Peace Engineering MS

Major: Peace Engineering
Degree Awarded: Master of Science  in Peace Engineering (MSPENG)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 48.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 14.0401
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 17-2081

About the Program

Note - this program is currently not accepting students.

Peace Engineering will educate the next generation of professionals who are able to address challenges and implement solutions at the intersection of peacebuilding and engineering. The program is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Institute of Peace’s PeaceTech Lab and Drexel’s College of Engineering and serves the dual purpose of integrating engineering and technology into peacebuilding practice and infusing conflict-sensitivity into engineering design.

Peace Engineering will cultivate a new skillset in students by combining disciplines of study from engineering, the social dimensions of conflict, and the applied sciences. Students will learn to conduct conflict analyses and to develop ethically and technically just solutions. These solutions will be based in the understanding that conflict, and the ability to address its root causes, emerges from the dynamics and interactions of social, technical, and environmental systems. The program offers a combination of online and classroom courses, group seminars and experiential learning with partners such as the PeaceTech Lab, the U.S. Institute of Peace, community-based organizations, and government agencies.

Peace Engineering is for students interested in work with NGOs and non-profits, and in fields that are growing rapidly due to the increased awareness of conflict and its causes (e.g., climate change). Students interested in engineering change will be empowered by widespread availability of technology that connects communities and economies, and the tools that engineers have to make positive impact on humanity. Extraordinary opportunities exist for graduates to work in the multinational, government, and non-governmental organizations that have historically led peacebuilding, stabilization, relief, and development efforts. These include the UN, WHO, World Bank, the World Food Programme, FEMA, DOS, DOD, NGOs and a host of public services within any community. Perhaps more impressive are the opportunities that are being created by the birth of the Peace Tech Industry. Engineers with a deep understanding of conflict are well suited to organizations that range from contractors involved in stabilization and development efforts, to extraction and consumer product companies working in conflict prone communities, to social entrepreneurs and their venture philanthropists developing technologies that do good.

Additional Information

For more information, please visit the Peace Engineering website.

Degree Requirements

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Social Dimensions of Conflict Electives

Students must complete a minimum of six credits, at the graduate level, from the following approved courses.

• Science, Technology and Society electives: SCTS 501, SCTS 620, SCTS 641
• Politics electives: PSCI 510, PSCI 553, ENVP 552
• Education electives: EDGI 550, EDGI 533, EDGI 536

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Technical Focus Sequences

Students must complete one sequence of at least 2 courses (6 credits) from the following approved sequences.

• Systems Analysis: SYSE 688, SYSE 690, EGMT 660
• Software Development: CS 502 SE 575, SE 576
• Machine Learning and AI: CS 510, CS 613, CS 610 
• Information Security: INFO 517, INFO 712, INFO 710 
• Database Management: INFO 605, INFO 606, INFO 607 
• Information Retrieval: INFO 605, INFO 624, INFO 633 
• Data Mining: INFO 605, INFO 634, INFO 633 
• Web and Mobile Development: INFO 552, INFO 655
• Game Design: DIGM 505, DIGM 506
• Serious gaming: DIGM 530, DIGM 531
• Interactivity: DIGM 520, DIGM 521
• WASH:  CIVE 564, CIVE 567, CIVE 561 
• Power systems and Distribution: ECEP 501, ECEP 502, ECEP 601

Sample Plan of Study

One Year M.S.

Two Year M.S.

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Technical Focus Courses must both be part of the same sequence, while Social Dimensions of Conflict Electives can be any two of the courses listed in the Program Requirements.

Program Level Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to:

• Demonstrate ability to collaborate with stakeholders to understand and analyze issues associated with a conflict;
• Assess factors contributing to conflict and determine how, when, and whether technology and engineering approaches can improve a conflict scenario;
• Design and evaluate engineering, technological, and data-driven approaches that can impact a conflict scenario within ethical constraints;
• Advocate, using written and oral methods, for engineering, technological and analytical solutions that advance conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives;
• Facilitate the adoption and implementation of engineering, technological and analytical approaches into strategic peacebuilding initiatives; 
• Choose appropriate methods to collect and evaluate data, and synthesize information to inform and impact peacebuilding practices;
• Develop advanced technical expertise in one of six technical focus areas.