Conflict Management Certification

The Curriculum

The undergraduate Certificate in Conflict Management (CCM) is a professional certification offered through a joint enterprise of Seaver College and the School of Law's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Seaver College, the university's undergraduate college of letters, arts, and sciences enrolls approximately 3,200 students who reflect the highest standards of academic excellence and personal conduct. The Straus Institute is the country's recognized leader in academic education and training in alternative dispute resolution among law schools and here provides a distinctive curriculum combining academic understanding of theory with the practical skills of strategic negotiation, creative problem-solving and effective deal-making. Regardless of academic major, this resume-enhancing certification strongly enables the translation of theory into practice – a useful, lifelong skill set.

The Seaver/Straus Certificate in Conflict Management requires a total of 14–16 units for completion, depending on course selection. Four courses (8 units) are taken at the School of Law from the Straus Institute's core curriculum and the remaining two courses (6 or 8 units) are selected from an approved list of twenty upper-level Seaver College elective courses. Eligibility for the Certificate in Conflict Management program requires the successful completion of 60 units including Psychology 200 or Sociology 200, or equivalent, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students must be in good standing. Seaver students enrolled in Straus Institute courses sit these courses with law students and are subject to the same standards and academic policies of the School of Law.

Seaver students in the CCM program cross-register for the law courses in the program through the Straus Institute. The four Straus Institute courses in the CCM program are highly interactive and promote both life and professional skills development. Straus/law courses are most often taught in intensive formats so as to be able to offer two courses in one semester. Courses are offered during the late afternoon and evening times so as to be convenient to Seaver students whose classes are offered most often during the day.