Rotary Peace Centers 2028–29: Master’s or Certificate, and Where

Rotary runs two very different fellowships. This page sets them side by side, then walks through each of the eight centres. Facts come from Rotary’s master’s page and certificate page, plus the centres’ own sites where noted.

Master’s vs certificate at a glance

The master’s fellowship

Rotary describes the master’s as research-informed teaching with a diverse cohort. Its components are academic training, a self-designed applied field experience of two to three months, networking with academics, peace workers and Rotary members, a workshop series on professional skills, and a final seminar where you present your research. Rotary wants candidates who can handle “extensive reading and research” and take an active part in a cohort.

When you apply, you rank the two centres you prefer. Rotary — not you — makes the final placement, and tells you in November.

Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill, USA

Fellows can earn a Master of International Development Policy from Duke, or a master’s from one of several UNC departments. Fellows at both universities can add a UNC graduate certificate in international peace and conflict transformation. The centre’s own fellowship overview says up to 10 fellows are selected each year for a 21-month programme starting in August, with a summer applied field experience after the first year.

International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

Fellows take a master’s in Peace Studies within ICU’s Public Policy and Social Research programme, in a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences known for an interdisciplinary, liberal-arts approach. See the ICU Rotary Peace Center site.

University of Bradford, England

Bradford’s Department of Peace Studies and International Development is described by Rotary as the world’s largest university centre for research and courses on peace studies, conflict resolution and development. Fellows can take a master’s in several subjects in these fields.

University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Part of Australia’s longest-running peace studies programme, covering non-violence, grassroots peacebuilding, conflict mediation, indigenous diplomacy and gender politics. Fellows earn a master’s in peace and conflict studies. The UQ centre page describes an 18-month programme with a three-month applied field experience.

Uppsala University, Sweden

The Department of Peace and Conflict Research offers a master’s in social science focused on peace and conflict studies. It is known for its freely available global data on armed conflict and organised violence.

The professional development certificate

The certificate is a postgraduate programme for working professionals. It needs only 11 weeks on site, so it is designed to fit around a job. You arrive with a social change initiative — a peace and development project in the programme’s region — and spend the year designing and carrying it out.

1. 1
   Start

   Preliminary online course

   Two weeks online before you travel.

2. 2
   On site

   Ten-week course with field studies

   Classes, site visits and cohort work at the centre.

3. 3
   Back home

   Nine-month social change initiative

   You run your initiative, with interactive online sessions. Rotary publishes a social change initiative guide.

4. 4
   End

   One-week capstone seminar on site

   You return to present your work. The capstone overlaps with the incoming cohort.

Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Rotary’s first peace centre in Africa. The centre’s own site says up to 40 certificate fellowships are awarded each year. Regional focus: Africa.

Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul

Funded by a US$15.5 million gift from the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation in February 2021 and approved by The Rotary Foundation trustees in January 2023, according to the centre’s About page. It offers up to 40 fully funded fellowships a year, ending in a postgraduate diploma. Regional focus: the Middle East and North Africa.

Symbiosis International University, Pune, India

Rotary’s eighth centre, announced in February 2026. It will host up to 40 fellows a year for a postgraduate diploma in peace and development studies, based on the Lavale campus. The first applications closed on 15 May 2026, and the first group is due to arrive in early 2027. Regional focus: Asia.

How to choose

• Fewer than five years’ experience? Only the master’s is open to you.
• Cannot leave your job for two years? The certificate’s 11 weeks on site is far easier to manage.
• No concrete project yet? The certificate expects one on day one. The master’s gives you time to design research instead.
• Want a degree title? Only the master’s gives you a master’s degree.