Mediation & Conflict Resolution at University of Strathclyde

Study with us

• practical skills and a thorough academic foundation – the only course of its kind in the UK
• real-world experience through our innovative Mediation Clinic
• a rich blend of students from a range of professional backgrounds including law, psychology, social work, education and management
• full-time and part-time study options

Why this course?

Mediation is fast becoming a core skill. Professionals in business, public bodies and the law are increasingly expected to resolve disputes without the delay and expense of litigation.

This Scottish Mediation Register-accredited programme is the only course of its kind in the UK. It's rigorous and multidisciplinary, combining both theoretical and practical elements. You'll be exposed you to a wide range of approaches as well as being taught by experts from across the UK.

Graduates at Certificate, Diploma or Masters level fulfil the training requirements for the Scottish Mediation Register.

For those working in international settings, the core modules can be combined with classes such as International Human Rights Law to provide the foundation for work with charities and non-governmental organisations committed to conflict resolution.

You can graduate with either an LLM or MSc. Those whose dissertations deal with significant legal or justice questions receive recognition via an LLM. Those who take a social science or empirical approach will graduate with an MSc. This division reflects the range of students taking the course, who include:

• lawyers
• human resource professionals
• recent graduates of all disciplines
• managers
• teachers
• social workers
• coaches, as well as experienced mediators seeking a more academic grounding for their work

What you’ll study

You’ll enhance your confidence in dealing with interpersonal and organisational conflict while developing your communication and problem-solving skills. You'll also have opportunities to acquire the skills of a mediator through simulations and case studies as well as gaining practical experience through our Mediation Clinic.

Successful completion of the course will provide you with:

• specialised knowledge and practical mediation and negotiation skills
• potential career advancement
• a further academic qualification as tangible evidence of expertise
• a rigorous, multidisciplinary perspective on conflict
• opportunities for further research

Facilities

Our library has a wide range of law reports, legislation, serials and monographs. It also has duplicate sets of key law report series, houses extensive collections in government publications and other related areas.

You’ll have access to a wide range of electronic information sources which can be accessed from home, including all the major legal databases.

Careers

Many students take their qualification into their existing professions, for example law, human resources, construction, education, management, social work and trade unions. A number of large law firms now have dispute resolution departments. Legal practitioners find the qualification a useful addition to their CV. HR managers who have taken the course report regular use of their mediation skills. Managers and social workers say they use them daily.

Former students are now working in community, homelessness and family mediation. Others have integrated mediation into their business offering.