The Center for Justice & Peacebuilding (CJP) was founded to further the personal and professional development of individuals as peacebuilders and to strengthen the peacebuilding capacities of the institutions they serve. The program is committed to supporting conflict transformation and peacebuilding efforts at all levels of society in situations of complex, protracted, violent or potentially violent, social conflict in the United States and abroad.

Open to people from all parts of the world and all religious traditions, CJP builds upon Eastern Mennonite University's (EMU) Christian/Anabaptist faith commitments and strengths. The rigors of academic specialization are combined with practical preparation for a life of nonviolence, witness, service and peacebuilding in the larger society and world. The program also builds upon extensive Mennonite domestic and international service experience in disaster response, humanitarian relief, restorative justice and socioeconomic development.

The Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation is designed for persons interested in pursuing academic studies in the field broadly-defined as peacebuilding: conflict transformation, restorative justice, trauma healing, mediation and related fields. It is preferable that potential students have professional or volunteer experience in these areas before applying. The degree prepares reflective practioners, furthering the life-long process of strengthening and acquiring the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values needed for peacebuilding.

CJP is committed to creating and sustaining a mutual learning community that values the diversity and rich experience of students, faculty and staff. The program places a high value on the relationships developed in this community and hopes they will become the basis for long-term partnerships and continued mutual support and learning.

The mission of the Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation is to promote reflective practice by providing value-based, applied education in conflict transformation, restorative justice, trauma healing, development and related applied fields.

Contact Janelle Myers-Benner at or (540) 432-4986 for additional graduate program information.

Other CJP Programs:

Practice and Training Institute

CJP programs like Summer Peacebuilding Institute draw inspired students of peacebuilding from across the globe to study and share ideas and stories. Above, 2008 participants from Belgium, Zimbabwe, and Nepal listen during the opening session of the 13th annual SPI at EMU.

The Practice and Training Institute (PTI) is the applied practice, research and training arm of the Center for Justice & Peacebuilding. It administers a variety of domestic and international programs including:

• Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI):

SPI offers a sequence of courses in 5-7 day intensive formats in May and June, which can be taken for academic credit or as professional training. Participants come from near and far to learn together and explore possibilities of a more peaceful world. www.emu.edu/cjp/spi

• Seminars in Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR):

  STAR is a week-long seminar that looks at trauma through the lens of peacebuilding and restorative justice. STAR explores common responses to trauma, cycles of victim-hood and violence, strategies to transform trauma for individuals and communities, and self-care for the caregiver. www.emu.edu/cjp/star/trauma-healing-seminars

• 3D Security:

Lisa Schirch is a professor of peacebuilding at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU and also program director of the 3D Security Initiative (www.3Dsecurity.org).

3DSecurity is a toolkit to address security challenges like terrorism, global warming, deadly diseases, and the proliferation of weapons. 3DSecurity looks at the root causes of these and other challenges and offers specific conflict prevention strategies and peacebuilding policy options for citizens and policymakers. www.3dsecurity.org

• Coming to the Table (CTTT):

  CTTT is a project designed to address the impact of the American legacy of slavery by inviting descendants of former slaves and slaveowners to meet and talk together. CTTT believes that it is through looking at slavery and our connections to it as well as our historical roots that healing will begin. www.emu.edu/cjp/comingtothetable/

• Seminars in Organizational Leadership

  These seminars debuted in 2008 and will return again January—April 2009. Attend one or up to seven 3-hour seminars on such topics as: healthy organizations, leading with integrity, cultural awareness, communication styles, skills for negotiating and transforming conflict. www.emu.edu/cjp/seminarseries/

PTI also provides direct services, such as training, consulting, process design, conciliation, mediation and action-oriented research. Faculty, staff and others with ties to CJP serve as institute consultants. www.emu.edu/pi

Persons who apply to the graduate program must have an undergraduate degree, preferably in the social sciences. Preference is given to applicants with at least two years of experience in conciliation, mediation, trauma healing, advocacy, restorative justice, community development, relief work or related areas.

Applicants are expected to have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 (based on a 4 point scale) or above. However, highly qualified persons with extensive experience or accomplishments may choose to apply with a lower GPA. If all other admission requirements are met fully, the applicant may be admitted on an academic probation status. The student's academic progress will be reviewed at the end of the first semester of full-time graduate study. If sufficient progress has been made by achieving at least a 3.0 GPA, the probation will be removed and the student fully admitted.

Completed applications should be submitted by February 15 for enrollment the following summer or fall semester. After that time, the admissions committee will continue to review applications on an individual basis and, as long as space is available, will admit students until the beginning of classes. Application packets are available from the CJP office. Contact the CJP office directly at (540) 432-4490 or EMU graduate admissions at (800) 710-7871 or by emailing for more information.

A completed application includes:

• A completed Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation application form

• A non-refundable application fee of $25.00 (US)

• Official transcripts from each college or university attended (photocopies not acceptable)

• Three letters of reference for M.A. (at least one academic and one professional); or two references for Graduate Certificate (GC)

• A typewritten, double-spaced, 4-5 page essay for M.A. or 2-page essay for GC outlining why you are interested in this program, your objectives in pursuing this degree and how the program fits your long-term goals.

• A current résumé or curriculum vitae

• These items are optional:

• A personal interview
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) results, if available
• Photo
• Scholarship Form

• For International Applicants:
  In addition to the previous requirements, international applicants should submit the following:

• For applicants whose native language is not English, competency must be demonstrated by a minimum score of 550 (or 213 on the computer version) on the paper Test of English as a Foreign Language/TOEFL or comparable English test (i.e. IELTS). EMU’s institutional code is 5181. Applicants who have studied and received a degree from a college or university where all instruction is in English are not required to submit English test scores.

• A financial certificate demonstrating the student's "ability to pay" is not required at the time of application. However, upon admission it is required in order for the program to issue an I-20 form needed to apply for a student visa.

The following are program policies for the Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation, the academic unit of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. For official EMU graduate studies policies, return to the catalog's table of contents, located here: www.emu.edu/catalog/graduate

Transfer Credit

Transfer credits may be applied to a student’s program of study with the approval of the academic director. The academic director will handle decisions on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Traditionally, a maximum of 6 credit hours may be applied to the degree. Additional credits may be considered for transfer under special circumstances. All transfer work must have a grade of A or B and have been completed for graduate credit at an accredited college or university. Transfer credit taken more than five years before a student is admitted may not be used to satisfy degree requirements. Students requesting to transfer work must submit the request in writing with an official transcript from the university which previously awarded the credit.

Additionally, persons are invited to take courses at CJP as a non-degree student prior to applying to the graduate program. A maximum of 4 courses taken as a non-degree student can later be applied to the graduate degree program if an interested person applies and becomes a matriculated student.

Transfer of credits completed at EMU to another institution is at the discretion of that institution. Candidates should check with the institution to which they wish to transfer regarding the transferability of EMU credits.

Refund Policy

Students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed or otherwise cease enrollment prior to the completion of one-third of a given course shall receive a tuition charge credit equal to the percentage of the term remaining (rounded to the nearest 10%) and multiplied times the refundable institutional charges for tuition.

Aid recipients who change their course registration after the beginning of each semester must notify the financial assistance office. Enrollment status is very important to aid eligibility. Students who withdraw must also notify the financial assistance office. Financial aid refunds due to withdrawal are calculated using the percentage of term not completed as mandated by federal aid regulations. More information about aid adjustments and refunds related to changes in enrollment status may be obtained from the Financial Assistance Office.

Graduation GPA

Graduate students are expected to earn A and B grades. A GPA of 3.0 is the minimum requirement for graduation.

Fall Semester 2008

Spring Semester 2009

Summer Peacebuilding Institute 2009: May 4-June 12

Click here for more information on the SPI schedule and courses.

The graduate student community includes traditional full- and part-time campus-based students, as well as non-traditional students who commute or take classes during intensive courses through the Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI).

While students are strongly encouraged to have at least one on-campus semester for the enhanced learning experience, some students complete the graduate degree by attending only SPI courses. At this time, we do not offer courses in a distance-learning format.

Academic credit may be earned through:

• Traditional courses: regularly offered semester-length, during fall and spring semesters
  
  
• Intensive courses: week-long, multiple-weekend or other intensive formats during fall and spring semesters
  
  
• Summer Peacebuilding Institute courses: an intensive format during May and June
  
  
• Practicum: 6-9 credit hours; required credits for research and/or peacebuilding practice
  
  
• Independent study: individualized study with program faculty

Core courses for M.A. and Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation:

• PAX 533: Analysis: Understanding Conflict (3)
• PAX 503: Practice: Skills for Conflict Transformation (3)

Additional M.A. core courses/requirements:

• PAX 573: Theory: Frameworks for Conflict Transformation (3)

• One of the following research courses:

• PAX 542: Research: Action Research (3)
• PAX 520: Research Design (3)
• Other research options offered occasionally

• PAX 682: Practicum (6-9)

M.A. concentrations:

Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding
Restorative Justice
Trauma Healing & Peacebuilding
Development & Peacebuilding
Conflict Transformation & Organizational Leadership

Click here for more information on the concentrations.