Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution (DIRS)
In 1995, the Graduate Program
in Dispute Resolution, a component of the Center, was inaugurated
to teach individuals to practice as third-party neutrals or to
be knowledgeable participants in dispute resolution processes. The program of studies is interdisciplinary, combining the fields
of law, business, psychology, sociology, political science, education
and communication.
The university awards a Graduate Certificate
in Dispute Resolution to students who complete the 15-graduate
credit course of studies. With appropriate approvals, credits
in DIRS may also be applied to the master's in business
administration, master's in communication, master’s
in educational psychology, master's in human resources and master's
in nursing administration.
As a discrete area of academic inquiry, dispute resolution is relatively new but rapidly developing. According to a recent report, there were four established graduate programs in dispute resolution in the United States in 1985 and by spring of the year 2000 about 80 such programs existed.
Marquette's Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution was the first academic training program for mediators and other neutrals in Wisconsin.
