The Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD) at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is committed to the promotion of excellence in teaching, scholarship and research, the development of applied international studies and to ensuring that its work impacts key international debates. The mission of CISD is to promote cross-disciplinary teaching that combines the distinctive expertise of SOAS with cutting-edge research and public discussion of international politics in a globalising world. The Centre's research on corporate governance, on disarmament and globalisation and on the origins and future of the United Nations exemplify this approach.

CISD masters programmes are rare in combining applied skills training in such topics as negotiation, mediation, policy analysis and speech writing with rigorous theoretical analysis often providing an integrated approach hard to find elsewhere. The programme fee also includes media training and a study tour to continental Europe. The student body is drawn from dozens of countries and includes recent graduates and seasoned professionals.

The Centre builds on the MA International Studies and Diplomacy, a programme devoted to providing students with the skills and training necessary for an international career in government, business and NGOs. The MA Globalisation and Multinational Corporations critiques corporate behaviours from legal and political-economy perspectives, discusses the regulation of multinational enterprises and includes project management and advanced media skills. In addition, the MSc Global Energy and Climate Policy is the first Masters programme to jointly address the issues of climate and energy policy in an interdisciplinary fashion.  It covers policy and regulatory change, the historical and technological evolution of energy sources, energy markets and their participants, the global governance of climate change as well as the challenges associated with transitioning to a low-carbon economy. 

SOAS offers an education that goes beyond the Euro-centre approach that has dominated such programmes in the past. It is able to do this because the width and depth of its scholarly resources make it the leading centre for the study of Asia and Africa in Europe.

If you are interested in developing an international career and are seeking a professionally relevant postgraduate programme, we hope what we offer will be of value.

We look forward to welcoming you to the SOAS international community in the near future.

Dr. Dan Plesch

Director, Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy