DiploFoundation
in partnership with The University of Malta

Master / Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy
(with option for Internet Governance specialisation)

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.

The programme, offered in cooperation with the University of Malta Department of International Relations, includes a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 16 to 20 months of online study. The residential workshop focuses on practical skills, while online areas of study range from the basics of diplomacy (including Diplomatic Theory and Practice, Bilateral Diplomacy, Multilateral Diplomacy) through to contemporary topics (Language and Diplomacy, Development Diplomacy, E-Diplomacy and more).

The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy has European postgraduate accreditation through the Department of International Relations at the University of Malta, making it recognised worldwide.

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 (Introduction to Internet Governance, E-diplomacy, and at least one of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources) and select their remaining courses from the wide list of diplomacy topics. Candidates will write their dissertations on Internet governance-related topics.

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.

Programme structure

The Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy consists of a compulsory 10-day workshop in Malta followed by 16 to 20 months of online learning, including writing a 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.

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.

Phase 1: Attend the introductory residential workshop in Malta

The compulsory residential workshop focuses on building skills used in diplomatic practice. Seminars are drawn from the following:

• Bilateral and multilateral negotiation skills
• Language and influence
• Communication skills and public speaking
• Media skills
• Diplomatic reporting
• Public diplomacy
• Online learning study skills
• Consular crisis management
• Diplomatic protocol and etiquette
• E-diplomacy
• Internet governance
• Development diplomacy

The residential workshop combines lectures, exercises, assignments, and simulations in order to build skills used in diplomatic practice. Participants are expected to participate fully in the workshop, and evaluation is based on both participation and graded assignments for each topic covered.

You will need to bring a notebook or laptop computer for participation in the Malta workshop. A wireless Internet connection will be available in the workshop room.

An important benefit of the workshop is meeting other course participants and faculty members face-to-face. This personal contact makes the online learning phase richer and more rewarding. 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.

Phase 2: Choose your online courses

During the online learning phase, you return home and complete five online courses of your choice, each lasting ten weeks. Participants usually choose one course during each of the five sessions of the programme, although two courses may be taken simultaneously if this suits your schedule better. Participation in the programme involves seven to ten hours of study time per week (based on taking one online course at a time).

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.

During the online courses, interaction takes place via the Internet through an online classroom. Each week, participants read the provided lecture text, 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 lecture text. During the week, participants complete additional online activities (e.g. further discussion via blogs or forums, quizzes, group tasks, simulations or short assignments). At the end of the week, participants and lecturers meet online in a chat room to discuss the week’s topic. Evaluation is based on participation and on several assignments for each course. Discussion and interaction with course lecturers and among participants improves and enhances individual study of course topics. We keep online class groups small to allow for rich collaborative learning.

After successful completion of the introductory workshop and the online learning phase, you may choose whether to receive the Postgraduate Diploma or to proceed with writing your Master's dissertation.

Phase 3: Write your 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.

DiploFoundation and the The University of Malta

DiploFoundation

Established in 2002 by the governments of Malta and Switzerland, DiploFoundation (Diplo) is a non-profit institution which works in cooperation with the University of Malta to offer accredited online courses in diplomacy and global policy topics. Diplo has run a Postgraduate Diploma course in diplomacy with the University of Malta since 1999 (working as part of the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies up until 2002). In 2006 the course evolved into the Master in Contemporary Diplomacy.

Diplo’s faculty includes over 50 diplomats, academics and other experts, who bring a wide range of experience and perspectives from all over the world. To date, almost 3000 participants from most of the countries of the world have attended Diplo online courses. Diplo also has an active online community of alumni, faculty and partners, who interact on the Internet Governance and Climate Change social networks, as well as on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

The University of Malta

The University of Malta is the highest teaching institution in Malta. It is publicly funded and is open to all those who have the requisite qualifications. Over the past few years, the University has reviewed its structures in order to be in line with the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area. Conscious of its public role, the University strives to create courses which are relevant and timely in response to the needs of the country. The supreme governing bodies of the University are the Council and the Senate.

There are some 11,000 students including over 600 international students from 80 different countries, following full-time or part-time degree and diploma courses, many of them run on the modular or credit system. The University regularly hosts a large number of Erasmus and other exchange students. A basic Foundation Studies Course enables international high school students who have completed their secondary or high school education overseas but who do not have the necessary entry requirements, to qualify for admission to an undergraduate degree course at the University of Malta.

The University is geared towards the infrastructural and industrial needs of the country so as to provide expertise in crucial fields. Well over 3,000 students graduate in various disciplines annually. The degree courses at the University are designed to produce highly qualified professionals, with experience of research, who will play key roles in industry, commerce and public affairs in general.

Department of International Relations

The Department of International Relations at the University of Malta was founded in 2001, after having run as a programme for a number of years. It hosts students from over 15 countries, and has a large number of Erasmus agreements which facilitate student exchange with other universities Europe-wide.

Programmes offered by the Department of International Relations include the B.A. Honours track, B.A. General track, M.A. preparatory programme, M.A. and Ph.D by research, and M.A. in Humanitarian Action. It also offers short courses for professionals wishing to upgrade their skills and a course targeting foreign diplomatic staff wishing to deepen their knowledge of the Maltese political system. The Department also hosts a number of lectures every year by visiting international experts in the field, who contribute to the Department's public lecture series.

The course prepares students to enter the increasingly gloablised labour market and take up jobs in: the diplomatic service, government ministries, EU institutions, local and international governmental and non-governmental organisations, international institutions, media organisations, the army, large corporations, think tanks and research centres.