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Oxford University Diplomatic Studies Programme
The Oxford University Diplomatic Service Programme (formerly Foreign Service Programme) is a postgraduate programme for junior and middle-ranking diplomats. Originally established with the cooperation of the British Government to assist in building capacity for newly established Diplomatic Services in Commonwealth countries, it has evolved into a course that is destined to young diplomats and others from related professions all over the world. Its alumni include royalty and heads of state as well as many Ambassadors and other international leaders.

Contents

History

The current course

Alumni

Directors

History

Oxford University’s commitment to the formation of Britain's public service cadres dates back to the 1870s. The University of Oxford, inspired by the enthusiasm of Benjamin Jowett, Senior Tutor and then Master of Balliol College (1870-1893), initiated a specialist programme for new entrants to the Indian Civil Service. Jowett's vision was "To inoculate the world with Balliol".

Fresh impetus to the professionalization of Britain's overseas civil services came in 1926 when Oxford and Cambridge agreed to run a Tropical African Services Course on behalf of the British Colonial Office. This programme, the direct ancestor of the FSP, 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 approached independence, their governments realized their need for diplomats to staff their Foreign Services. Accordingly, in the 1960s the Overseas Service Course was adapted to allow for a small Foreign Service component - in some years half a dozen, in others none - and to arrange tuition for them in international relations in addition to the core subjects of their programme. In 1964, it became possible to assemble a small group, seven students from five countries, into a coherent and more integrated Foreign Service Training Course under the auspices of the Overseas Service Course. Examinations were instituted in 1966, and in addition to the study of international affairs, opportunities were created for the teaching of foreign languages.

As the Overseas Service Course closed in 1969, the redesigned Foreign Service element in that course was transformed into the Foreign Service Programme. The Programme was based in Oxford University’s Queen Elizabeth House (now the Department of International Development). Its first director was Ralph Feltham, a former diplomat and diplomatic trainer. FSP No. 1 opened in October 1969.

In 1981, the then Overseas Development Administration decided to phase out the scholarships it offered to the FSP. The FSP began marketing itself among governments able to finance their own students, mostly in the Middle East and Latin America and to a lesser extent Asia. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was also persuaded to offer support for the FSP. As a result, record numbers of thirty-six attended the FSP in 1984/85 and forty-one in 1985/86. In 1989, the University approved a proposal to admit one or two Mid-Career Fellows to pursue their own research projects under academic supervision. During the 1990s, the FSP, in response to a request from the FCO, was able to offer places on FSP to diplomats from the newly-independent former Soviet countries, to help them build diplomatic capacity.

In 2003, a Master of Science in Global Governance and Diplomacy was introduced to run in parallel to the existing programme. In 2007/08 the MSc became one of the mainstream courses offered by Queen Elizabeth House. In 2010, the FSP moved from Queen Elizabeth House to the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. It diversified the qualifications it added, adding a second-year part-time Master of Studies in Diplomatic Studies.

In 2017, the University approved the FSP’s proposal to offer, from October 2018, a 9-month full-time Postgraduate Diploma in Diplomatic Studies and a 12-month full-time Master of Studies in Diplomatic Studies.

The current course

The course comprises modules in Diplomatic Practice, Public International Law, International Trade and Finance, and International Politics. As well as academic study there is a wide range of vocational elements, such as training in multilateral negotiation, bilateral lobbying, crisis management and press interaction.

The course attracts high-profile guest speakers. In addition there are study visits to London, elsewhere in the UK, and to destinations in Europe such as Brussels, The Hague and Geneva.

Although independent, the FSP continues to maintain a strong relationship with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including through the recent introduction of joint training events. A considerable proportion of its students are funded by British Government Chevening Scholarships.

Alumni


 * '''King of Bhutan


 * Benazir Bhutto ]]


 * Enele Sopoaga (Prime Minister of Tuvalu)


 * Ratu Epeli Nailatikau (1969/70) (former Fiji President)


 * Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala (1969/70) (Crown Prince of Tonga) …?
 * Crown Prince Haji '''Al-Muhtadee Billah (1996/97) (Brunei)


 * Grigol Mgaloblishvili (Former Prime Minister of Georgia)


 * Sultan Muhammad V (previously known as Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra), Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and the Sultan of Kerantanxford

Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya (1993/94) ]]

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-                     Kate Jones