However, panels, group conferencing and single mediator models are used as well. Academic Courses in Conflict Resolution Courses on conflict issues are also becoming quite common within many existing academic disciplines and departments. Certainly this percentage has increased significantly in the intervening years since the study. With the end of the cold war and the growth of interest in mediation and conflict resolution more recent programs have placed greater emphasis on conflict resolution-related topics and skills. These academic programs have also resulted in the development of many conflict studies student practicums and internships, which are providing valuable community service and academic service-learning in conflict resolution.
Growth is strongest at present in the area of graduate programs and certificates.
The listing includes programs, certificates and concentrations at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The very existence and growth of these programs add support to the view that conflict resolution is a distinct academic discipline in its own right. It is also an important area of specialization within longer-standing fields. For instance, a number of schools of education such as those at Lesley and Goucher Colleges, Nova Southeastern University, and Teachers College at Columbia University are now offering specializations in school mediation and conflict resolution to help prepare teachers for work in the K-12 field. Law schools have also begun to offer comprehensive programs dealing with a wide range of dispute resolution topics and now law programs are ranked nationally based on their dispute resolution offerings.