The Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme (formerly known as the Foreign Service Programme) is a long-running programme of courses offered by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in the field of

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

. The programme was originally established in 1969 in partnership with the

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

, with the intention of educating diplomats of newly independent

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

countries. The programme has since run continuously, celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in 2019, and now consists of a Master of Studies ( MSt) in Diplomatic Studies. It is customised for professionals, typically early to mid-career diplomats and other international relations practitioners who seek the combination of academic and vocational study. The annual intake has a global reach, and participants come from a wide range of countries. Over its many years within the university, alumni of the programme have included royalty and heads of state, as well as senior government figures from all over the world.

History

Building on a long history of

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford, Universities of Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collect ...

being linked to the British civil service, in 1926,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

jointly ran a Tropical African Services Course on behalf of the British Colonial Office. This programme continued in varying forms and under different names for another forty-three years, as the Colonial Administrative Service Course (1934), the Devonshire Course (1945), Course 'A' and 'B' (1953), the Overseas Service Course (1962) and, finally, the Overseas Course in Government and Development (1964). As many Commonwealth states gained independence, their governments sought trained diplomats to staff their Foreign Services. In response to this need, in the 1960s, the Overseas Course was adapted to allow for a small Foreign Service component, morphing, in 1964, into a coherent and more integrated Foreign Service Training Course under the auspices of the Overseas Service Course. Examinations were instituted in 1966. When the Overseas Service Course was discontinued in 1969, the Foreign Service element of that course was transformed into the Foreign Service Programme, based out of

Queen Elizabeth House Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. In the decades that followed, the programme expanded its audience to governments in the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. After the

Fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (, ) on 9 November in German history, 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions we ...

, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office requested places be made available to newly independent, former Soviet countries to help build their diplomatic capacity. In 2010, the programme moved to the Department for Continuing Education within the university, and in 2017 it changed its name to the Diplomatic Studies Programme reflecting the more common terminology in the modern academic field.

Notable alumni

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (born 21 February 1980) is the fifth Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) of Bhutan. His reign began in 2006 after his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne. A public coronation ceremony was held on 6 November ...

, King of

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Haitham bin Tariq Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (; born 11 October 1955) is the List of rulers of Oman, Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman. He acceded to the throne in January 2020 after being named successor by his cousin, Qaboos bin Said, Sultan Qaboos bin ...

, Sultan and Prime Minister of

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

* Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, former President of

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Sultan Muhammad V Muhammad V (Jawi script, Jawi: ; born 6 October 1969) has been the 29th Sultan of Kelantan since ascending to the throne in 2010. He previously reigned as the King of Malaysia from 2016 until his abdication in 2019. He was proclaimed Sultan o ...

, former

Yang di-Pertuan Agong The King of Malaysia, officially ''Yang di-Pertuan Agong'' ( Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), is the constitutional monarch and Figurehead, ceremonial head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957, when the Federation of Malaya gained ...

(head of state of

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

) *

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

, former Prime Minister of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Enele Sopoaga Enele Sosene Sopoaga Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (born 10 February 1956) is a Tuvaluan diplomat and politician who was Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2013 to 2019. Sopoaga was elected to Parliament of Tuvalu, Parliament in the 2010 T ...

, Prime Minister of

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

* Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, Crown Prince of

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

* Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, Crown Prince of

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

* Grigol Mgaloblishvili, former Prime Minister of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

* Koila Nailatikau, Minister of Tourism, then First Lady of Fiji. * José Antonio García Belaúnde, FM of Peru & Professor of the Javier Perez de Cuellar Diplo. Academy * Guillermo F. Pérez-Argüello, Nicaraguan Ambassador, Protocol Chief & Dir. of the Jose de Marcoleta Diplo. Academy * Amina Mohamed, former Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

* Adeyemi Dipeolu, Amb. (Dr)& Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters in the Office of the

Vice President of Nigeria The vice president of Nigeria is the second-highest official in the Federal government of Nigeria#Executive branch, executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, after the president of Nigeria, and ranks first in the Nigerian president ...

Directors

* 1969–1986: Ralph Feltham * 1986–1987: Anthony Kirk-Greene * 1987–1988: Philip McKearney * 1988–1990: Anthony Kirk-Greene * 1990–1995: Sir John Johnson * 1995–1999: Sir Robin Fearn * 1999–2003: Christopher Long * 2003–2010: Alan Hunt * 2003–2006: Rodney Hall (Academic Director) * 2010–2015: Jeremy Cresswell * 2015–2019: Kate Jones * 2020: Dr Vahid Nick Pay and Dr Charles Boyle (interim directors) * 2021–present: Dr Yolanda Kemp Spies

References

External links

Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme 1969 establishments in England Diplomatic Studies Programme Diplomatic Studies Programme United Kingdom foreign policy