The Imagine Center, in partnership with the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, offers graduate-level certificate programs designed to strengthen the skills of mid-career and early-career peace practitioners. Each certificate bridges theory and practice, combining online coursework with an in-person residency held either at the Kroc School campus in San Diego, California, or at the University of San Diego Madrid Center in Spain.

The certificate is comprised of two core courses and one concentration track:

• Conflict Analysis & Resolution – Introduces key frameworks for understanding and transforming conflict across interpersonal, communal, and international levels through theory, analysis, and applied practice.
• Mediation – Builds practical mediation and facilitation skills using traditional, problem-solving, and narrative approaches to design context-appropriate and ethical processes.

Students then specialize in one of three concentration tracks:

• Intervention Design – Applying conflict transformation principles to the design and implementation of peacebuilding interventions.
• Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation (PDME) – Building capacity to design, assess, and adapt programs through evaluative and learning-oriented approaches.
• Peace & Security Studies – Examining emerging threats such as hybrid warfare, cyber conflict, and disinformation, while exploring strategies for international and human security.

The Graduate Peace Certificate Program runs on a cohort basis and has historically hosted practitioners from Georgia, Abkhazia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Ukraine. The program is designed for civil society leaders, social scientists, peace and conflict practitioners, and others committed to conflict transformation and professional growth.

In practice, the graduate certificate enables participants to analyze and address conflict across multiple dimensions, from prevention and management, to resolution and transformation. Through experiential learning, global collaboration, and professional mentorship, graduates emerge with practical tools and international networks to engage constructively across social, political, and cultural divides.

Current Announcements and Past Cycles for the certificate programs can be found in our Announcements page.