Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
Diplomatische Akademie Wien École des Hautes Études Internationales de Vienne | |
| File:Diplomatic Academy Vienna.png | |
| Type | Independent public postgraduate institution |
|---|---|
| Established | 1754 (as the Oriental Academy) 1964 (as the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna) 1996 (granted independent public institution status) |
| Director | Ambassador Martin Eichtinger |
Academic staff | 96 |
| Students | 182 |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Affiliations | APSIA |
| Website | da-vienna |
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The Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (DA; German: Diplomatische Akademie Wien), also known as the Vienna School of International Studies, is a postgraduate professional school based in Vienna, Austria, with focused training for students and professionals in the areas of international affairs, political science, law, languages, history and economics.[1] It is the oldest diplomatic academy in the world.
The school is an affiliate member school of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs in Austria.[2] The Diplomatic Academy's director (since August 2025) is Ambassador Martin Eichtinger (b. 1953 in Graz), an Austrian diplomat.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]The academy was originally established by Empress Maria Theresa in 1754 as the Oriental Academy, for the purpose of training young diplomats to represent the Habsburg Empire abroad. After centuries the academy was closed by the German Nazi occupational forces in 1941 and officially returned to the status of a diplomatic academy by the long serving social democratic foreign minister Bruno Kreisky in 1964, the first director after WWII being the American Historian Ernst Florian Winter.[4]
The school was renamed multiple times and reorganized over the centuries, and it eventually gained independent public institution status in 1996.[5] Given its roots, the Diplomatic Academy claims to be the oldest school of its kind, one that is dedicated to professional foreign affairs training.[6]
Academics
[edit | edit source]The school confers PhD degrees, Master's degrees and postgraduate diplomas upon its graduates. It offers graduate degrees only. Students may choose to pursue a two-year program that leads towards either a Master of Advanced International Studies (MAIS, or M.A.I.S.) or a Master of Science in Environmental Technology and International Affairs (MSc ETIA) degree.
Master of Advanced International Studies is a masters's degree exclusively awarded for the completion of a postgraduate program at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. It includes compulsory subjects from the four faculties in International Relations, International Law, International Economics and History.[7] The regular completion takes two years and requires 120 ECTS.
The MAIS program is run in conjunction with the University of Vienna, while the MSc ETIA courses are offered in partnership with the Technical University of Vienna. A one-year "Diploma Programme" is also available to postgraduates.[2]
Directors
[edit | edit source]- Ernst Florian Winter, 1964–1967
- Robert Friedinger-Pranter, 1967
- Johannes Coreth, 1967–1968
- Arthur Breycha-Vauthier, 1968–1975
- Emanuel Treu, 1975–1976
- Arthur Breycha-Vauthier, 1976–1977
- Johannes Coreth, 1977–1978
- Heinrich Pfusterschmid-Hardtenstein, 1978–1986
- Alfred Missong jun., 1986–1994
- Paul Leifer, 1994–1999
- Ernst Sucharipa, 1999–2003
- Jiří Gruša, 2004–2008
- Hans Winkler, 2008–2017
- Emil Brix, 2017–2025[8]
- Martin Eichtinger, 2025-present
Notable people
[edit | edit source]A number of prominent figures in politics, economics and law have associations with the Diplomatic Academy:
- Celso Amorim – former Brazilian Minister of Defence and Foreign Minister and ambassador to the United Kingdom. Amorim graduated from the academy in 1967.
- Nerys Dockery – Kittitian politician and ambassador, former Permanent Representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations (UN) in New York and chief executive officer of the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party.
- Jiří Gruša – Czech poet and former Czech ambassador to Austria. Served as the academy's director from 2005 to 2009.
- Valentin Inzko – Austrian diplomat, former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Graduated in 1974.
- Jan Kickert (born 1964) – Austrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
- Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović – 4th President of the Republic of Croatia.
- Heinz Schaden – Austrian Social Democratic Party politician and former mayor of Salzburg. Attended DA in the 1980s.
- Kurt Waldheim – former President of Austria and Secretary-General of the United Nations. Graduated from the academy (then known as the Vienna Consular Academy) in 1939.
- Igor Lukšić – Foreign Minister of Montenegro and former Prime Minister. Graduated in 1999.
- Zoran Kalabić - Serbian businessman, humanist and a benefactor, graduated in 2012.
References
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- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ https://www.da-vienna.ac.at/en/About/News-from-the-DA#2083378-ambassador-martin-eichtinger-takes-over-as-director-of-the-da
- ^ https://www.da-vienna.ac.at/en/About/History
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External links
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- Official website
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