18 MA Degree Programs in Costa Rica

The online Master of Arts program in Sustainable Peace in the Contemporary World engages competent professionals and researchers to resolve pressing and complex global problems that concern humanity. Every course in the program shares a commitment to ethics, fundamental human values, gender sensitivity, and multiculturalism. The content of the online M.A. moves from a study of the origins of conflict at the personal, local, internal, and international levels to the promotion and practice of peace.

The Master of Arts in Development Studies and Diplomacy is an interdisciplinary and holistic program that will not only broaden student’s knowledge in the field of development studies, sustainability, and diplomacy but it will also equip them with the required soft skills for a successful international career in any of these areas of expertise. It is offered both online and face-to-face on the UPEACE campus in Costa Rica. During this program, students will analyze the different dimensions of development including, environmental, social, economic, and human dimensions as well as the theory and practice of diplomacy in the 21st century. Students will also attend skills development sessions that are designed to support their professional careers and employability. Careers in this field can be very broad. Prospective employers include governments, international organizations, development agencies, academia, and the private sector.

The Master of Arts Degree Program in Gender and Peace Building offers critical knowledge and training in gender studies, which is a crucial aspect of any and all peace efforts.

The Master of Arts Degree in Environment, Development, and Peace (EDP) provides comprehensive training in issues of sustainable development, environmental governance, natural resource management, and environmental conflict management from both ecological and social perspectives. It encompasses a broad range of subjects and themes, including Food Systems, Water Management, Forestry, Coastal Resources, Climate Change, Urban Ecology, and Social Movements. The program focuses on the human dimensions of the environment-development nexus, highlighting the connections between local perspectives and broader processes at the national, regional and global levels and emphasizing the importance of political, economic structures and inequality in access to resources as key drivers in environmental conflict and global environmental change. The program prepares students for a wide range of careers in both environmental and development policy and programming in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

The confluence of cutting-edge Western and Indigenous science and knowledge has opened the doors to a new paradigm of peace and development. The Master of Arts in Indigenous Science and Peace Studies (ISPS) brings these two ways of knowing together to challenge a failing framework with time-tested methodologies that sustain life and create transformative opportunities amidst the global catastrophes we face right now. The transformation of policy, diplomacy, development models, and innovative technologies in ways that respect the interconnections of people and facilitate stronger and more sustainable solutions across all sectors of society, is at the core of the program.

The Master of Arts Degree in International Law and Human Rights Degree offers students an in-depth review of the procedures and practice of international human rights bodies, at the global and UN level as well as at the regional level. Students will gain an understanding of the various judicial and non-judicial bodies that are at the frontline of questions of interpretation, the development of international human rights standards, and enforcement. In addition, students receive training in hands-on skills in the realm of reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of human rights. Finally, as the globalization of business and investment is increasing in force and speed, with important human rights implications, this specialization explores the interaction between economics and rights, asking critical questions about this process and potential solutions.

With the co-sponsorship of the Muslim World League, the Pontifical Lateran University, and the World Jewish Congress, this program has been designed to nurture your critical thinking abilities, foster your research skills, and provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to be an intersectional scholar who is being mindful of the religious and cultural dimensions of conflict transformation and peacebuilding.

The Master of Arts in International Law and Diplomacy (online and hybrid formats) is a graduate program permitting students to specialize in the interface between international law and diplomacy. It will not only broaden students' knowledge in the field of international law and its various foundational dimensions but will also equip them with knowledge and skills to work in the field of diplomacy and related international careers. During this program, students will analyze the different dimensions of international law including those related to law-making, armed conflicts, human rights, economic relations, territorial and maritime disputes, and environmental disputes as well as those related to the theory and practice of diplomacy in the 21st century including dispute settlement and conflict resolution. Students will also attend skills development sessions that are designed to support their professional careers and employability.

The Master of Arts in Development Studies and Diplomacy, offered by UPEACE in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is an interdisciplinary program designed to enhance students' understanding of development, sustainability, and diplomacy while equipping them with essential soft skills for a successful international career. Offered online, the curriculum explores various dimensions of development—environmental, social, economic, and human—along with contemporary diplomatic practices. Students will benefit from skills development and coaching sessions tailored to enhance their professional prospects across diverse sectors, including governments, international organizations, and academia. Additionally, participants can opt for a field visit to Geneva or The Hague, providing a unique immersion in the realms of diplomacy and international law.

The Master of Arts in Gender and Development offered by UPEACE, jointly with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), aims to equip students with critical knowledge about gender studies in its intersections with development studies. Gain the skills to advance gender equality with this graduate program focused on the crucial role of women in diplomacy and development.

The Master of Arts Degree in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes (face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats) offers students an understanding of the role that international law and institutions play in the settlement of international and transnational disputes. This specialization examines the role of national and international courts and tribunals in contributing to the settlement of disputes. As international and transnational adjudication has acquired a more prominent role in international relations, it is essential to understand how these global and regional courts are responding to the challenges of the early 21st Century. Students will examine the role of law in traditional and not-so traditional territorial and boundary disputes, and acquire an overview of the law of the sea. And finally, they will be examine the increasingly important field of dispute settlement in international economic relations, which will include investment arbitration.

The Master of Arts in International Law and Diplomacy (online and hybrid formats) is a two-year. graduate program permitting students to specialize in the interface between international law and diplomacy. It will not only broaden students' knowledge in the field of international law and its various foundational dimensions but will also equip them with knowledge and skills to work in the field of diplomacy and related international careers.

This master's program aims to train leaders with the elements of an integral human development for the 21st century. The essential nucleus of this formation will make it possible to understand that the conflicts we face must be transformed and solved peacefully, because that is the only way to lay the foundations for peace. The combination of these elements allows access to development in all its facets: human development, sustainable and sustainable. For this, our vision supports the notions of the United Nations that peace, human development and the transformation and resolution of conflicts must contain transversally elements related to gender equity and the principle of non-discrimination, be this racial , social, conscience, cult, or other.

The Master of Arts in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes (online, onsite and hybrid formats) offered by UPEACE in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a graduate programme that offers students an understanding of the role that international law and institutions play in the settlement of international and transnational disputes. This specialization examines the role of national and international courts and tribunals in contributing to the settlement of disputes. As international and transnational adjudication has acquired a more prominent role in international relations, it is essential to understand how these global and regional courts are responding to the challenges of the early 21st Century.

The Master of Arts in Gender and Development (hybrid) is a graduate programme that offers critical knowledge in gender studies in its intersections with development studies. In addition, this programme equips students with the required soft skills for a successful international career in this field.

All students enrolled under this program will take most of the courses within the International Peace Studies program, however, this specialization will include 12 credits focused specifically on Media, Peace, and Conflict Studies.