reasoning
Students will be able to apply ethical reasoning to assess conflicts in their careers, their possible solutions, and their impacts on various stakeholders.
Certificate in
Social Entrepreneurship
The Kroc School is excited to offer an embedded certificate in Social Entrepreneurship to students. The certificate is 9 units. The four courses that make up the certification are designed to build upon one another, with content and expectations compounding. Students must receive a B or higher in all three courses to successfully complete the certificate.
Program Requirements
Explore the required courses for our Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship.
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
Globalization and rapidly increasing communications make us painfully aware of the intractable problems facing humanity and our planet today. Thankfully, we find that there is a growing number of talented, ambitious, and courageous individuals known as social entrepreneurs, and organizations known as social enterprises, that are creating initiatives that attempt to mitigate some of these problems on a scale - and with far more ambition - than ever seen before. These individuals and organizations are creating models of urgent, systemic change rather than more traditional incremental improvement, which are being advanced globally in what has come to be known as Social Entrepreneurship. In this course, we will get to know who these people are and what their organizations do, how they think and work, and why they represent more than just a ray of hope for our world today. Social entrepreneurship is a rapidly developing and evolving field in which nonprofit and business leaders design, grow, and lead mission-driven enterprises. As the traditional lines blur between nonprofit enterprises, government, and business, it is critical that students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. This course considers the full spectrum of social business models, including strictly non-profit organizations, enterprises developing revenue-generating products or services for a social goal, and socially responsible for-profit companies. This course will expose you to theory regarding entrepreneurship, models of social change, definitions of social entrepreneur and social entrepreneurship, management skills and the leadership required for social entrepreneurial organizations, scaling of social impact, the various possible legal structures, forms of financing and impact measurement for social mission organizations. We will also take an in-depth look at the history and evolution of a classic example of social entrepreneurship - microfinance. Social entrepreneurs address problems where the government, private sector, and traditional non-profit sector fail to achieve systemic impact. The course takes a global perspective, including organizations from San Diego, around the US, and abroad. It is designed to be highly participatory and engage students through readings, classroom discussions, videos, case studies, site visits and speakers from leading social enterprises. This course is designed for students who want to explore social enterprise start-ups, as well as those students who are just curious about the field and want to learn more about entrepreneurship and explore career opportunities.
Units: 1-3 Repeatability: No
This workshop provides an opportunity for students to experience the process of Design Thinking. Students in this course gain insight and understanding of the mindsets needed to engage in the design process. It prepares students to use Design Thinking strategies to engage in social change and social innovation projects.
Taught by Juan F. Roche
Is the capitalist system the evil of our time or the savior of our future? Are businesses the cause of society’s most pressing problems, or could they be part of the solution instead? How can business and entrepreneurial ingenuity reduce poverty and wealth inequality, protect the environment and natural resources, create community and social values, provide education and health services, and reduce gender inequality and migration? Can the capitalist system, powered by individualism, ambition, and a competitive spirit, evolve to be more humane and conscious of social problems? In a nutshell, what paradigms must change in the business world and society to make the market system a pillar for lasting positive peace? Working with real-life business cases, students in this course will be able to examine and critically analyze the above questions. The course will provide tools to tackle social issues using proven and innovative business techniques and models, from big businesses to small entrepreneurial examples. In short, this course focuses on the recently explored intersection between business and social innovation. Phills et al. define social innovation as “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable or just than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.” Social innovation is about generating transformative ideas and initiatives that meet unmet needs and attempt to create a “new equilibrium” that is socially superior to the status quo. By the end of the course, students work in teams to develop a sustainability project for an existing company or a new entrepreneurial venture. The business initiative must create social value for all relevant stakeholders and society and show how it contributes to positive peace. The projects must be cross-functional so that students use the full spectrum of knowledge and skills acquired during this course.
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This is a course where students integrate theory and practice to address real-world problems faced by organizations and communities seeking to create social change. Acting as consultants, students acquire knowledge of real-world constraints and opportunities faced by organizations leading social change. Students learn ways to work in teams with organization or community partners for effective co-design of solutions, as they practice resourcefulness and creativity in problem-solving.
Alternative: MBA students may substitute GSBA 519: Social Impact Consulting by arrangement
Kroc 524 should be taken after all Design Thinking and Social Entrepreneurship
*Semesters available list is subject to change. Please be sure to check the Course Schedule as updated for each semester.
If you are interested in pursuing the embedded certificate in Social Entrepreneurship, discuss how this will fit into your degree trajectory and professional pursuits with your faculty advisor.
After discussion with your faculty advisor, complete the Petition Form and the Course Checklist. Both forms will be submitted to Vanessa Watkis, Coordinator of Student Success, via email (vwatkis@sandiego.edu).
The program will be added to your Graduate Student Record and will appear on your transcript. Upon successful completion of the program requirements, the Kroc School will update your Graduate Student Record and issue a digital certificate.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the certificate program, graduates will be able to work in complex and diverse environments including:
Social Enterprises & Mission-Driven Businesses
Graduates will be equipped to lead, launch, or support organizations that balance social or environmental impact with financial sustainability. They may also work within certified B Corps, employee-owned businesses, and hybrid social enterprises. Key competencies: entrepreneurial mindset, business model innovation, stakeholder collaboration.
Nonprofit Leadership & Social Innovation
Graduates will be prepared to take on leadership, strategy, and program development roles in nonprofits and foundations focused on education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and social justice. They will have the skills to apply design thinking, impact assessment, and systems change strategies to nonprofit work. Key competencies: strategic problem-solving, and sustainable program design.
Government & Public Policy Innovation
Graduates will be ready to develop and implement policies and programs that advance social equity and environmental sustainability. Career paths include roles in local, state, and federal government agencies, particularly in economic development, sustainability, and social services.
Social Impact Consulting & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Graduates will be equipped to help businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies integrate social and environmental impact into their operations and decision-making. Career opportunities include roles in CSR teams, sustainability consulting firms, and purpose-driven business strategy. Key competencies: design thinking, impact assessment, organizational change management.
The Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for the MASI Certification program align with the University of San Diego's six Institutional Graduate Outcomes: knowledge, diverse perspectives, critical inquiry, applied learning and communication. Participants will develop critical thinking, project management, collaboration, and communication abilities—skills highly valued across the for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors.
Additionally, students will acquire the ability to create user-centered solutions and drive innovation in social impact initiatives. These competencies will empower students to lead and innovate in social enterprises and government agencies, positioning them for impactful careers in today's rapidly changing job market.
Certificate in
Conflict Resolution for Healthcare Leaders
The Conflict Resolution for Healthcare Leaders Certificate is a 9-unit program in collaboration with the Hahn School of Nursing designed for healthcare professionals seeking to enhance their ability to lead and work effectively with interprofessional teams. The program provides participants with the skills necessary to navigate and resolve conflicts in diverse healthcare settings, including hospitals, community agencies, and healthcare organizations.
Program Requirements
Explore the required courses for our Certificate in Conflict Resolution for Healthcare Leaders.
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course will explore leadership skills in the dynamic and often high-pressure environment of healthcare. Leadership styles, effective communication, strategic planning, conflict resolution, ethical decision making, and change management are emphasized. Healthcare professionals are prepared to lead effectively and foster a positive organizational culture, focusing on real-world applications and practical skills.
Optional Kroc Electives
Elective courses are offered in varying formats including online, in-person, and hybrid. Course modality and availability vary by semester. Check course schedules for current and upcoming offerings.
Non-Kroc electives will be considered on a case-by-case basis with approval from the Program Director and your Faculty Advisor.
Units: 3 Repeatability: No
This course will focus on skills-building in mediation. Students will learn and practice a variety of tools and methods of mediating conflicts and disputes. Our experiential class will be divided between learning the traditional mediation skills, practice, and theory, including the benefits and limitations of mediation as a dispute resolution method on the one hand, and alternative approaches to mediation on the other. The alternative models will include the needs analysis-based Problem-Solving Workshop, the narrative analysis-based Mediation of History, and the Evolving Designs model aimed at work in multi-party environments. After taking this course, students will be able to: differentiate among various mediation processes; distinguish between interest-based and needs-based approaches; differentiate between the traditional and alternative mediation practices; demonstrate awareness in regard to ethical dilemmas of mediation practices; possess the skills to serve as a mediator; design and lead context-appropriate mediation processes.
The ability to facilitate difficult conversations is something that effective practitioners bring to their work. Ranging from a team struggling to agree on a new direction or a community in conflict over challenging issues or a complex shared history, practitioners must learn how to deal with difference, how do to deal with discomfort and how to deal with distractions. In an era characterized by increasing division and polarization, our ability to listen in order to understand rather than reply, has never been more challenged or more important. Being able to engage in healthy dialogues as a participant is a core skill for working on peace, justice and social change.
The aim of this course is to introduce, reinforce and encourage the core skills required by practitioners facilitating and engaging in dialogue. They incorporate both the design and facilitation of conversational space. They complement the skills used by mediators and focus of the class will be on a broad range of methodologies that can be used by someone shaping and holding such spaces.
This course explores the dynamics of conflict within organizational settings and examines strategies for effective conflict management, resolution, and transformation. Through conflict theories and real-world case studies, students learn to analyze organizational conflict and apply appropriate interventions to address the root causes of organizational conflict. By taking this course, students will learn: to apply conflict management principles to high-stakes environments such as healthcare, where collaborative problem-solving and effective communication are essential; to apply conflict resolution practices to address interpersonal and inter-team conflict in the workplace; to apply conflict transformation practices to create positive organizational change. Students learn to engage constructively with conflict, irrespective of their role and title within the organization.
If you are interested in pursuing the embedded certificate in Conflict Resolution for Healthcare Leaders, discuss how this will fit into your degree trajectory and professional pursuits with your faculty advisor.
After discussion with your faculty advisor, complete the Petition Form and the Course Checklist. Both forms will be submitted to Vanessa Watkis, Coordinator of Student Success, via email (vwatkis@sandiego.edu).
The forms will be shared with the Hanh School of Nursing who will process the program addition with Graduate Student Records, and upon successful completion of the program requirements, issue the certificate.
Monitoring, evaluation, assessment, and learning (MEAL) is a growing professional practice across peacebuilding, humanitarian response, international development, philanthropy, and social innovation. Be a part of a new generation of leaders who can design evidence-based programs, measure real-world impact, and drive adaptive change. The certificate is embedded within the Kroc School's graduate degree programs — available to students enrolled in the MA in Peace and Justice, MA in Social Innovation, MS in Conflict Management and Resolution, and JD/MA in Peace and Justice.
The academic certificate is designed for students to:
- gain a broad knowledge of evaluation frameworks, theories of change, and ethical research methods necessary to distinguish rigorous practice from well-intentioned guesswork
- connect to practitioners and community partners working on the front lines of violence intervention, restorative justice, and social change, right here in San Diego and beyond
- ensure skillful practice by combining academic grounding in evaluation methodology with hands-on experience through the Kroc IPJ's Peace Evaluation & Accompanied Research (PEAR) initiative
- create an apprenticeship that includes a community of learners who support one another while receiving close mentorship from faculty and evaluation professionals embedded in active, community-based projects
- build a strong, diverse cohort of practitioners equipped to pursue MEAL-focused roles and provide evaluation leadership across the nonprofit, government, and social sector
Program Requirements
| Course Type | Course Number | Course Title | Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation (choose one) | KROC 513 | Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation | 3 | Option 1 |
| Foundation (choose one) | KROC 522 | Impact Evaluation | 3 | Option 2 |
| Applied Practicum | KROC 593 | Advanced Design, Monitoring & Evaluation Practicum | 3 | Required |
| Elective | Various | From the Curated List Below | 3 | Elective |
Curated Elective List:
- KROC 531: Intervention Design. This course provides a framework for students to synthesize and apply knowledge and practical skills gained during the program to create a specific conflict management/resolution project. It is also a requirement for MS-CMR students, making a MEAL certificate particularly easy for them to contemplate.
- KROC 593: Peace & Justice Infrastructure: Philanthropy, Nonprofits, and Resourcing Social Change Work
- MSHA 590: Data Visualization and Analytics for Humanitarian Action (online course for the MS in Humanitarian Action program; in-person students may take 3 online credits)
After discussion with your faculty advisor, complete the Petition Form and the Course Checklist. Both forms will be submitted to Vanessa Watkis, Coordinator of Student Success via email (vwatkis@sandiego.edu).
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the certificate program, graduates will be able to work in complex and diverse environments including:
Design
Design evidence-based interventions using logic models, theories of change, and results frameworks.
Implement
Implement mixed-method monitoring and evaluation plans that adhere to ethical and conflict-sensitive principles.
Analyze & Report
Analyze and report findings through narrative synthesis, data visualization, and stakeholder-oriented communication.
Facilitate Learning
Facilitate learning and adaptive management processes within organizational systems.
Apply Professional Standards
Apply professional standards consistent with OECD-DAC criteria and USAID’s Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) framework.
University of San Diego
Non-Kroc School Embedded Certificate Programs
Some students may also choose to pursue the Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership Graduate Certificate or the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Trauma Awareness, Resilience, and Restorative Approaches Across the Professions offered by the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES). As with all certificates, students are encouraged to speak with their faculty advisor. Note that these certificates are non-Kroc School offerings, so students would need to work with SOLES’s faculty and administrators directly to complete the certificate requirements.
Visit the links below for more information and discuss program options with your faculty advisor.
For more information about SOLES Graduate Certificates, contact Beth Garofalo at bethg@sandiego.edu