Postgraduate Diploma in Dispute Settlement

Accreditation
Content
Dates
Fees
Who should register and why
Apply online

CONTENT

Programme content
Participants must do two compulsory modules during the first six-day on-campus session and must also choose one of two five-day electives. Participants also have the option of completing BOTH electives for an additional tuition fee. Between learning modules, participants continue to apply their skills in practice, experiment with new approaches to resolve differences, submit assignments and engage in reflective work.

Modules - compulsory

• Introduction to conflict management and dispute resolution: 10 credits (1 day)
• Consensus-building processes and skills: 70 credits (6 days)

Electives - choose one*

• Mediation: 40 credits (5 days)
• Mediation: 40 credits (5 days)

*Participants may choose to do both electives, but this choice is subject to additional tuition fees.

Outcomes
On completion of this programme, successful participants will:

• Have a comprehensive and systematic knowledge of current thinking on conflict, its origins, sources, factors influencing its outcome, various conflict management styles and dispute settlement options
• Have a coherent and critical understanding of the various processes available for the resolution of disputes
• Be able to engage effectively in negotiations
• Be able to mediate or arbitrate civil and commercial disputes (depending on elective option)
• Have demonstrated the ability to analyse and resolve disputes creatively
• Have demonstrated the ability to produce assignments which meet the standard of reports/awards of professional writing

DATES

TIMETABLE

Participants must do two compulsory modules during the first six-day on-campus session and must also choose one of two five-day electives. Participants also have the option of completing BOTH electives for an additional tuition fee.

Monday 5 March to Friday 16 March 2012 (includes Saturday, excludes Sunday)

• Introduction to conflict management and dispute resolution
• Consensus-building processes

PLUS

Monday 4 June to Friday 8 June 2012

• Mediation (elective)

OR

Monday 30 July to Friday 3 August 2012

• Arbitration (elective)

FEES

* Southern African Development Community

Notes

• Books and other study material are supplied by the USB and become the property of the student.
• Students are responsible for their own travelling and accommodation arrangements to and from the Bellville Park Campus.
• The application fee must accompany the application.
• On acceptance of admission, a deposit is payable and is deducted from the 2012 programme fee. The deposit is not refundable.
• Preparatory study material will be handed out during the orientation block.
• The USB reserves the right to change the fees for 2012 at any time.

WHO SHOULD REGISTER AND WHY

Who will benefit from this qualification?
The programme is aimed at lawyers, senior managers, business owners, human resources and industrial relations practitioners, mediators and arbitrators who need a deeper understanding of theory and practice, and all others working in the field of dispute resolution.
This also includes those currently working in other professional practices, such as architects and accountants, or in the corporate or public sectors, and those who do not intend to practise as dispute settlement specialists but are required to deal with conflict and differences.

Why you will benefit from this programme
Conflict in and between organisations can have serious financial implications. This is an avoidable cost, yet few professionals and managers have the knowledge or skills to resolve differences in a peaceful and constructive manner. The same applies to conflict in other sectors of society.

Alternative forms of dispute settlement, as opposed to litigation and the use of power, are becoming increasingly important, both from a cost perspective and for the maintenance of business, private or community relations. Legislation such as the draft new Companies Act and the Environmental Protection Act provides for alternative forms of dispute settlement. Yet there are few instances of alternatives, such as early case evaluation, mediation, conciliation and hybrid processes e.g. arb-med and med-arb, being used to resolve disputes. This is partly due to a lack of skills and the absence of a sufficient number of practitioners with specialised dispute settlement skills.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Dispute Settlement is one of the first formal programmes in South Africa that will provide those involved or interested in this field with a comprehensive skills set and knowledge on a postgraduate level. The skills imparted by this diploma will contribute to the peaceful resolution of differences in commerce, the public sector and communities at large. It will also contribute towards the peaceful development of our society and the building of Africa's intellectual capacity.

Distinguishing features of the programme

• This is the only Dispute Settlement Diploma offered at NQF level 8 (120 credits) at a business school in South Africa. Successful completion of the programme will allow you to apply for admission as a mediator or arbitrator on the panels of leading private service providers.
• On a professional level, this diploma will enable you to establish yourself as a dispute settlement practitioner in a constructive and cost-effective manner.
• The block release nature of the programme makes it accessible to a wide range of participants from all over South Africa and beyond. This enables professionals who are working full-time to register for this postgraduate diploma.
• Successful completion of this programme qualifies you for accreditation as mediator or arbitrator by the National Dispute Settlement Practitioners' Accreditation Council and provides the minimum requirement for admission to the panels of the leading dispute resolution service providers in the RSA, including Tokiso Dispute Settlement and Equillore Ltd.
• Candidates who successfully complete the 5-day Civil and Commercial Mediation module will have the option of applying to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) in the UK for accreditation subject to an additional assessment and payment of CEDR's assessment fees.
• The programme combines theory with practice to obtain professional dispute settlement competencies.

APPLY ONLINE

You can apply directly on the USB's website. Once you have completed the application form, you need to print it out, sign it and send it to the USB.

But first, you need to do the following: Prepare a comprehensive CV and get certified copies of all your academic records, including (if applicable) your mediator qualifications. Next, complete the application form online, and upload or e-mail the supporting documents.

Application process for South African and international students

• Go to www.usb.ac.za/applications/admission/disputesettlement/Application_Page1.asp and complete the relevant application form online. You will receive a link to complete the form incrementally without losing information. (Please make sure that all 'pop-ups' are unblocked.)
• Upload or e-mail all the documentation to be included in your application package (see checklist below).
• Print and sign your two application forms (from Stellenbosch University and the University of Stellenbosch Business School). (The two application forms will appear seamlessly when you apply online.)
• Pay your application fee (bank: Standard Bank; type of account: cheque account; account number: 073003069; branch name: Stellenbosch; branch code: 050610). Include proof of payment of your application fee in your application package.
• Send your completed application package to: The Applications Office, University of Stellenbosch Business School, PO Box 610, Bellville 7535, South Africa.

Checklist for documentation to be included in your application pack

• SU and USB application forms
• Comprehensive CV
• Certified copies of all academic records and degree/diploma certificates
• Application fee
• Copy of ID (SA students) / Passport (foreign students)

Important: Without the appropriate supporting documents, your application cannot be accepted for consideration.

What happens after submitting your application?
Your application will go through the USB's selection process. Prospective participants will be contacted for the requisite interview (either in person or telephonically) by a USB panel. The outcome of the selection process for applications completed in full will be made known within 30 days or as soon as possible thereafter.

Contact details

• Telephone: Libby Kok 021 918 4246; international +27 21 918 4246 or Sunelle Hanekom 021 918 4381; international +27 21 918 4381
• Fax: 021 918 4468; international +27 21 918 4468
• E-mail: disputesettlement@usb.ac.za or sunelle.hanekom@usb.ac.za
• Mailing address: The Applications Office, University of Stellenbosch Business School, PO Box 610, Bellville 7535, South Africa
• Physical address: Carl Cronjé Drive, Bellville 7530, Cape Town, South Africa
• On-campus accommodation: Bellvista Lodge on telephone +27 (0)21 918 4446 or at www.usb.ac.za/bellvista.