ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
In order to be eligible to participate in the CPD Summer Institute, you must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited university and have a minimum of three to five years of experience in public diplomacy or a related field such as international relations, public affairs, government relations, public relations and/or communications. Fluency in spoken and written English is also a necessity for the program as all participants are expected to actively take part in class discussions based on assigned readings and their own experience. Due to the interactive nature of the CPD Summer Institute, there are no make-up sessions.
For inquiries about program eligibility or specific questions, please contact CPD Assistant Director for Operations and Programming Renee Almassizadeh at almassiz@usc.edu.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
The CPD Summer Institute in Public Diplomacy is geared toward mid-career professionals posted in government agencies including foreign affairs; defense and homeland security; intelligence agencies; non-governmental organizations; international organizations; private-sector companies; and others whose work would benefit from learning more about this vital field. In addition to innovative instruction, the program provides a setting for mid-career professionals to exercise their evaluation and decision-making skills in a group of their peers and to contribute their own ideas and perspectives.
Past participants have included individuals from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, United Nations, European Union, World Bank, Korea Foundation and the ministries of foreign affairs of Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Tunisia, Ukraine, UK, United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. For a list of some of CPD Summer Institute's alumni, please click here.
HOW TO APPLY
The electronic application for the CPD Summer Institute can be found here. All applicants must submit via this system and must submit a current resume to almassiz@usc.edu. There is a rolling admissions process, and applicants will be notified as soon as a decision is made. The application deadline is May 22, 2025.
Once accepted, deadlines for submitting required documents and paying tuition will be explained in the acceptance letter.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
All CPD Summer Institute applicants must bring a working laptop and smart phone/tablet to the program. Assignments throughout the two weeks will require these devices and will utilize website-based programs that may require participants to create free accounts. Participants must also ensure their devices allow them to download apps and access websites and web-based programs without firewall complications.