Natural Resources and Peace

The Master of Arts Degree Programme in Natural Resources and Peace allows participants to contribute to solving significant environmental and development issues, such as the prevention of a global fresh water crisis, the recognition and empowerment of local and indigenous communities, the enhancement of biodiversity for global life support systems, and the identification and mitigation of conflicts that arise from development initiatives, natural resources management, and environment issues.

Successful candidates for this programme have typically obtained high qualifications in an accredited bachelor's degree in the social or environmental sciences (preferably a combination of both). Most of the candidates possess 3-4 years or more of substantive experience relevant to natural resources management and sustainable development. English proficiency is a must, while some proficiency in Spanish is preferable because of the many field activities of this programme in Costa Rica. Selected candidates will have demonstrated a clear and concrete commitment towards community oriented development work in the natural resources, environmental and development sectors, as well as a convincing vision of the role of this programme in their future career.

The 40 credits programme takes place over two course semesters between August of one year and May of the following year, followed by a 2-3 months internship or independent study project, for a total duration of 11 months. After several foundational courses in Peace and Conflict Studies, Conservation and Development and Research Methods, the participants delve deeper into their specialization topics, such as Forests and Poverty, Environmental Justice and Social Movements, Sustainable Tourism, Ecological Bases of Sustainable Land Use, and Agriculture, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, among many other course opportunities (see list below). Towards the end of the first semester, with the guidance of their academic advisor, the participants will have identified their internship or independent study topic, for which they prepare a full proposal due in the course of the second semester. The Independent Study is a comprehensive desk study research on a subject that closely matches the student's career interests. The Internship is an opportunity for the participants to get professionally immersed into a local, non-governmental, government, or international organization and additionally serves as a spring board for accessing attractive job opportunities. The final Independent Study or Internship report marks the end of the programme.

The required courses are:

PCS-6000 - Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies (3 credits). Collegiate course by UPEACE faculty.
NRD-6091 - Conservation and Development (3 credits). Robert Fletcher.
ESP-6020 - Introduction to Research Methods I and II (3 credits). Marteen Kapelle.
ESP-7100 - Independent Study (8 credits). Assigned advisor
or
ESP-7200 - Internship (8 credits). Assigned advisor

Elective courses may include:
NRP participants may chose any of the courses listed below, 12 credits of which need to be from the courses with the NRD code. The remaining 11 required credits may be either from the ESP or NRD codes or up to 6 credit courses from other departments.

NRD-6020 - System Thinking (1 credit) Rolain Borel
NRD-6024 - Strategic Planning, and Project Cycle (3 credits) Juergen Carls et al.
NRD-6027 or NRD-6028 - Fundraising for Sustainable Development (1 credit) Juergen Carls
NRD-6040 - Ecological Foundations for Sustainable Land Use (3 credits) Eric Fuchs
NRD-6050 - Agriculture, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (3 credits) Guntra Aistara
NRD-6051 - Measuring Sustainability (1 credit) Jan Breitling
NRD-6075 - Forestry, Forests and Poverty (3 credits) Jan Breitling
NRD-6081 - San José Environmental Seminar (1 credit) Jan Breitling
NRD-6083 - Natural Resources Management Field Course (3 credits) Jan Breitling & Robert Fletcher
NRD-6092 - Management of Coastal Resources (3 credits) Marco Quesada
NRD-6093 - Sustainable Tourism (3 credits) Robert Fletcher

ESP-6040 - Demographic Change, Migration and Conflict (2 credits). Tom Deligiannis.
ESP-6045 - Skills for Non-Profit Leadership (1 credit). Mohit Mukherjee.
ESP-6051 - Environmental Justice and Social Movements (2 credits). Guntra Aistara.
ESP-6060 - Water, Security and Peace (3 credits). Mahmoud Hamid.
ESP-6070 - Disaster Risk Reduction at the Local Level (3 credits). Rolain Borel et al.
ESP-6071 - Urban Environmental Security (2 credits). Mahmoud Hamid.
ESP-6090 - Hunger, Famine and Food Security (3 credits). Reg Noble.
ESP-6100 - Environmental Security Assessment (3 credits). Jeffrey Stark & Katsuaki Tarasawa.
ESP-6120 - Human Vulnerability and Climate Change (2 credits). Mike Brklacich.
ESP-6140 - Environmental Conflict Management (3 credits). Rolain Borel.
ESP-6150 - Environmental Governance (1 credit). Mirian Vilela.

For complete course descriptions, course calendar and information about the prefessors, please follow this link: http://www.upeace.org/academic/calendar/

participants who have completed this programme are able to articulate and critique key theoretical and conceptual dimensions related to environment and development, prevention of conflict, and peace-building. In particular, they are able to formulate policies to advance sustainable development at the local, regional and global levels, to facilitate international cooperation in the design of sustainable development and environment policy, and to generate strategies for environmental conflict management. They are also likely to become smart and well informed activists in development and environment matters, in favour of more vulnerable groups, and to be promoters of change in their society back home. In addition, most of the graduates will have acquired a working command of Spanish through their field work with local partners.

Graduates of the NRP programme are likely to be employed by international and national environmental and development agencies and NGO's, working in close contact with local organizations, as well as for environmental and policy making institutions. Others are likely to pursue a higher education degree. The NRP programme is too recent to have graduates who are professionally engaged.