MGR Mediation and Restorative Justice

Master’s Degree in Mediation and Restorative Justice: Methodology and Tools for Application in Family, Criminal, Community, Organizational, and Commercial Contexts

The Master’s program provides knowledge of the theoretical and methodological foundations of mediation, the paradigm of Restorative Justice, the History of Mediation, and Criminology, alongside elements of Law and Civil and Criminal Procedure. The methodology focuses on the study of interactions arising within conflict and dispute settings, emphasizing the application of skills to engage with parties in order to build a shared, third-party reality.

Participants also learn to design interventions within the network of services, evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of their management, and conduct cost-benefit analyses.

The Master’s program includes both online and in-person lessons, promoting interactive learning between instructors and students through lectures as well as individual and group exercises based on conflict and dispute cases. The curriculum also includes a mandatory 250-hour internship at affiliated organizations or the option to complete a project work. Additionally, students undergo three written assessments during the year and a final exam consisting of the discussion of a brief written paper.

The total number of instructional hours is 308, with a required attendance rate of at least 70%.

Master’s Degree in Mediation and Restorative Justice: Methodology and Tools for Application in Family, Criminal, Community, Organizational, and Commercial Contexts

This Master’s program is designed for individuals seeking to acquire knowledge and skills in mediating disputes and conflicts within criminal, civil, commercial, family, community, and organizational settings. The professional fields of application are diverse and include roles such as social workers, lawyers, judges, psychologists and psychotherapists, educators, teachers, condominium administrators, accountants, and other professionals working within complex organizations where conflicts and disputes may arise.

Upon completion of the Master’s program, mediators can also work as designers in the capacity of Community Architects, operate as independent professionals, and apply their mediation skills across a wide range of work environments.

Master’s Degree in Mediation and Restorative Justice: Methodology and Tools for Application in Family, Criminal, Community, Organizational, and Commercial Contexts

The Master’s program provides in-depth training on the following topics:

Module 1 – THEORETICAL AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF DIALOGIC MEDIATION
This module aims to develop knowledge and skills related to the epistemological analysis of conflict and dispute, promoting mastery of the theoretical premises necessary to define management plans for intervention.

Module 2 – MEDIATION BETWEEN SOCIETAS AND COMMUNITAS
This module focuses on the distinctions between the Restorative Justice paradigm and the sanctioning, retributive, and rehabilitative paradigms. It also addresses restorative practices and key tools, elements of criminal and procedural law, penitentiary and juvenile law, deviance criminology, and victimology.

Module 3 – OPERATIONAL TOOLS FOR MANAGING DISPUTES AND CONFLICTS
This module offers knowledge related to the roles of Mediator and Community Architect, as well as the technical and managerial skills characterizing these roles. It includes analysis of dispute and conflict configurations and evaluation of intervention effectiveness.

Module 4 – APPLICATION OF THE METHOD FOR CONFLICT AND DISPUTE MANAGEMENT
This module develops knowledge and skills in the use of Dialogic Mediation methodology, applicable across multiple contexts, aiming for the most effective management of disputes and conflicts through simulations and group work, with the goal of creating a shared third-party reality between the parties.

Module 5 – MANAGEMENT OF FAMILY DISPUTES: CASE STUDIES AND SIMULATIONS
This module develops skills for managing family disputes (including child protection) in light of current legislation. It includes lectures, case study analyses, and simulations of real mediation cases.

Module 6 – MEDIATION AND COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE: CASE STUDIES AND SIMULATIONS
This module develops skills in managing community disputes by enhancing the ability to analyze interactive needs and propose mediation interventions. It also focuses on designing effective projects tailored to community needs and creating collaborative networks to achieve common goals.

Module 7 – CRIMINAL MEDIATION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: CASE STUDIES AND SIMULATIONS
This module provides knowledge and skills regarding the role of the Community Architect in internal and external penal execution and the role of the criminal mediator in various interventions (dialogic groups, victim-offender mediation, community architecture, etc.) through simulations and group work.

Whatch the video and find out what students say about the Master’s in Mediation and Restorative Justice!

“This Master’s program is not just about Mediation — it completely changes the way you view Human Interactions. When the professor explained the concept of uncertainty in interactions, it made me reflect on how we often act without taking it into account.”

“During the theoretical and methodological lessons, I was very satisfied to finally be taught a method that could pragmatically help me manage conflicts and disputes. What struck me most was that this method also requires you to invent — that is, to create ways to generate a shared, third-party reality between the parties.”

“The module on Mediation between Societas and Communitas was very interesting. I had never thought about the relationship between Law and Community. Now, I see conflicts and disputes with new eyes.”

“The internship was very helpful because we got to work with experienced mediators and see how they operate. I thought I wouldn’t be able to apply the methodology, but by putting in the effort, I gradually realized that what I was doing made a real difference in managing disputes and conflicts within the community.”

The general ranking of merit for the academic year 2025/26 will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.