We live in a world shaped by conflict, inequality, displacement, political polarization, and urgent struggles for justice—locally and globally. Understanding these challenges is no longer optional for those interested in global affairs, public policy, law, or social change. It is essential.
The Peace, Conflict & Justice (PCJ) program at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate education that equips students to analyze the causes and consequences of peace, conflict, and injustice, and to think seriously about how societies respond to them. PCJ students are challenged to move beyond the traditional boundaries of international affairs by examining conflict within and between states, the lived experience of violence and inequality, and the complex processes through which peace and justice are pursued.
Through the program, students develop strong interdisciplinary skills in critical thinking, research design, data analysis, and clear, effective communication. These skills prepare graduates for advanced study in law and the social sciences, as well as for meaningful professional paths in international organizations, government, NGOs, advocacy, and policy-oriented careers. Just as importantly, PCJ students learn to apply theory to practice through experiential learning, internships, research opportunities, and partnerships within Canada and abroad.
PCJ students join a close-knit community of high-achieving peers who share a commitment to understanding and addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
A message from the PCJ Director
Students learn from scholars, practitioners, activists, alumni, Munk Fellows, and guest speakers who are actively engaged in global affairs. Just as importantly, PCJ is a community—one where students find belonging, build lasting relationships, and grow together as learners and future leaders.
About the program
The Peace, Conflict & Justice program provides undergraduates with an interdisciplinary education. Topics of study are wide-ranging, including the study of peacemaking and peacebuilding, interstate war and intrastate conflicts, insurgencies, revolutions and rebellions, ethnic strife, global justice, and negotiation theory. In doing so, we address some of the world’s most urgent humanitarian problems, and train students to deeply analyze these issues across several levels of analysis, from the local through the national and the global.
At its core, the program is organized around three central pillars:
- understanding the meanings and causes of peace, conflict, and justice;
- examining what it means to live in contexts of conflict, violence, inequality, and struggle;
- exploring conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and the pursuit of justice at local, national, and global levels.
The PCJ curriculum is both rigorous and flexible, allowing students to build a coherent program of study that reflects their interests while gaining strong theoretical, empirical, and methodological foundations.