Marquette Launches New Masters Degree in Dispute Resolution Released: May 15, 2006 MILWAUKEE- The Marquette University College of Professional Studies will launch a master's degree in dispute resolution in fall 2006.  The degree will focus on mediation, arbitration, facilitation, and public policy consensus-building. Courses for the thirty-three hour degree will be offered primarily on weekends.   "The curriculum should be attractive to lawyers, psychologists, health care providers, educators, and human resource professionals,” said program director Eva M. Soeka. “Anyone who experiences conflict in an organizational setting would benefit from learning effective ways to identify and manage it.” Marquette will join seventeen other universities nationally that currently offer a master's degree in dispute resolution.  It will also be one of only four schools that offer the option of combining a master's degree in dispute resolution with a law degree. Master's degree students in leadership, public service, communication, educational psychology, and nursing administration will be able to take electives in the program. "The College of Professional Studies continues to reach out to the professional community, both in Southeastern Wisconsin and beyond, to offer quality educational programs that will benefit the corporate and not-for-profit communities,” said Dr. Robert Deahl, dean of the college. Marquette established the Center for Dispute Resolution Education in 1993. Two years later it established a graduate certificate in dispute resolution. This fifteen credit graduate certificate has been well-received by adult professionals who are interested in enhancing their current skills and those who are redirecting their professional lives.  "The Marquette program is nationally-recognized for creating a curriculum that provides students with realistic approaches that cross many academic disciplines,” said Moira Kelly of Kelly Consulting, a national consultant in dispute resolution and human resources services and graduate of the certificate program. “This enables me to provide real-world meaningful solutions for my clients who are experiencing conflict.  There is no other education like it within 1,000 miles, and I am very grateful everyday for the skills I learned at Marquette.” The master's curriculum will include courses in dispute resolution and health care, dispute resolution and education, dispute resolution and workplace, dispute resolution and family in addition to courses in dispute resolution systems design, arbitration, and negotiation. These new courses will complement the existing certificate courses in mediation, advanced mediation, dispute resolution theory, and advanced issues in dispute resolution. Each course will have a theoretical and practical component. Students will have the choice of a thesis or capstone project to complete the degree. “Dispute resolution is a highly interdisciplinary field,” Soeka said, “We will rely on nationally- experienced scholars and practitioners to give our students a depth and breadth of understanding in the field.” The job market looks positive for graduates of the program. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an increase in employment for arbitrators and mediators nationally of 14% by 2012. Similarly, the Bureau projects an increase in employment for arbitrators and mediators in Wisconsin of 5% by 2012. The Association for Conflict Resolution estimates that there are currently more than 20,000 private practitioners of dispute resolution in the United States. Admission to the program requires an undergraduate degree, completion of one of several graduate school entrance examinations (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or Miller Analogies), and three letters of reference.  For further information or to register, please call (414) 288-5535 or visit the Center for Dispute Resolution Education. For more information on other programs offered by the College of Professional Studies including undergraduate programs, continuing education and exam preparation courses, workforce training and development and other graduate level programs please call (414) 288-3153 or visit the College of Professional Studies. Office of Marketing and Communication Contacts Christopher Stolarski Media Relations Specialist Phone: (414) 288-1988 Send e-mail