Career pathways / Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer

How to become a Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer

Diplomats represent their country’s interests abroad across postings that rotate every few years — political reporting, negotiations, consular crises. Entry runs through national foreign-service exams, and a policy or international-affairs master’s is the standard preparation.

Who hires this role

Employer types: foreign ministry · embassy · intergovernmental

Representative employers: national foreign ministries · UN Secretariat · EU External Action Service

Knowledge structure

Derived from the fields that feed this career — what the role actually draws on.

Quantitative analysishelpful
Policy & institutionscore requirement
Technical / digitalnot needed
Languages & communicationcore requirement

What to study

Scholarships that fund this path

Schemes linked to the fields above in our verified database.

Related careers

Frequently asked questions

What degree do you need to become a Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer?

Most Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer roles typically expect at least a master's degree.

What should I study to become a Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer?

Master's fields that lead to a Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer career include: Global Governance, Peace and Conflict Studies.

Who hires Diplomat / Foreign Service Officers?

Diplomat / Foreign Service Officers work mainly in foreign ministry, embassy, intergovernmental, with representative employers such as national foreign ministries, UN Secretariat, EU External Action Service.

Are there scholarships for this career path?

Yes — 3 scholarships in our database link to the fields that lead to a Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer career.

Built from our verified entity graph — employer lists are representative, not exhaustive. Global Study Prep is independent and not affiliated with any employer, university or scholarship programme.

How to Become a Diplomat / Foreign Service Officer: Degrees & Scholarships | Global Study Prep