The Internet, as we know it today, has evolved from a platform of the tech, academic, and research elite, to a tool for the general public, given its wide adoption by the mainstream modern society (Naughton, 2016). Without the benefit of hindsight, f...
STATUS:Open for applications
APPLICATION DEADLINE:1 December 2020
START DATE:25 January 2021
FEES:€7900 (postgraduate diploma) + €2600 (Master's dissertation); Scholarships available
COURSE CODE:PMCDIPFDL8 / PMCDIGVFDL2
ECTS CREDITS:90
About the programme
Earn an accredited Master’s degree without taking time off work.
The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy guides working diplomats and international relations professionals through the theoretical and practical building blocks of diplomacy, with a focus on contemporary issues and challenges.
Offered in cooperation with the University of Malta’s Department of International Relations, the programme involves 16 to 20 months of online study, including writing a dissertation. Online areas of study range from the basics of diplomacy (Diplomatic Theory and Practice, Bilateral Diplomacy, Multilateral Diplomacy, and more) to contemporary topics (Artificial Intelligence: Technology, Governance and Policy Frameworks, Sustainable Development Diplomacy, E-Diplomacy, and more).
Internet governance specialisation: Applicants may select Internet governance as an area of specialisation within the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy. This programme gives current and future Internet policymakers a solid foundation in diplomatic skills and techniques.
For more information please contact Patrick Borg (Master's Programme Coordinator) on patrickb@diplomacy.edu or +356 21 333 323.
Lecturers
How to apply
How to apply
Complete applications must be received by 1 December 2020 (see instructions for sending documents below).
Please note that by sending your application package, you are confirming that you have read DiploFoundation's Privacy Policy. DiploFoundation will process and share your personal data with third parties (including the University of Malta) for admissions and academic matters, finance, and administrative purposes in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
Late applications will be considered if space remains in the programme. Please contact us if you wish to submit an application after the deadline.
In case of questions, please contact admissions@diplomacy.edu
Required documents
- University of Malta application form filled out in full (download form). At the top of the form please indicate February 2021 as the start date. For Section A please indicate the correct course code and title: Master in Contemporary Diplomacy (PMCDIPFDL8); or Master in Contemporary Diplomacy (Internet governance) (PMCDIGVFDL2).
- Draft research proposal of around 500 words (relevant to Section F of the application form). You will have the opportunity to revise or change this before beginning work on your dissertation.
- Certified true copies of your degree(s) and official transcripts. Documents can be certified by a legal professional or a diplomatic or consular officer or any other professional of good standing, and must be apostilled by the relevant authority in your country.
- English translations of degree(s) and transcripts if they are not in English, signed and stamped by translator.
- English language proficiency certificate:
* TOEFL iBT Certificate. Home-based test. More info: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/at-home/ (minimum requirements: 90 overall with a writing score of at least 24, obtained within the last two years).
* Academic IELTS Certificate (minimum requirements: 6.0 overall and 6.0 in the reading and writing components). The University of Malta will accept Academic IELTS certificates obtained in the last five years.
* Cambridge English Proficiency Advanced Certificate (minimum requirements: Grade C or better, obtained within the last two years).
Please indicate on the application form if you are still waiting for your English language proficiency results.
If your undergraduate study programme was taught entirely in English, this may be considered to fulfil the University of Malta’s English language requirement. You must present an official statement from the institution where you studied confirming that the language of instruction and assessment throughout the whole programme was English. - Certified true copy of the personal details pages of your passport.
- If you are requesting partial financial assistance, please include your CV and a motivation letter (300 – 400 words) with your application. The motivation letter should include details of your relevant professional and educational background; reasons for your interest in the programme; and why you feel you should have the opportunity to participate in this programme, i.e. how will your participation benefit you, your institution, and/or your country. Please note that all financial assistance is partial. We do not offer full scholarships. Financial assistance is only available to applicants from developing countries.
The following documents should be sent by e-mail to admissions@diplomacy.edu:
- Application form
- Research proposal
- CV and motivation letter for financial support
The remaining documents must be sent by registered mail to DiploFoundation (attn: Ms Tanja Nikolic), Anutruf Ground Floor, Hriereb Street, Msida MSD 1574, Malta:
- Certified true copies of degrees and transcripts
- Translations of documents not in English
- Certified true copy of English language proficiency certificate
- Certified true copy of the personal details page of passport
Please ensure that your application package is complete as we cannot process incomplete applications.
Detailed information
Course details
Description
The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, offered in cooperation with the University of Malta, offers significant advantages:
- Flexible: You design your study programme, deciding on the Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s degree, and selecting from our wide range of courses. You decide when and where to study.
- Practical and affordable: Programme fees are competitive compared to similar programmes. Even better, with online study you can continue to work and earn an income. All you need is a computer connected to the Internet.
- Relevant: Courses cover traditional and contemporary topics in diplomacy, and are kept relevant through discussion of current events and trends. Faculty members include practising and retired diplomats with both theoretical expertise and practical experience in the field.
- Personalised: Extend your professional network through your classmates and lecturers. Small group sizes emphasise learning together, drawing on the experience and knowledge of participants as well as lecturers.
- Effective: The programme is highly rated by former participants, who have seen immediate and lasting benefits ranging from personal development to career advances.
The programme has European postgraduate accreditation through the Department of International Relations at the University of Malta, making it recognised worldwide.
The programme language is English, giving non-native speakers a valuable opportunity to practise and hone their skills at expressing and explaining work-related concepts in this international language.
Faculty members include high-ranking, practising and retired diplomats as well as renowned academics in the fields of diplomacy and international relations. For further details please visit our faculty page.
Internet governance specialisation: Applicants may select Internet governance as an area of specialisation within the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy. Candidates for this area of specialisation will attend several required courses in the area of Internet governance and select their remaining courses from the wide list of diplomacy topics (see Provisional schedule for 2021 for Internet governance specialisation). Candidates will write their dissertations on Internet governance-related topics.
Candidates who successfully complete the Internet governance specialisation will receive a degree/diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy awarded by the University of Malta. Internet governance courses attended – as well as other courses attended – will be listed in the detailed transcript issued on completion of the programme.
Structure
The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy starts with an online workshop, which takes place over a three week period in January/February. Following the workshop, you will attend five online courses (last ten weeks each), and write your Master’s dissertation.
The option of completing up to two of the online courses before enrolling in the programme offers additional flexibility and financial savings. Please see University of Malta Accredited Courses to learn more about this option.
Phase 1: Introductory workshop
The introductory workshop focuses on building skills used in diplomatic practice, through an interactive and exercise-based set of seminars. The workshop sets the stage for the entire programme and provides the opportunity to get to know other course participants and faculty members. Participants tell us that they keep in touch with classmates and faculty members long after the programme ends and the resulting professional network is highly valuable in their work.
The workshop takes place over a three-week period; you should expect to spend five to six hours of study time per day during this period, including reading and discussing course materials, attending live meetings via a video-conferencing platform, joining group exercises, and completing assignments.
Phase 2: Online courses
During this phase, you complete five online courses of your choice, each lasting ten weeks. Participation in the courses involves seven to ten hours of study time per week. Online class groups are small to allow for intensive discussion with course lecturers and classmates, and rich collaborative learning.
- See the provisional online course schedule for 2021
- See the provisional online course schedule for 2021 for the Internet Governance Specialisation
Courses cover a wide range of both traditional and contemporary topics in diplomacy, many of them not taught elsewhere. Visit our Course Catalogue for a full list of courses and their descriptions.
After successful completion of the introductory workshop and five online courses, you may choose whether to receive the Postgraduate Diploma or to proceed with writing your Master's dissertation. In order to proceed to the Master’s degree you must achieve an average mark of at least 65% for the five online courses.
Phase 3: Dissertation
If you aim for the Master's degree, you will prepare a 25 000-word dissertation on a topic of your choice under the personal online guidance of a research supervisor selected from Diplo's faculty members. You may decide whether to write your dissertation over a four- or eight-month period. Candidates for the Internet governance specialisation will write their dissertations on Internet governance-related topics.
If you completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy in the past and would like to write your Master's dissertation, please see our page on How to Apply for the Master's Dissertation.
Learning methodology
The introductory workshop involves intensive daily online study over a three-week period (five to six hours per day). The workshop aims to build skills for diplomatic practice through a variety of activities: reading and discussing course materials, attending live meetings via a video-conferencing platform, joining group exercises and simulations, and completing assignments. Participants are expected to participate fully in the workshop, and evaluation is based on both participation and graded assignments for each topic covered.
During the online courses, interaction takes place via the Internet through an online classroom. Each week, participants study course materials, adding questions, comments, and references in the form of hypertext entries. Lecturers and other participants read and respond to these entries, creating interaction based on the reading materials. During the week, participants complete additional online activities (e.g. further discussions via blogs or forums, quizzes, group tasks, simulations, or short assignments). At the end of the week, participants and lecturers meet online to discuss the week’s topic. Evaluation is based on discussion contributions and on several assignments for each course.
Writing the dissertation is largely an individual activity. Each participant will work with a supervisor drawn from Diplo's faculty, communicating via e-mail.
Who should apply
This programme will be of interest to:
- Practising diplomats, civil servants, and others working in international relations who want to refresh or expand their knowledge under the guidance of experienced practitioners and academics.
- Postgraduate students of diplomacy or international relations wishing to study topics not offered through their university programmes or diplomatic academies and to gain deeper insight through interaction with practising diplomats.
- Postgraduate students or practitioners in other fields seeking an entry point into the world of diplomacy.
- Journalists, staff of international and non-governmental organisations, translators, business people, and others who interact with diplomats and wish to improve their understanding of diplomacy-related topics.
The Internet governance area of specialisation will be of interest to:
- Individuals interested in developing a career in Internet governance, cybersecurity, and other emerging Internet policy areas.
- Diplomats and government officials dealing with Internet governance, cybersecurity, and other Internet-related policy issues.
- Business people and civil society activists involved in multistakeholder Internet governance processes.
- Postgraduate students of diplomacy, international relations, and communications wishing to study the multidisciplinary topic of Internet governance, and to gain deeper insight into Internet governance through interaction with diplomats and Internet governance policymakers.
- Journalists, staff of international and non-governmental organisations, translators, business people, and others who would like to take active part in Internet policy-making.
Prerequisites
Applicants for the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy must meet University of Malta prerequisites for postgraduate study:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject with at least Second Class Honours.
- English language proficiency certificate:
- TOEFL iBT Certificate. Home-based test. More info: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/at-home/ (minimum requirements: 90 overall with a writing score of at least 24, obtained within the last two years).
- Academic IELTS Certificate (minimum requirements: 6.0 overall and 6.0 in the reading and writing components). The University of Malta will accept Academic IELTS certificates obtained in the last five years..
- Cambridge English Proficiency Advanced Certificate (minimum requirements: Grade C or better, obtained within the last two years).
If your undergraduate study programme was taught entirely in English, this may be considered to fulfil the University of Malta’s English language requirement. You must present an official statement from the institution where you studied confirming that the language of instruction and assessment throughout the whole programme was English.
Fees
The fee for the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy is €10,500. The fee has two parts:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy: €7900.
- After successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma, participants who choose to write the Master's dissertation pay an additional fee of €2600.
The fee covers:
- Application and registration fees
- Tuition fees for online workshop and five online courses
- Access to all course materials, via Diplo's online classroom
- Access, via the Internet, to the University of Malta e-journal collection
- Personal interaction via the online classroom with course lecturers, staff, and other participants
- Use of Diplo’s online databases and resources
- Online technical support
- For the Master's dissertation, personal supervision by one of our faculty members and advising by Diplo staff
A non-refundable application fee of €100 must be submitted with the application package. On acceptance into the programme, the amount of the application fee will be deducted from the course fee.
Financial assistance
DiploFoundation offers a limited number of partial scholarships for the Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy fee, to assist diplomats and others working in international relations from developing countries. Financial assistance is not available to cover the additional fees for the Master's dissertation.
To apply for a scholarship please include your CV and a motivation letter with your application package. The motivation letter should include:
- Details of your relevant professional and educational background.
- Reasons for your interest in the programme.
- Why you feel you should have the opportunity to participate in this programme: how will your participation benefit you, your institution, and/or your country.
As Diplo's ability to offer scholarship support is limited, candidates are strongly encouraged to seek scholarship funding directly from local or international institutions.
Maltese applicants can benefit from up to 70% of the fee in tax credits, as part of the Get Qualified 2017-2023 scheme. The credit can be set off against personal income.
More information can be found at: https://education.gov.mt/en/get-qualified/Pages/Student.aspx
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