The Graduate Program in Coexistence and Conflict (COEX)
The Graduate Program in Coexistence and Conflict (COEX), supported by the Alan B. Slifka Foundation, is accepting applications for 2015-2016 academic year, with new full scholarships, including the Public Policy and Coexistence Scholarship and the Sidney Topol Fellowship in Non Violence.
The Master’s Program in Coexistence and Conflict (COEX) is designed for early and mid-career professionals who work, or wish to work in peacebuilding within governments, international agencies or non-government organizations. The program also prepares graduates for careers in security and diplomacy, aid and development, human rights, democracy work, education, civil society and community development. Students are trained in theoretical and practical issues of coexistence and conflict resolution in divided societies.
Students will gain professional skills to design and implement successful interventions that enable groups, nations and regions to embrace peaceful coexistence and use those skills in their work in both government and non-government settings.
Through three pillars, the COEX program curriculum aims at strengthening students’ competencies:
To evaluate conflicts and design strategies for coexistence intervention, To mediate, negotiate and lead interactions with the different stakeholders, And to test coexistence theory in the reality of conflict zones through a practicum.
The 16-month curriculum includes an academic year in residence in the Boston area followed by six months of combined fieldwork, leading either to an internship report, a master’s paper or thesis. The program is designed to help students develop the ability to foster inter-communal and international cooperation in the face of tension and conflict. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing from fields as diverse as social psychology, international politics, sociology, law, anthropology and cultural studies. The Slifka Foundation supports the fieldwork travel costs.
COEX students may choose to combine a Master of Coexistence and Conflict degree with:
— Our dual MA in Coexistence and Conflict (COEX) and MA in Sustainable International Development (SID) responds to the global demand for professional training that addresses the overlap between development and conflict resolution. The SIDCO program gives students the opportunity to train with expert faculty and practitioners in the fields of coexistence and development, who build on one another’s expertise and perspectives.
— Our joint MA degree in Coexistence and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East (with the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies), combines a rich and specific understanding of the historical, religious, linguistic, and cultural dimensions of the Near East with professional skills for implementing successful interventions that enable groups, nations, and the region to embrace coexistence values in the field.
— Our dual MBA in Nonprofit Management and Coexistence and Conflict builds synergies across interdisciplinary skills to deliver results on a vision of peace. This dual degree provides a context-appropriate set of strategy, financial management, and operations skills to develop and implement peacebuilding policies through efficient organizations.
— And our Brandeis-UPeace Dual MA Degree in Coexistence and Conflict (COEX) and International Law and Human Rights (ILHR) will enable graduates to address the world’s need for peace professionals and human rights activists who can skillfully integrate the dimensions of coexistence, reconciliation and human rights in their public interest work.
Students may also choose to spend an additional semester focusing on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Management or Sustainable International Development.
To complement their expertise, our students automatically become part of the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School, which brings together faculty and practitioners from the field of deal-making and conflict resolution. Brandeis University also belongs to a consortium including Boston College, Boston University, Tufts University (excluding the Fletcher School) and the School of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT, enabling Heller students to take courses at these schools.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Students applying to the COEX program are considered for a variety of scholarships, including the Alan B. Slifka Scholarship in Coexistence and Conflict Resolution, a partial tuition award. Scholarships are also offered to students from certain geographic regions and who have particular research interests. For a full listing please click here.
This year we are also offering the Public Policy and Coexistence Fellowship, and the Sidney Topol Fellowship in Non Violence, both of which offer full time tuition scholarships for applicants to the COEX program. Each of these scholarships have unique application requirements, so please click here for the details.
Deadlines:
— March 1st, 2015: Priority deadline - June 1st, 2015: Final application deadline
For questions on the program or the admissions process, please feel free to contact me, or our Assistant Director for Outreach, Sandra Jones at joness@brandeis.edu
