STATUS:
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
START DATE:
FEES:
COURSE CODE:
ECTS CREDITS:
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.
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
The following documents should be sent by e-mail to admissions@diplomacy.edu:
The remaining documents must be sent by registered mail to DiploFoundation (attn: Ms Tanja Nikolic), Anutruf Ground Floor, Hriereb Street, Msida MSD 1574, Malta:
Please ensure that your application package is complete as we cannot process incomplete applications.
The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, offered in cooperation with the University of Malta, offers significant advantages:
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.
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.
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.
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.
This programme will be of interest to:
The Internet governance area of specialisation will be of interest to:
Applicants for the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy must meet University of Malta prerequisites for postgraduate study:
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.
The fee for the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy is €10,500. The fee has two parts:
The fee covers:
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.
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:
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
