Conflict management, in many ways, could be described as the eternal quest to facilitate “Kumbaya” moments, when people put aside their many differences to work and live together in harmony and mutual respect.
Unfortunately, life around any campfire is complicated. Conflict appears at home, in schools and in businesses. The disruptive effects of conflict can impair productivity, drain resources and devastate lives, which is why Kennesaw State University offers a Master of Science degree in conflict management, or MSCM.
“Our students are typically midcareer professionals who are either making a career shift into conflict management or trying to add new skills to be more effective in their current job,” said Ansley M. Wood, administrative director of the program, which is offered by Kennesaw State University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Wood is involved in guiding prospective students through the admission process and Sherrill Hayes is academic director of the program.
Wood, who graduated from the program in 2009, gained first-hand experience when she worked as a patient advocate at DeKalb Medical Center’s Emergency Department in Decatur.
“It’s Monday night, worst day ever in an ER. Wait times are long, and it can be stressful for both the patients and staff,” Wood recalled. “Some families want to stay with their patient in the treatment room, but some doctors aren’t OK with that and want the family to remain in the waiting area.
“In my job, I was the liaison between the staff and the family, helping to maintain patient satisfaction at the same time we were providing care that measured up to the hospital’s standard of excellence.”
Graduates of KSU’s conflict management program use their skills in many settings, such as law practices, corporate boardrooms, human resources, health care, nonprofit organizations, international diplomacy, government, military units and family mediation.
“It’s an executive-style degree program, which means it meets every other weekend on campus for 16 months on Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.” Wood said.
To be eligible for the program, prospective students must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and a test score of at least 800 on the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam, 475 on the Graduate Management Admissions Test or 151 on the Law School Admission Test. Test requirements are waived for applicants who have earned an advanced degree.
During coursework, students gain understanding about conflict and negotiation theory, diplomacy and peace building, dispute resolution and mediation. They learn to use qualitative and quantitative research in the study of conflict, and how to respond to conflict in various settings, from interpersonal conflicts in the workplace to highly volatile public disputes that involve large groups and occur under the flare of public and media attention.
The cost of the program is about $28,000, plus a nonrefundable $500 application acceptance fee. The price covers tuition, books, a weeklong study abroad trip, catered meals every weekend that students are on campus for class, membership in a professional organization and other premium services, Wood said.
The majority of MSCM students receive financial aid, whether through private scholarships, federal student loans or graduate research assistant positions.
“The MSCM program accepts one cohort a year during the fall semester,” Wood said. “The application deadline for next fall is March 1, 2014, and we will accept up to 30 students in that cohort. The student would begin the following August.”
The cohort model of education allows a group of students to move through all classes and phases of a program together. This fosters mutual academic, emotional and logistical support for success, and timely completion. It also promotes camaraderie, collaborative learning and lasting personal ties to classmates.
“Some of my cohort members included a U.S. Army general, a law professor, a consultant for a technology company and a director for a pharmaceutical company,” Wood said.
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