Austrian Diplomatic Academy

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The Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, known as the "DA", is the world's oldest school of international relations, outdating the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. As it is a purely a graduate institute, it maintains both a Masters of Advanced International Studies and Diploma programs, training students in international history, diplomacy, law, economics, and politics.

1 History
2 Courses
3 Buildings
4 External links

[edit] History

The Diplomatic Academy is the successor to the Oriental Academy, which was founded in 1754, during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. Originally the purpose of the Academy was to prepare diplomats for service in the eastern diplomatic missions, and as a result considerable emphasis was placed on language study – including Farsi, Turkish and Arabic – and economics. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Oriental Academy became the Imperial Consular Academy, which survived until the anschluss with Nazi Germany. The modern Diplomatic Academy did not open until 1964.

[edit] Courses

The Diplomatic Academy offers three main one-year courses for graduate students. The Diploma Course is the oldest established programme, with entry by competitive examination. It covers courses in Economics, International Law, European Law, Comparative History and soft skills. Knowledge of English, German and French – at least at a functional level - is required. The Special Programme in International Studies (SPIS) is a post-graduate certificate programme, offering similar courses to the Diploma, but courses are only offered in English. Entry is by application only

The Master of Advanced International Studies (MAIS) is an advanced postgraduate degree. Courses are more specialised than the Diploma and SPIS, but are similarly multi-disciplinary. The language of tuition is English, and an undergraduate degree plus successful completion of the Diploma or SPIS is required for entry.

Aside from the summer German programmes and evening foreign language courses, additional courses are offered for specific professional groups, including Austrian diplomats, and diplomats from neighbouring states.