University of NottinghamPG StudyDiplomacy MA
Diplomacy MA
Through exploring the latest research in the law of armed conflict, crisis management and contemporary international history, this course will give you knowledge and skills ideal for a career in international representation and negotiation.
Doctoral Training Programmes
1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
2:1 (or international equivalent).
Relevant professional experience is not required but may also be considered in assessing applications.
6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element)
UK/EU fees
International fees
School/department
Social Sciences Politics and International Relations
Diplomacy plays a critical role in international relations and has an impact on the lives of all of us. It will, for example, set the terms of any Brexit agreement, have a significant impact on the fates of migrants around the world, and play a key part in determining the outcome of pivotal international treaties such as those on climate change.
You will develop a broad understanding of diplomacy and negotiation, including traditional approaches that view it as a specialist form of statecraft, and modern conceptions that embrace areas such as the media and cultural diplomacy.
Reflecting the multi-disciplinary nature of the practice of diplomacy, this course combines research and teaching expertise from across politics and international relations, law, and history.
Academic English preparation and support
If you require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional course at the Centre for English Language Education, which is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.
Students who successfully complete the presessional course to the required level can progress to postgraduate study without retaking IELTS or equivalent. You could be eligible for a joint offer, which means you will only need to apply for your visa once.
Committed to excellence in teaching, having won 13 Higher Education Academy awards
Expert academics who contribute to public debate through national and international media, including appearing on BBC TV, BBC Radio 4, the BBC World Service and in such publications as The Guardian, The New York Times and Le Monde
Dual degree options
The school has a dual degree option with the University of Konstanz in Germany. This is the opportunity to undertake a two-year programme. Students who successfully complete the programme receive an MA in Politics and Public Administration from the University of Konstanz and an MA from the University of Nottingham in one of politics' fields of specialisation. This is a great opportunity to study abroad at a highly ranked university in a beautiful and historic location in Germany.
We offer a range of local, national and international placement opportunities, which may be paid or voluntary, part-time alongside your studies or longer placements during University vacations.
Across the autumn and spring semesters, you will take 60 credits of core modules and 60 credits of optional modules.
You will complete your studies by researching and writing a 60-credit, 15,000-word dissertation, on a subject related to diplomacy.
Core politics and international relations modules
The Theory and Practice of Diplomacy
This module focuses on the changing nature of diplomatic practice, together with the range of conceptual tools that seek to explain this international activity. Its focus is contemporary.
It provides a political analysis of new developments such as the public diplomacy, the decline of resident embassies and foreign ministries, and the role of regional/multinational organisations and summitry. It also encourages you to consider future theoretical and practical developments in this field.
Core history modules
The Evolution of Diplomacy
This module focuses on the evolution of diplomatic practice from the earliest times to the 20th century. It provides an historical analysis of the major developments such as the use of envoys, the rise of resident embassies and foreign ministries, and the impact of multinational organisations and summitry. In doing so, it also discusses the purposes and major features of diplomacy.
Core law modules
The Law of War and Peace
This core module is designed to give students from different disciplines a grounding in the underlying principles and concepts of international law, in terms of sources, persons, jurisdiction, responsibility and settlement of disputes, but also to place them within the context of two of the central concerns of international law - war and peace.
The development of international law from the 17th century has been driven by the need to regulate warfare which occurred with significant regularity, and to stabilise the periods of peace that emerged at the end of each conflict. That division still remains in international law, though for a number of decades after the Second World War the law of war was seen as a junior partner to the law of peace.
The module will assess whether that relationship has been changed by events such as 9/11 and the response to terrorism, the on-going conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the advent of the International Criminal Court.
One of:
Diplomacy Dissertation
You will research and write a substantive dissertation within the field of diplomacy and drawing on at least one of the main approaches (international relations, law, or history) within this interdisciplinary degree scheme. The dissertation should be 15,000 words in length.
LLM Dissertation
Written work on a legal topic of the your choice resulting from individual research and normally based upon material falling within the area covered by the degree for which you are registered.
The dissertation is an extended piece of research on a research topic within the field of history. You will have a supervisor and will be expected to consult your supervisor during and towards the end of the project. You will be required to make use of both primary and secondary material and incorporate this into your dissertation.
This module introduces you to the traditional Chinese and the Maoist world views, though it focuses on the changes that have taken place since the start of the reform period.
It explores how domestic politics and other developments have contributed on the one hand to the rise of China as a great power of the first league, and to the emergence of a 19th century European type of nationalism on the other.
It addresses China's use of force in support of foreign policy as well as its attempts to project soft power. It also reviews China's relations with its major partners or competitors, including the USA, the EU (including the UK), and the importance of Taiwan in China's relations with the rest of the world.
Comparative Democratic Development
At the dawn of the 21st century, the status of democracy across the world is uncertain. In Central and Eastern Europe, it has become the only game in town, but in other regions like Russia or the Arab World it has suffered reversals.
To make sense of these events, this module examines and is structured around some of the big, important questions that have long interested political scientists around the questions of democracy:
What is democracy?
Why are some countries democratic and others not?
How did democracy emerge in different countries?
What difference does democracy make for people's lives?
The module adopts a global and comparative perspective, by focusing on countries in specific regions and by studying different data-sets on the design, functioning and influence of democratic institutions.
Democracy and Elites in 20th Century Europe and America
From the Occupy Movement and its slogan of the 1%, to Brexit and Trump, the problematic relationship elites – whether financial, social or political – entertain with democracy has been forcefully brought back onto the political agenda. How can the fact that a small number of people wield disproportionate power in the economic, social or indeed political world be reconciled with democracy understood as political equality? Whilst this is no doubt a burning topic, the question of what role elites play in democracy has been raised before.
The aim of this module is to delve into the history of political thought to see how authors in the past century have conceptualised the relationship elites entertain with democracy. Starting with the so-called classic 'elite theorists of democracy' – Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, Robert Michels, Moisie Ostrogorski – who were the first to theorise the elite class within a modern democracy setting, we will explore how their thought impacted upon the development of democratic theory both in Europe and the US through figures such as C. Wright Mills, Robert Dahl, Joseph Schumpeter, Raymond Aron, Bernard Manin and Pierre Rosanvallon.
Our goal will be to come to a better understanding of both contemporary democracies and the precise nature – whether good or bad – elites play in them, and to think about ways in which some of the more deleterious aspects of our contemporary politics might be tackled.
Designing Political Enquiry
The module is designed to allow you to develop a critical understanding of the methodological issues involved in designing and undertaking research in the discipline of politics and international relations and to strengthen your ability to read and evaluate political science literature more generally.
The module focuses on issues of research design. It exposes you to a broad range of methodological issues involved in designing, conducting and writing up research in areas of comparative politics, international relations, and public policy.
Topics that are addressed in the module include issues involved in developing a research question, problems of conceptualisation, measurement, and strategies and approaches to causal theorising in large and small N research. The module is designed to help you to develop a feasible research proposal of your MA dissertation.
Disasters, Rehabilitation and Resilience
This module will focus on post disaster recovery and rehabilitation and how 'resilience' is articulated and experienced. Key themes will include vulnerability (to shocks and slow onset disasters), risk and resilience.
Examples will be drawn from various real world disasters and you will be able to research the disasters of your choice.
EU-China: Trade, Aid and Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century
In this module, you will learn about the state-of-the-art of western engagement with China during the past 35 years (1978-), in particular western trade and development policies towards China and gain insights into the interplay between bilateral and multilateral development agencies and Chinese domestic partner organisations.
You will learn to critique emerging partnerships between international NGOs and domestic civil society organisations and academic institutions. Drawing both on primary and secondary sources you will familiarise yourself with the increasingly lively international debates among Chinese and non-Chinese social and political scientists, educators, media professionals, civil society practitioners, government officials, and lawyers about goals and means of western China engagement.
This module will provide a socially relevant policy curriculum and help you develop necessary skills for a democratic practice of public policy inquiry.
This module examines major themes, debates and issues in the field of Gender and Development. We will focus on the relationship between ideas and concerns of gender (in)equality and processes, policies, and practices of economic, social and political development.
We will explore the key literature and major debates in the field of feminist political economy, linking academic, policy-related and practitioner/activist debates. We will cover theoretical and conceptual frameworks as well as key contemporary issues explored through thematic and sector/policy case studies. We will explore how political, economic and social processes of globalisation and development intersect, impact, and are in turn influenced by gender relations in the South.
Global Asia
This module examines major themes, debates and issues related to the study of politics and international relations in the specific regional context of Asia.
It will explore key features and themes in Asian politics including political systems, political economy and development, political values and ideas, as well as pan-Asian themes and international relations/global politics including intra-regional, trans-regional and international issues. It combines theoretical perspectives with historical developments and contemporary issues in Asian politics.
Government and Politics of China
This module deals with some key concepts, processes and institutions in contemporary Chinese politics, including:
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership and succession
legitimacy and stability in Chinese politics
central and local relations
political opening and experiments
regulation and governing the market
the Party in transition
Institutions, Governance and International Development
In recent decades, the quality of governance has become central to our understanding of the effectiveness of international aid and development policies as well as our understanding of the failures to successfully tackle poverty, inequality, conflict and instability in developing countries. This module takes a twofold approach to introduce you to theories and practice of governance and institutional reform in developing countries.
First, it examines theories of development to trace the emphasis on state and governance in contemporary development thinking including the history of the good governance paradigm. Second, the module examines a range of issues to build governance effectiveness in developing countries including debates on strengthening the fiscal capacity of the state, curbing patronage practices and professionalising the civil service, the role of decentralisation, civil society and the establishment of effective anti-corruption policies.
The module is thematically structured and draws on examples from all major developing regions, in particular, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. The module will combine the study of academic debate, practitioner material, for instance, from international aid and assistance organisations and case study material to directly experience the challenges of engaging in institutional reform in developing countries.
International Law of Treaties
This module examines the legal regime governing the adoption, implementation, interpretation, amendment and termination of international agreements within the wider context of the role and significance of treaties in the international legal order.
Justice Beyond Borders: Theories of International and Intergenerational Justice
The module introduces and explores the concept of distributive justice on an international and intergenerational basis. Standard accounts of distributive justice typically operate upon the assumption that the relevant principles are framed by, and apply within the borders of the nation-state.
This module examines how justice has traditionally been conceptualised, and challenges the idea of the nation-state as providing limits to the proper operation of principles of justice. Justice between nations, and between generations, as well as between humans and non-humans, forms the focus of this module.
The programme for dealing with these themes includes:
international theories of justice, with particular reference to faminie relief and humanitarian intervention
intergenerational justice and personal identity
'biocentric' theories of justice
direct political action
The Politics of South Asia
This module introduces you to the politics of modern South Asia, focusing on Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The region is growing in international importance both strategically, economically and politically. The module evaluates alternative explanations for the different democratic trajectories of these states, despite their shared colonial past, and the interaction between 'tradition' and 'modernity' in developing political institutions.
In so doing it examines the different strategies of nation building adopted by the elites of these very diverse states, and how and why the considerable ethnic and religious diversity of the region has impacted on the 'quality' of democracy. It concludes with an examination of the international politics of South Asia, and considers future scenarios for the region.
Quantitative Political Analysis
This module introduces the principles of systematic quantitative analysis. It focuses on the measurement and coding of political science data, management of large datasets, and how to use quantitative data analysis techniques to learn about political systems and behaviour.
The emphasis throughout the module is on providing you with hands-on training in applying quantitative research techniques on actual survey data. It is a practical module and does not assume any prior statistical or software expertise.
Russia in the World Today
With the end of the Cold War, the Russian Federation lost its superpower status. However, not least due to its size, geostrategic location, richness in energy and influence in international organisations, the country continues to be an important actor in international politics. The module examines Russia's role in the world today. Analytically, it focuses on the contrast between Russia's own understanding of its role in the world and the country's international reputation.
Substantially, the module will study Russia's image and self-image as an international actor; the factors driving Russian foreign and defence policy (including the role of energy); and Russia's relations with its neighbours (former Soviet states; the West, including NATO and the EU; and the East, ie China, Japan and North Korea).
Secret Intelligence and International Security
This module is an introduction to the concepts and practices of secret intelligence and its place within international security. The module is split into three sections.
The first examines conceptual issues and models; the second explores some of the roles of intelligence in the 21st century; and the third examines how intelligence actors can actively shape international relations. These are highly relevant issues, which are regularly in the media.
Special Project A
Special Project A offers you the opportunity to undertake a short piece of independent research under the guidance of an appropriate lecturer. Permission must be granted by the module convener before you can register for this module.
Special Project B
Special Project B offers you the opportunity to undertake a short piece of independent research under the guidance of an appropriate lecturer. Permission to take the module must be granted by the module convener.
Terrorism and Insurgencies
This module is designed to acquaint you with two of the most important aspects of contemporary international security: terrorism and insurgencies.
Both threats have become more acute in recent years and much intellectual, military and economic capital has been used up in efforts to contain them. In taking this module, you will begin to understand the nature of the threats posed by terrorists and insurgents. You will understand how such threats come about and why individuals are drawn towards exercising the use of force against certain governments, their representatives, and the citizens of those governments.
You will also understand the nature and scope of counter-insurgency practices. You will discuss what works and what does not and the controversies encountered in implementing certain measures. By the end of the module, you will be conversant with, and have an appreciation of, factors which affect the security of many people in today's world.
Theories and Concepts in International Relations
The War on Iraq and the US and British invasion of the country in 2003 has led to huge tensions in geopolitics. At the same time, the supposed 'threat' of international terrorism and continuing financial turmoil in the world economy have both brought to the fore the global politics of co-operation and confrontation.
Whilst it might be possible to agree on the signifcance of these events, the explanation and/or understanding of them is dependent on prior theoretical choices. The purpose of this module is to make you aware of the diversity of approaches to international theory.
Within international relations theory there exist highly divergent interpretations and applications of key concepts (for example, power, the state, agency, structure, and world order) as well as contested views about the practical purpose underpinning theories of world politics. The overall aim of the module is to provide you with a solid theoretical and conceptual grounding of this diversity. As a result, it will be possible to recognise not only how international theory informs policy-making and practice but also, perhaps, how truly contested the underlying assumptions of world politics are.
War, Peace and Terror
This module will introduce you to a range of issues and theories that may challenge traditional conceptions of security and insecurity in international relations.
The module will address how issues such as war, peace, terrorism and insecurity are social constructions which reflect the norms, experiences and interactions of the societies (of states and peoples) in which they are embedded. You will be introduced to a range of theory and empirical examples that support and test this critical approach.
Specifically the module will aim to answer the following questions:
Why is security a contested concept?
What is human security?
How does a constructivist approach help us understand terrorism, fear and inequality?
How has the international community responded to the widening of the security agenda?
A series of case studies addressing issues such as HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, environmental degradation and disaster and the growth of Islamic fundamentalism will be used to help explore these questions.
You may take diplomacy-related modules with the School of Law and/or Department of History, subject to approval.
Watch our lecturers talking about some of the modules on offer in our virtual module fair.
The above is a sample of the typical modules that we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. This course page may be updated over the duration of the course, as modules may change due to developments in the curriculum or in the research interests of staff.
Careers and professional development
This course is particularly suitable if you wish to pursue a career in international representation and negotiation, or in a field that is informed by diplomacy, mediation and negotiation.
It is ideal for trainee or in-service diplomats, those who are mid-career and wish to change direction, aiming to move into policy areas, or interested in taking time out to make sense of their day-to-day policy activities.
It will develop your skills for a career in a range of fields, such as:
commercial negotiation
defence liaison
foreign trade departments
international cultural exchange
international financial regulation
international and non-governmental organisations
ministerial advising
telecommunications consultancy
Many of our previous students have held Chevening Scholarships from the UK Government.
Average starting salary and career progression
95.2% of postgraduates from the School of Politics and International Relations secured work or further study within six months of graduation. £25,000 was the average starting salary, with the highest being £42,000.*
* Known destinations of full-time home postgraduates who were available for employment, 2016/17. Salaries are calculated based on the median of those in full-time paid employment within the UK.
Careers support and advice
We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students whatever your course, mode of study or future career plans.
You can access our Careers and Employability Service during your studies and after you graduate. Expert staff will help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.
More than 1,500 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.
As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.
You should be able to access most of the books you'll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles which could cost up to £120.
Please note that these figures are approximate and subject to change.
See information on how to fund your masters, including our step-by-step guide. Further information is available on the school website.
Government loans for masters courses
Masters student loans of up to £10,906 are available for taught and research masters courses. Applicants must ordinarily live in the UK or EU.
Masters scholarships are available for international and EU students from a wide variety of countries and areas of study. You must already have an offer to study at Nottingham to apply. Please note closing dates to ensure you apply for your course with enough time. We provide guidance on funding your degree, living costs and working while you study. You can also access specific funding opportunities, entry requirements and other resources for students from specific countries.
Asian and International Studies MA
Governance and Political Development MA
International Relations MA
International Security and Terrorism MA
Politics and Contemporary History MA
Social Science Research (Political Science and International Relations) MA
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2017-18
This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.
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