The doctoral program at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies is expanding to include a new graduate minor. Beginning fall 2019, graduate students pursuing a terminal master’s or doctoral degree at the University will have the opportunity to complete a minor concentration in peace studies.
The graduate minor will give students access to classes taught by core faculty members at the Kroc Institute, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, and provide opportunities for students to engage with the Kroc Institute’s diverse learning community. For doctoral students, combining concentrated coursework in peace studies with their primary discipline can also enhance their scholarship and professional options.
“Over the last decade, peace studies has influenced scholars and students in diverse departments across the College of Arts and Letters through the joint Ph.D. program, but we always believed we were merely scratching the surface of the scholarly and practical interest in peace and conflict that exists in the Notre Dame community,” said Catherine Bolten, director of doctoral studies and associate professor of anthropology and peace studies at the Kroc Institute. “The new graduate minor allows students from around the University to enhance their work with rigorous training in peace studies, and we are looking forward to seeing the depth of that interest. We believe peace studies has limitless practical and scholarly applications, and we are excited about collaborating with students across campus.”
Students pursuing the minor concentration will be required to complete three peace studies courses (a total of nine credit hours), and participate in two semesters of the Kroc Institute’s Peace Research Education Seminars.
Begun in 2008, the Ph.D. program at the Kroc Institute equips students who are fully trained, professionalized and marketable in one of six traditional disciplines in the humanities and social sciences (anthropology, history, political science, psychology, sociology or theology) and the multidisciplinary field of peace studies.
Since its inception, the program has graduated 26 students. Many graduates have gone on to secure tenure-track positions at academic institutions, as well as research fellowships and prestigious placements at international peacebuilding organizations.
Contact: Kevin Vaughn, assistant director for doctoral studies, krocphd@nd.edu
Originally published by at kroc.nd.edu on July 15.