Skip top navigation
School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management - George Mason University

Sport and Conflict Resolution Minor

The sport and conflict resolution minor aids students aspiring to work for organizations that promote sport as a gateway for development, community building, and peace.

Offered jointly with the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, this minor includes sport management courses that frame the sports industry in a philosophical, ethical, cultural, and business context as well as courses in conflict resolution that introduce students to foundational concepts in the study of human conflict, the analysis of conflict, and problem-solving techniques for conflict resolution. Students will also have the opportunity to gain experience working with organizations like Mason’s Center for Sport Management, which promotes sport diplomacy and has created international partnerships through grants from the U.S. Department of State.

More about the Program

The Sport Management Program at George Mason University seeks to prepare reflective, principled, and knowledgeable graduates with professional skill sets that enhance their success in the $490+ billion sport sector. Serving one of the nation’s most diverse student populations, this dynamic, growing program is committed to excellence and seeks to develop students’ professional knowledge and dispositions through a curriculum guided by the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) content standards. An integral part of the curriculum is the opportunity for field experiences in sport settings in the Northern Virginia region, metropolitan Washington, D.C., and throughout the world.

Engaging in Sport Diplomacy

Students pursuing a minor in sport and conflict resolution may get involved in the Center for Sport Management, which promotes sport diplomacy to strengthen relations between the United States and other nations. The Center's objectives for this program are to foster opportunities to develop cross-cultural understanding, facilitate interactive exchanges to build relationships, impart information about the United States, provide opportunities for skill development, and develop strategies for dissemination of participants' experiential learning outcomes.