Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution

Students learn the arts of negotiation, problem solving, mediation, arbitration, systems design, and many other applications of dispute resolution.

Conflict is Everywhere. Opportunity is Here.

U.S. News & World Report has cited dispute resolution as one of the fastest-growing academic disciplines of the new millennium. Organizations are increasingly aware of the importance of positive interactions to enhance productivity, financial success, and personal satisfaction in the context of any professional or personal endeavor or relationship. All of these factors indicate that dispute resolution is one of the most marketable skills in today’s world of business and commerce.

SMU's Dispute Resolution Graduate Certificate Program provides its students with theoretical and practical knowledge, useful in all social and psychological environments. In this 21-credit hour program, students learn the art of negotiation, problem-solving, mediation, arbitration, team-building, group facilitation, and many other applications of dispute resolution. The program actively incorporates role-plays from varied aspects of human relationships to engage the student in class participation and to provide the skill and training necessary to become adept at the art of conflict resolution.

Required Coursework (9 credit hours)

  • HDDR 6319 Psychology of Conflict
  • HDDR 6302 Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
  • HDDR 6303 Mediation and Dispute Resolution
  • HDDR 6305 Law, Ethics, and Morality
  • HDDR 6315 Communication and Dispute Resolution
  • HDDR 6361 Gender & Culture in Negotiation
  • HDDR 6310 Research Methods
  • HDDR 6308 Capstone (Internship or Independent Study)

Elective Coursework (12 credit hours)

The concentration areas offered within the Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management Program cover a broad spectrum of applications and topics. Students select four HDDR courses based on interests. Course are offered on a rotation, therefore all courses may not be offered every term or year.

  • Law, Ethics, and Morality
  • Communication and Dispute Resolution
  • Gender & Culture in Negotiation
  • Research Methods
  • Executive and Leadership Coaching: Essentials
  • Executive and Leadership Coaching: Theory and Practice
  • Executive and Leadership Coaching: Performance in ContextArbitration 
  • Domestic Relations (Family Mediation)
  • Conflict Coaching
  • Online Mediation
  • Facilitation
  • Workplace Conflict
  • Employment Law
  • Facilitation
  • Role of the Ombudsman in Organizational Conflict
  • Organizational Change Management
  • Designing Dispute Resolution Systems for Organizations
  • Family Conflict: The 21st Century Family
  • Engaging in Conflict 
  • Neuroscience: The Role of the Brain in Emotion, Collaboration and Conflict 
  • International Conflict Management 
  • Organizational Consulting Skills 
  • Generational Conflict

“Think of the knowledge and skills you acquire in the Dispute Resolution program as keys that open doors to many and varied career positions.”

– Dr. Betty Snyder, Clinical Adjunct Instructor

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