Peace and Conflict Studies

bench in the fall

There are peaceful ways to end conflicts. Become the light.  

Turn your empathy into action. Today’s turbulent times call for people who understand systems of violence and conflict, and who are prepared to build peace with justice.

As a student in the Faculty of Arts, you’ll bring a unique perspective and set of skills to peace and conflict studies. Your creativity, critical thinking, and compassion can help contribute to finding innovative solutions to the challenges of peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Choose courses from a variety of subjects to tailor your program towards your own areas of curiosity. You’ll build your community through small classes and engaged professors.

Explore the theory and practice of conflict resolution, human rights, and international development. Then get some first-hand experience through paid co-op work terms or a Peace and Conflict Studies internship.

By graduation, you’ll understand the factors that drive conflict and violence and know how conflict zones can move toward becoming healthy societies where communities and individual people flourish.

What courses will you take in Peace and Conflict Studies?

First-year courses

As an Arts student, you’ll choose your major at the end of first year. You’re encouraged to explore a second major in first year to discover potential new interests.

You will also take an Arts First course in either the fall or winter term of your first year. Instead of going to a lecture hall, you and your classmates will work together to respond to an intriguing challenge. With only 25 students in each of the two first-year courses, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.

You can choose to study Peace and Conflict Studies through Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business

Honours Arts

September to December

  • Choose one course from
    • PACS 101 – Peace is Everybody's Business
    • PACS 201 – Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace
    • PACS 202 – Conflict Resolution
  • Arts First requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2
  • Two electives

January to April

  • Choose one course from
    • PACS 201 – Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace
    • PACS 202 – Conflict Resolution
    • PACS 203 – A History of Peace Movements
  • Arts First requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2
  • Two electives

Honours Arts and Business

September to December

  • ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
  • ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
  • Arts First Requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2

Plus one course from

  • PACS 101 – Peace is Everybody's Business
  • PACS 201 – Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace
  • PACS 202 – Conflict Resolution

January to April

  • ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
  • ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
  • Arts First Requirement or elective
  • Prospective major #2

Plus one course from

This is a sample schedule. Courses and course offerings may change depending on availability.

After first year

About 40% of the classes you’ll take will be Peace and Conflict Studies courses. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas.

Sample upper-year courses

PACS 323 – Negotiation: Theories and Strategies
PACS 329 – Restorative Justice
PACS 331 – Trauma, Healing, and Conflict Resolution
PACS 333 – Advanced Mediation Practice

Customize your degree

You can add additional areas of expertise to your degree by including one or more of the program's areas of focus.

  • Applied Conflict Resolution
  • Violence and Nonviolence
  • Religion and Culture
  • Development, Human Rights, and Social Justice

You can also include one of the minors available to all Waterloo students. Popular choices for Peace and Conflict Studies students include Human Resource Management, Legal Studies, and Political Science.

Faculty:
Faculty of Arts

Degree:
Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies

Available as a co-op program?
Yes

Available as a regular program?
Yes

Available as a minor?
Yes

Enrich your education. Connect with other students and professors who share your passion by joining the Peace and Conflict Studies Living Learning Community at Conrad Grebel University College, located on Waterloo’s main campus.

Experience transformational learning. Pursue an internship and take classes with specialists in peacebuilding who will share both their academic and practical expertise.

Co-op = relevant paid work experience

Waterloo's co-op program, the largest in North America, is an amazing way to explore potential careers, learn to interview for jobs, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience — and make money!

Sample co-op job titles

  • Research & marketing assistant
  • Junior project analyst in enterprise strategic initiatives
  • Program coordinator
  • Workplace campaign coordinator
  • Communications assistant
  • Project coordinator

Co-op work-study sequence

Starting in second year, you'll normally alternate between school and work every four months, integrating your classroom learning with real-world experience. You can return to the same employer for a couple of work terms to gain greater knowledge and responsibility or work for different employers to get a broad range of experience.

If you choose to do Peace and Conflict Studies through Honours Arts and Business, your first work term will be halfway through second year (January to April 2027).

Year September to December (Fall) January to April (Winter) May to August (Spring)
First Study Study Off
Second Study Co-op Study
Third Co-op Study Co-op
Fourth Study Co-op Co-op
Fifth Study Study -

or after second year (which can be May to August 2027), if you choose Honours Arts

Year September to December (Fall) January to April (Winter) May to August (Spring)
First Study Study Off
Second Study Study Co-op
Third Study Co-op Study
Fourth Co-op Study Co-op
Fifth Co-op Study -

Learn more about co-op →

What can you do with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies?

Our graduates commonly pursue careers in communications, social services, human resources, and more. They often work for cities, humanitarian organizations, and school boards.

Recent graduates

  • Fundraising Coordinator – Operation Groundswell
  • Junior Consultant – United Nations Development Program Climate Change Team in Vietnam
  • Corporate Disaster Preparedness Analyst – Toronto Hydro
  • Child Youth Worker – Humber River Regional Hospital
  • Human Resource Generalist – Magna International
  • Personal Support Worker – The Darling Home for Kids
  • Emergency Shelter Worker – House of Friendship

Learn about the future of careers in arts, humanities, social sciences, languages, and creative arts.

Tuition fees

First-year tuition

Type of fees Tuition (8 months of school)
Domestic (Ontario residents) $9,000
Domestic (Out of province students) $9,000
International (visa students) $57,000
 
  • Estimated amounts listed include incidental fees. Fees based on 2024-25 tuition rates.
  • Visit our financing page to learn about scholarships, estimate your total expenses, and see how co-op can help pay for your education.

Admission requirements

Apply to Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business and choose Peace and Conflict Studies as your major at the end of first year.

Ontario students: six Grade 12 U and/or M courses including

  • Any Grade 12 U English (minimum final grade of at least 70%)

Admission average: Low 80s (co-op and regular)

Not studying in Ontario? Search our admission requirements for Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.

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