Professional Master programme in Diplomatic and International Functions - 6157

Code 6157
Academic Year 2024-2025
Subject area Sociology, Economics, Law
Campus Forlì
Level Second
Director Marco Balboni
Duration Annual
Teaching methods Conventional
Language English, Italian
Cost € 2.500,00
Instalments First instalment: 1.500,00 € (to be paid by 03/10/2024) Second instalment: 1.000,00 € (to be paid by 30/01/2025)
Application deadline

Sep 10, 2024 (Expired)

Enrolment start and end Enrolment start date: 23 September 2024 - Enrolment end date: 03 October 2024
Main Department
Department of Political and Social Sciences - SPS
Professional Profile
Pursuant to Decree no. 270 of 22 October 2004 of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, for academic year 2024/2025, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Administrative office of Bologna, will run a 2nd level Professional Master’s Programme in Diplomatic and International Functions.
The Professional Master’s Programme has been set up upon the proposal of the Department of Political and Social Sciences – Forlì Campus and in cooperation with Serinar.
The Master's programme is designed to provide professional training for careers in diplomacy and international relations and to equip students with both the theoretical and practical tools necessary for the performance of, and access to, these roles. In its first year, the programme will place particular emphasis on the preparation of students for diplomatic functions and on facilitating the access to such careers.
The curriculum is structured to reflect the educational activities necessary for this purpose. It includes professional courses focused on diplomatic functions and courses aimed at diplomatic career entry. The programme includes course work relevant to the competencies required in the public competition for the Diplomatic Service, laboratory activities for the development of specific skills, and exercises designed to improve the ability to report in writing and orally in the field of international relations.
Note
Two places are reserved to students with the mentioned certified legal disability in addition to the maximum number of students to be involved in the Master, subject to the successful admission to the programme according to the selection criteria. Such students will be exempted from paying tuition fees, except for any fixed costs established by the administration and for the selection procedure participation fee.
For more information, please see Art. 1 of the Call for Applications.

On part-time Professional Master’s Programmes only, two places in excess of the maximum number are reserved for professional staff and foreign language instructors of the University of Bologna. Such students will be exempted from paying tuition fees, net of any fixed costs. Preferably before registering for selection, please complete the form available on the intranet page Measures for participation of professional staff and foreign language instructors in postgraduate programmes recognised by the University of Bologna. APOS will inform the applicants directly of the outcome of their request.
For further information, please contact apos.master-ta@unibo.it

Participation is open to auditors, in a number equal to up to 20% of enrolled students, in accordance with Art. 7 of the Call for Applications.
Those who wish to attend as auditors must inform directly the Professional Master’s Programme secretariat and will be notified of the acceptance of their request, as well as of the deadline and methods for registration and payment of the attendance fee. Auditors do not sit the final exam, have no attendance obligation, are not required to do an internship or prepare project work, do not earn CFUs and are not awarded the Professional Master’s qualification in Diplomatic and International Functions. The Secretariat will issue a certificate of attendance stating the number of hours completed by each auditor. Attendance fee for auditors: One thousand and five hundred Euros (1500€) (to be paid in a single instalment upon registration).
Number of participants
Min: 12 Max: 30
Credits
60
International Professional Master's programme
Yes
Admission qualifications
LM degrees (according to the Italian University sistem):
19/S – Finance;
22/S – Law;
60/S – International Relations;
64/S – Economics;
70/S – Politics;
71/S – Public Administration;
83/S – Economics for Environment and Culture;
84/S – Economics and Management;
88/S – Development Cooperation;
99/S – European Studies;
102/S – Theory and Practice of Lawmaking and Legal Information; 57/S – Planning and Management of Social Policies and Services;
89/S – Sociology;

LM-16 Finance;
LMG/01 – Law;
LM-52 – International Relations;
LM-56 – Economics;
LM-62 – Politics;
LM-63 – Public Administration;
LM-76 – Economics for Environment and Culture;
LM-77 – Economics and Management;
LM-81 – Development Cooperation;
LM-90 – European Studies;
LM-87 – Social service and Social Policies;
LM-88 – Sociology and social research.

Italian previous system of LM degrees: Law, Political Sciences, Economics and Business, International and Diplomatic Sciences, Economics and Social teaching areas, Environmental Economics, Assurance and Social Security Economics; Business Economy.

List of other LM degrees accepted for the participation to the public competition for the Italian Diplomatic Service:
Bank, Financial and Assurance Economics; Economics for International Trade and Currency Markets; Economics for Tourism; Economics for Public Administration and International Institutions; Economics of Institutions and Financial Markets; Economics and Finance; Economics and Management of Services; Economics and Legislation for Companies; Industrial Economics; Maritime and Transport Economics; Economics for Art, Culture and Communication; Political Economy; Marketing D.I., Health Planning; Administration; Statistical and Social Economics; Public Relations; Communication; Sociology; International Trade and Currency Markets; Bank and Insurance; Economics; Bank and Economics; Maritime Economy; Statistics; Statistics and Demography; Statistics and Economics.

In case of foreign degrees, equal qualifications to the ones listed above will be accepted.
Linguistic skills
English language requirements: Level B2

The English language requirement (level B2) will be assessed as follows.

Candidates must hold one of the following language certificates:
- Any of the international English B2 certifications listed by the CLA in the "Table of Equivalent Certifications" [CLA Certification Table] available at: <https://centri.unibo.it/[…]/riconoscimento-idoneita-linguistica>
- TOEFL paper-based score of at least 550 points;
- Trinity GESE grade 8;
- B2 level certification issued by a University language centre;
- OOPT (Oxford Online Placement Test) at B2 level.
The certification must have been obtained no more than two years prior to the Master’s application deadline (see above).

Alternatively, candidates must meet one of the following conditions:
- Be an English native speaker. This means that they can express themselves naturally in English through family background or language experience;
- Have obtained at least 8 ECTS, including laboratory activities, in SSD L-LIN/12 (according to the Italian University system) with an average grade of not less than 24/30 (ECTS obtained with a "pass" grade will not be considered);
- Hold a degree from an English-speaking University;
- Have completed a University degree programme taught entirely in English;
- Have obtained an IB Diploma (International Baccalaureate), High School Diploma or GCE (General Certificate of Education) in English (with at least 50% of the coursework in English).

If candidates do not have at least one of the above qualifications (or self-certification in the case of activities in Italian state universities), they will have to pass an online English language test reaching at least a B2 level, which will be held at the Forlì campus on a date to be announced.
Selection criteria
Selection based on qualifications and a written test.

Criteria for the selection

Candidates must hold a Master's degree falling within the list of degree categories specified in the "Admission requirements" section below. The grade of the Master's degree will contribute to the calculation of the final score assigned to each applicant.

English language proficiency – a B2 level of English is required, which must be certified or obtained according to the guidelines set out under "Other entry conditions" (see below).

Admission test:
An admission test will be held only if the number of applications received exceeds the maximum number of places available. The purpose of the admission test is the assessment of the candidate's minimum level of knowledge to be successfully involved in the Master. The test will cover topics that are relevant to the public competition allowing the access to the Diplomatic Service. The recommended reading provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), which can be found on the MAECI website, can be consulted to prepare for the test.

Candidates may also submit additional qualifications such as post-graduate degrees, other language certificates, study abroad experience, internships in relevant institutions, relevant volunteer work, relevant work experience, and any other qualifications that are deemed to be useful.

Maximum score: 100. Minimum score: 50.

In the event of a tie, preference will be given to the youngest candidate.
Selection date
Sep 16, 2024
Place of teaching
Class start date: 2 November 2024.
Class end date: 31 October 2025.
In addition to the holiday period in August, there will be a period of interruption between the first and the second module of the Master's programme, approximately from 15 May to the end of June.
Time commitment. Classes are scheduled to take place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (morning).
Study plan
  • History of International Relations – From the Vienna Congress (Storia delle relazioni internazionali a partire dal Congresso di Vienna) - SSD: SPS/06 – Convenors: Giuliana Laschi, Paolo Soave, Angela Romano.
  • International Law and European Law (Diritto internazionale pubblico e dell'Unione Europea) – SSD: IUS/13 – Convenors: Marco Balboni, Francesca Ragno, Carmelo Danisi.
  • Economic Policy and Multilateral Economic, Trade, and Financial Cooperation (Politica economica e cooperazione economica, commerciale e finanziaria multilaterale) – SSD: SECS-P/02 – Convenors: Stefano Antonio Bolatto, Giuseppe Pignataro, Filippo Santi.
  • English Language, specialised for the diplomatic sector (Lingua inglese, specialistica per il settore diplomatico) – SSD: L-LIN/12 – Convenors: Cinzia Bevitori, Beatrice Spallaccia.
  • With regard to languages, each Master’s candidate has to choose between French, German and Spanish:
  • French language, specialised for the diplomatic sector (Lingua francese (a scelta), specialistica per il settore diplomatico) – SSD: L-LIN/04 – Convenors: Roberta Pederzoli, Valeria Illuminati.
  • Spanish language, specialised for the diplomatic sector (Lingua spagnola (a scelta), specialistica per il settore diplomatico) – SSD: L-LIN/07 – Convenors: Hugo Edgardo Lombardini, Natalia Peñín.
  • German language, specialised for the diplomatic sector (Lingua tedesca (a scelta), specialistica per il settore diplomatico) – SSD: L-LIN/14 – Convenors: Doris Anita Hoehmann, Christian Klaus Thom Wehlte.
  • Italian Public law (Constitutional and Administrative branches). (Diritto pubblico italiano, costituzionale e amministrativo) – SSD: IUS/01 – Convenors: Giorgia Pavani, Piergiorgio Novaro.
  • State accounting (Contabilità di Stato) – SSD: SECS-P/07 – Convenor: Massimo Anzalone.
  • Institutional principles of Civil Law and Private International Law (Nozioni istituzionali di diritto civile e di diritto internazionale privato) – SSD: IUS/01 – Convenors: Chiara Alvisi, Francesca Ragno.
  • Political Economic Geography (Geografia politica economica) – SSD: M-GGR/02 – Convenor: Stefano Antonio Bolatto. 
  • International Relations for Diplomatic Functions (Relazioni internazionali per le funzioni diplomatiche) – SSD: SP/04 S – Convenors: Filippo Andreatta, Sonia Lucarelli, Lorenzo Zambernardi.

  • Area Studies, International Current Affairs, and Public Speaking Workshop (Storie d'area, attualità internazionale e orientamento al laboratorio di public speaking) – SSD: SPS/06 – Convenors: Raffaella Baritono, Loris Zanatta, Arrigo Pallotti, Antonio Fiori.
  • Additional Foreign Language, specialized for the diplomatic sector (ulteriore lingua straniera a scelta specialistica per il settore diplomatico) – SSD: to be defined/da definire.
  • Orientation to the Workshop for Developing Logical, Analytical, and Synthesis Skills (Orientamento al laboratorio relativo all'acquisizione di abilità logiche, analitiche e di sintesi) – SSD: SPS/07 – Convenor: Valerio Vanelli.
  • History of Doctrines – Role of the Diplomat and Negotiation Techniques (Storia delle dottrine - Ruolo del diplomatico e tecniche di negoziato) – SSD: SPS/02 – Convenors: Michele Chiaruzzi, Lorenzo Angeloni.
  • Public Speaking Workshop on Current Regional Affairs Topics (Laboratorio di Public speaking su temi di attualità - Storie d'area) – Convenors: Francesco Privitera, Matteo Dian, Francesca Biancani, Marco Puleri.
  • Workshop on Developing Logical, Analytical, and Synthesis Skills (Laboratorio relativo all'acquisizione di abilità logiche, analitiche e di sintesi) – Convenor: Valerio Vanelli.
  • IT Laboratory (Laboratorio informatico) – Convenor: Valerio Vanelli.