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Careers in Peace

“There are many jobs that promote a world free of violence and advance social justice. The seeds of conflict germinate in many places; therefore the contributions needed to curb violence need to come from many individuals, each working for peace using their special talents.”

David J. Smith, from Peace Jobs: A Student’s Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace

Peacebuilding work includes many jobs that deal directly with preventing or ending violent conflict: mediation, dispute resolution, conflict monitoring, policy analysis, diplomacy, peace process implementation, and post-conflict reconciliation, among others.

However, these are not the only peace jobs!

Students can pursue peacebuilding in forms that are less obvious but equally important. The Strategic Peacebuilding Pathways model (developed at the Kroc Institute) describes the field of peacebuilding as many interrelated activities, often happening concurrently, that are crucial to the development of a sustainable peace.

There are extensive options for meaningful employment after graduation.

Our undergraduate alumni contribute their skills and talents to organizations that focus on community-based restorative justice, refugee resettlement, economic development, investigative journalism, crisis response, immigration law, educational reform, labor protections, political representation, civil rights advocacy, filmmaking and theater for social change, climate change action, public health policy, cultural preservation, human rights monitoring, and many more.

Students can also apply for post-graduate fellowships focused on public service, policy research, or graduate education. The Scoville Peace Fellowship is a particularly good option that provides peace studies students with the chance to work on important peace and security issues for one of many organizations in Washington, D.C.