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Explore the causes of conflict, violence, polarization, and oppression while developing practical peacebuilding skills for work in civil society and beyond. Through interdisciplinary study, you'll connect theory, analysis, reflection, and practice.

Learn alongside a diverse community and prepare to support community-centred change at the organizational, community, and systems levels, locally and globally. The Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program prepares you to be a catalyst for peace at community, institutional, and systemic levels. As an intensive course-based degree program with research and practice pathways, MPACS has a distinctive focus on civil society and community-led change. You will graduate with tools to understand sources of conflict and systems of violence, as well as to imagine and support transformative peacebuilding.

A graduate reflected, “On a professional level, MPACS gave me the voice and the ability to articulate injustice. It gave me the credibility to not call people out in their conflict but call them in and say here's where some of the changes need to be made. Taking the skills that I learned in MPACS and applying them to a business setting felt like a unique skill set. I quickly realized that this was unique in the context that I was bringing it, and that many people didn't have it. People started to notice.”

The MPACS program can be completed in 16 months by full-time students, with a part-time option also available. You will take a combination of core PACS courses and electives, with the option to include electives from other departments at the University of Waterloo.

Apply now for intake in Fall 2027 through the University of Waterloo. The application deadline is February 1, 2027. For more details, view the admission requirements and procedures.

Program Features

• Strong Foundations: Learn to understand systems of conflict, violence and oppression, and to transform them through principled and effective social change.
• Interdisciplinary Breadth: Choose electives in PACS as well as in Global Governance, International Development, Sociology, Political Science, and related disciplines.
• Field-Experienced Faculty: Learn from MPACS faculty who bring diverse expertise, field experience and dynamic pedagogical approaches to the classroom.
• Engaged Community: Benefit from diverse cohorts, strong collegiality, and the combined community, resources, and facilities of Grebel and the University of Waterloo.
• Independent Research: Pursue independent studies with a faculty supervisor to advance your area-specific knowledge and academic skills.
• Financial Aid: Full-time students are automatically considered for entry-based awards and receive funding for up to four terms of full-time study.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• Internships: Connect theory and practice through internships with community organizations, NGOs, and international partners. Placements have spanned 70 organizations across 20 countries. Funding available.
• Conflict Resolution Skills Training: Build practical conflict resolution skills through workshops offered for academic credit through the Conflict Management Certificate Program.
• Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement: Access support for early-stage non-profits and social enterprises focused on peace and justice.
• Map the System: Explore complex social and environmental issues while participating in a global competition run in partnership with Oxford University.

Career Paths

Prepare for a career in peacebuilding, mediation, restorative justice, human rights, law, community development, advocacy, and social change across nonprofit, government, education, and global sectors.

Join Our Community of Peacebuilders

Get ready to make a real difference – apply now.

Discover more by visiting the MPACS website or joining an upcoming information session.

Contact MPACS at cgcmpacs@uwaterloo.ca