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In its second year, this is an exciting joint peace studies programme between an international think tank and a Barcelona-based university.

Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies in Europe: Learn from Top Experts in the Field

Students of our new Masters Programme will enjoy Blanquerna faculty members who bring a wide range of professional experience.

Faculty members offer expertise in:

  • disarmament
  • conflict management
  • election assistance and monitoring
  • conflict resolution
  • post-conflict peacebuilding
  • peace activism

Expert faculty members

Prominent faculty include Serge Stroobrants, former Colonel in the Belgian army who holds degrees from the Belgian Royal Military Academy, Free University of Brussels, Université Jean Moulin Lyon III, the German General Staff College and Vesalius College.

He is also an expert in global risk assessment and crisis management linked to the Global Governance Institute. He currently serves as Director of Operations, Europe & MENA at IEP.

The institutes founder and executive chairman Steve Killelea also features in the course as a guest professor.

Tom Woodhouse, Emeritus Professor Department of Peace Studies, founding director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution and co-director of this master’s degree emphasises the importance of the Blanquerna- IEP partnership.

“It is becoming much clearer that a partnership between a university and a think tank provides the ideal combination to enhance the theory-policy-practise link, to explore debates on contemporary issues in an academically rigorous manner.”

International relations programmes have proliferated across Europe and indeed around the world. However, in recent years new challenges to international peace and security have created a fresh impetus to think creatively.

In other words: a good foundation in international relations needs to be complemented with specialised debates and creative thinking in terms of connecting peace, conflict and security.

Moreover, having two institutions from widely different geographical locations gives an even richer benefit for the student in terms of knowledge, understanding and perspective.

 

Masters Programme Details

The programme provides students with tools to analyse key issues in peace and conflict around the world. Furthermore, graduates are prepared with the skills to forge a career as practitioners or researchers in areas such as:

  • conflict analysis
  • arms control
  • international security
  • conflict prevention
  • peace-making
  • peacebuilding

The data-driven approach of IEP also features in the degree, with participation of experts from the organisation as mentioned above.

What is the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)?

IEP is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank with offices in Brussels, Zimbabwe, Sydney, New York and Mexico City.

IEP has developed the world’s leading metric to analyse peace and quantify the economic value of peace. For example, the institute issues well-known reports like the Global Peace Index and the Global Terrorism Index each year.

Why Blanquerna?

Blanquerna School for Communication and International Relations of the Ramon Llull University is based in Barcelona, providing degrees in English and Spanish. The School attracts international students from around the world to its campus based in the centre of one of the world’s great cities.

Located in the heart of Barcelona, the campus is a short walk away from the famous Las Ramblas. The metro will bring you to La Sagrada Familia and the Barcelona beach in under ten minutes. Surrounded by cafes and restaurants, the Blanquerna campus enjoys the best of what Barcelona has to offer.

Find more information about the new degree and Blanquerna on the university’s website.