Full time - 12 months
Part-time - 24 months (with an additional 3 months to submit dissertation if required)
Full-time: £9,880 *
Part-time: £4,940 per year *
Full-time: £15,610 *
Part-time: £7,805 per year *
From October 2019
Northampton Square
The MA in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy is designed for those planning, or already engaged in, a career in the diplomatic service, journalism, international organisations (such as the United Nations or the European Union) or non-governmental organisations (such as Amnesty International and Oxfam). It will also prepare you for a career in political risk, international finance and think tanks.
In this Diplomacy and Foreign Policy MA, you will develop your analytical capacities and your ability to examine and critically evaluate the role of foreign policy, diplomacy and decision-making in relation to complex issues such as:
You will explore the significance of risk and change in contemporary foreign policy and diplomacy, and develop your ability to critically evaluate foreign policy tools and diplomacy in the contemporary world.
You should have a first or upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in social sciences, humanities, or law. Relevant professional experience will also be considered as part of the application process.
Don’t meet the entry requirements? INTO City, University of London offers a range of academic and English language programmes to help prepare you for study at City, University of London. You’ll learn from experienced teachers in a dedicated international study centre.
These programmes are designed for international students who do not meet the required academic and English language requirements for direct entry. To prepare for this degree course, learn more about the Graduate Diploma in Social Sciences and the Arts programme.
City works in partnership with Kaplan International College (KIC) London to provide preparatory courses for international students. Pre Masters courses at KIC London offer comprehensive support to students wishing to complete their postgraduate study at City. Progression to this degree is guaranteed if you complete the KIC London Pre-Masters course at the required level.
If you are applying with an overseas degree, the following is an indication of international equivalents of an upper second class degree from a UK institution. Please note these figures are intended as a guide only and individual applications will be assessed on a case by case basis.
If English is not your first language you will need the following qualification:
Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.
If you are not from the European Economic Area / Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study.
The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:
For more information see our main Visa page.
Applications for 2020 are now open:
Apply for MA Diplomacy and Foreign Policy (Full Time)
Apply for MA Diplomacy and Foreign Policy (Part Time)
When applications open, you can apply online and will be expected to submit the following:
Please note: Academic references are not required when you submit your application. However, the admissions tutor may request them at a later date to help make a decision on your application.
If you require assistance regarding your application or have any queries then please contact:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7040 0249, +44 (0)20 7040 3721
Email: SASS-enquiries@city.ac.uk
* Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
You may have the opportunity to undertake a placement, but it is not a formal requirement of the course. We encourage students to create their own, by fostering connections offered by the Careers Service. There is also the International Politics Careers Day, which explores career opportunities with international politics related degrees and includes:
As part of the University of London you can also become a member of Senate House Library for free with your student ID card.
We offer a variety of accommodation options and support services for postgraduate students.
Read more about our postgraduate halls.
Our Accommodation Service can also help you find private accommodation.
We offer a free language course for City, University of London students.
Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.
Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.
We offer an extensive support network during your time here at City, University of London – from Learning Support (including disability support) and counselling to financial and career advice – leaving you free to enjoy every opportunity campus life has to offer.
Find out more about the different types of student support available.
You can follow our staff’s activity through their Twitter feed: @cityintpolitics
In taught Diplomacy and Foreign Policy modules you will be assessed on written coursework (100% of the module mark), with the exception of Strategy, Diplomacy and Decision-making where - due to the module’s more practical nature - the assessment will also include performance in class exercises.
In addition, as a student in the Diplomacy and Foreign Policy degree programme, you will have to complete a dissertation (60 credits or one-third of your overall mark). There are no exams at the MA level. Coursework for Diplomacy and Foreign Policy modules typically is a 4000-word essay for 30 credit modules and 3,000-word essay for 15 credit modules.
Elective modules open to Diplomacy and Foreign Policy students offered by other Departments/Schools may have different sets of assessment requirements.
The structure of this MA includes both compulsory and optional modules to combine optimal training in the fields of diplomacy and foreign policy and significant student choice. There are three core modules:
You may then choose from a wide range of modules offered by the Department of Sociology and The City Law School.
Students complete a total of 180 credits: 60 core, 60 elective, 60 dissertation.
This is a highly participative and experiential module in which you explore practical approaches to policy formulation, decision-making and negotiation within organisations and between competing parties.
Through exercises, debates and simulations you will be encouraged to experiment with different ways of defining problems, reconciling competing agendas, facilitating dialogue and mitigating risk. By the end of this module you will be able to identify constructive ways of taking on some of the challenges surrounding decision-making and diplomacy that you can expect to encounter in the work place.
Deadlock in the WTO multilateral trade negotiations, negotiations for an international climate change agreement, and the diplomatic exchanges surrounding the renegotiation of sovereign debt in Europe are all examples of situations where economic diplomacy plays an increasingly significant part.
After exploring the key concepts and theoretical frameworks, you will explore different approaches to economic diplomacy among major industrialised economies, regional organisations such as the EU, emerging markets like China, India and Brazil, and developing countries.
You will critically analyse economic diplomacy in key areas of the world economy such as trade policy, climate change, financial regulation, sovereign debt management, foreign aid, and exchange rate adjustments. You will also evaluate the role played in the management of international economic affairs by non-state actors such multinational corporations and NGOs.
In this module you cover issues and problems in foreign policy by engaging with the theoretical and practical dimensions of Foreign Policy Analysis, a strand of International Relations theory. The module reflects the research specialities of academic staff including Dr Amnon Aran and Professor Inderjeet Parmar.
By the end of the module you will have learned to develop suitable conceptual and theoretical frameworks to examine the formulation, implementation, and consequences of contemporary foreign policy, and to identify the key drivers and determining factors of foreign policy.
This module will help you to develop a research proposal for your international politics dissertation. You will examine issues related to the 'what' and 'how' of research: what kinds of questions can we ask and how should we pursue our research? You will also explore issues such as how to design a research project and examine the role of case studies, different methods of evidence collection (interviewing, archives, surveys), and the relationship between theory and the practice of research.
You are required to submit a dissertation of 15,000 words. The dissertation is worth 60 credits (one-third of your overall mark).
You will start work on the project in the second term, with a research workshop, which will help you develop the necessary skills for undertaking independent research. In the summer term, you will work full time on completing the final dissertation, which will be due by the end of September. The dissertation offers you the opportunity to reflect on and communicate knowledge gained through research and allows you to complement your module work by writing on a topic relevant to your specific interests.
Typical modules offered by the Department of International Politics:
Typical modules offered by the Sociology Department:
Typical modules offered by The City Law School:
The programme specification contains more information on how the course is organised, the requirements for progression for each part and credits required for awards.
The skills you will take away from this programme – those of research, analysis and presentation – are highly valued by employers.
Current graduates now work within the following organisations:
From government agencies to NGOs and human rights organisations, the course gives you the perfect foundation to prepare for a career in a wide range of fields. You will graduate with the ability to undertake in-depth research, challenge received explanations of topics in social and political life and to examine and critically evaluate the complex structure of relationships between governments, transnational actors, transnational networks and intergovernmental or governmental organisations.
Find out more about City and all our postgraduate degree programmes.
