UN Studies (UNMA)

Photos from What is the Future of the Middle East? 

Welcome to the MA Program in United Nations and Global Policy Studies at Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey!

Despite great strides in science and technology, the contemporary world continues to be plagued by war, social conflict and underdevelopment. As global citizens, we all face common problems. A growing number of institutions of higher education have concluded that,  just as we have defense academies to educate young people in the techniques of war, so we need a greater understanding of institutions such as the United Nations, and increased skills and creativity in global policy studies, to be able to train students in the techniques necessary for peaceful solutions to world problems. Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey is proud to be at the forefront of this effort, and is the only university to offer a fully developed United Nations and global policy studies program.

The mission of the MA Program in United Nations and Global Policy Studies is to educate students and practitioners about the critical issues that confront global society.  These issues include the causes of violence and war, the history and techniques of peacemaking, promoting sustainable development, advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, protecting the global environment and cultural heritage, and improving public health.  The goal of the program's curriculum is to offer students cutting edge theoretical and conceptual understanding of the challenges facing the world, as well as provide them with the skills necessary to address these challenges.  The MA Program encourages its students to pursue careers that will promote peace and justice in both the global and local arenas.

This MA Program's training begins with a curriculum that focuses on the United Nations' eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals – which range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed upon by all UN members and leading development institutions. As we approach 2015, representatives of UN member states, civil society and philanthropic organizations, the private sector and the Academy are engaged in a comprehensive dialogue that will set the stage for cooperation in establishing an expanded post-2015 development agenda.  This new development agenda will provide an exciting opportunity for the MA Program to broaden and enrich its curriculum.

The critical role of higher education in economic and social development, and as a foundation for world peace, is widely acknowledged. What is lacking is greater resolve and action on the part of academic leaders around the world. By formally endorsing the Millennium Development Goals as articulated by the United Nations, Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey, has made a commitment to use education as an engine for addressing global problems.

The MA Program in United Nations and Global Policy Studies provides an excellent preparation for those seeking to pursue careers in international affairs, whether in the diplomatic service, the Peace Corps, the United Nations, International Governmental Organizations(IGOs), NGOs, or the Academy. Areas of focus can include human rights, social and economic development, disarmament, conflict analysis, peacemaking, environmental research, public health and preservation of world heritage.

We invite you to explore our website. If you are a prospective student, we hope that you will look closely at our program and what it has to offer. Please contact me via either e-mail, or by telephone at 848-932-9576 - I will be pleased to provide answers to any questions that you may have.

With my best wishes,

Eric Davis, Ph.D.

Dr. Samuel (Muli) Peleg is a professor and researcher who specializes in conflict analysis and conflict resolution, negotiation, decision making, leadership and intercultural/inter-organizational communication. He is currently the Rutgers University Political Science Department’s Director of Development for the newly established MA Program in UN and Global Policy Studies, as well as the Director of the Rutgers University-Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto exchange program. He was a visiting faculty member at the negotiation and conflict resolution program (NECR) at Columbia University between 2009-2011. Dr. Peleg is a research fellow at the Stanford Center for International Conflict resolution and negotiation (SCICN). He is the author of several books and articles about his areas of expertise. Among his publications are Spreading the Wrath of God: From Gush Emunim to Rabin Square (1997, Hebrew), Zealotry and Vengeance- quest of Religious Identity Group (2002, Lexington Books); If Words Could Kill: the Failure of Public Discourse in Israel (2003, Hebrew University Press), and Fighting Terrorism in the Liberal State (2006, IOS Press).

Dr. Peleg studies negotiation processes and peace-building operations and has been a top advisor on leadership and negotiations to the Peres Center for Peace. In this capacity he had taken part in several rounds of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians as well as Israelis and Jordanians. He has also counseled the Prime Minister’s office, the Foreign Office and the National Security Council. Currently, Professor Peleg serves as a Fellow and board member of The Martin Luther King- Realizing the Dream Foundation as well as serving on the advisory board of the Justice Project. In 2003, Dr. Peleg was a founding member of One Voice, an organization which promotes reconciliation between the various factions of the Israeli society as well as between Israelis and Palestinians.

In 2005 Dr. Peleg was invited to participate in the terrorism research committee at the distinguished Club de Madrid. A year later, in May 2006, he won the NATO research award for the study of terrorism in liberal states. Dr. Peleg is one of the core group researchers of Peace Journalism, an ongoing project on a more balanced and contextualized media coverage of conflicts.

Dr. Peleg is a senior adviser on negotiation, decision-making and leadership to several non-profit organizations such as Communities without Boundaries and the social protest movement in Israel and to business firms including Negotiated Solutions, Inc. and CMS- Conflict management strategies. He is on the Advisory Committee of the Justice project and the CMM-Coordinated management of meaning Institute. Muli is also an accomplished poet, whose two poetry books won distinguished awards in his native country of Israel.