Student Opinions

I came here thinking I would change my career, but the Peace and Conflict Studies Master’s Programme has changed me far beyond my CV. After more than ten years working as a journalist in Brazil, I arrived in Innsbruck thinking that I had a solid understanding of my own positionality. It did not take long for the programme to shake that certainty.
My encounter with decolonial perspectives was probably the biggest turning point. Somehow, it took moving thousands of kilometres away from Brazil to feel more connected to Latin America. Reading authors and engaging with ideas rooted in the region gave names to things I had seen, reported on, and sometimes even taken for granted. I started looking back at my own work as a journalist differently: at the stories I had told, at who was allowed to speak, at who was missing, and even at where I had positioned myself while telling them. There is something quite powerful, and slightly uncomfortable, about realising that ten years of professional experience can also be revisited and questioned.
Throughout these two years, one practice has followed us almost everywhere: the sharing circle. It became much more than a recurring practice in our classes. We returned to the circle during courses and workshops, but also in moments among ourselves, when we needed to talk, reflect, celebrate, or simply be together. Sitting in a circle again and again challenged some of the habits I had brought with me about what listening and participation should look like. It taught me to be more comfortable with silence, to listen without immediately preparing an answer, and to understand that making space for someone else is also a form of participation. I think the power of a circle is something I will carry with me long after the programme ends.
The programme has also taken me outside the kind of learning I was used to. Simulations, field experiences, photography, discussions that did not always end with an answer, and classmates with completely different backgrounds have made the experience much more than reading about peace and conflict. Sometimes the most interesting part has been precisely leaving a classroom with more questions than I had when I entered it.
I came to Innsbruck looking for a professional transition. I am still making that transition, but I am leaving with something I had not planned for: a different relationship with where I come from, with the work I have already done, and with the way I want to enter the rooms, or perhaps the circles, that come next.

Nathalia Castro, Brazil (Student 2024-ongoing)

For me, Peace and Conflict Studies was never only about understanding conflict on an academic level. It was also about learning how to sit with the uncomfortable; with uncertainty, disagreement, complexity, and perspectives that challenge my own. The program taught me that peace is rarely found in simple answers, but often in the willingness to listen, question, and remain open.

Throughout my studies, I grew both academically and personally. I learned to approach conflicts from multiple perspectives, to look beyond first impressions, and to understand how strongly context, culture, power, and individual experiences shape the way we see the world. The practical dimension of the program, including topics such as CIMIC, made this experience particularly valuable to me and distinguished it from more traditional programs that can sometimes remain mainly theoretical.

At the same time, the program gave me something I did not necessarily expect: confidence. Confidence to express my own perspective, to take responsibility, and to step into leadership while understanding that leadership is not simply about having the loudest voice. It is about creating space for all, acknowledging different realities, and sometimes accepting that there may be no single truth.

Looking back, I feel that the program changed not only the way I understand peace and conflict, but also the way I understand people — and myself. It taught me to be more curious than certain, more reflective than reactive, and more comfortable with the complexity that exists between opposing sides. 

Emilie Coller, Luxemburg (Student 2023-ongoing)

The master program "Peace and conflict studies" in Innsbruck has supported my learning, and self-development by challenging me to question my own world views but also to communicate more profoundly through a self and group awareness approach.  The diversity that is reproduced by the students themselves shows clearly why such an interdisciplinary course of study is important for practical peace work.

Leon Hoffmann, Germany (Student 2023-2025)

I believe that the Peace and Conflict Studies Program is an invaluable resource. It offers a blend of theoretical understanding and practical training, which helped me to comprehend the intricacies of global conflict and peacebuilding in our interconnected world. The program provides hands-on experience in crisis management, humanitarian aid, and emergency response. The practical training, conducted with organizations such as the Austrian Army Forces, Red Cross, and firefighters, helped me enhance many skills, fostering discipline, resilience, and teamwork. These experiences were not only professionally beneficial but also personally fulfilling, making me see this program as more than just an academic pursuit. It is a pathway for personal development and a means to make a positive societal impact.

Ahmed Tarek Mokhtar Mohamed Omar, Egypt (Student 2022-2024)