School of International Service Suite 112 on a map
Office of International Programs 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 United States
The Peruvian Diplomatic Academy (PDA) was founded in 1955 as the center of education and training for Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Academy trains those entering the diplomatic service of Peru and is the only point of entrance into the country’s diplomatic corps. The curriculum at PDA is highly specialized in the areas of diplomacy and international affairs and requires high levels of performance from its students. The AU-PDA partnership is the first of its kind for both AU and PDA, and it offers AU students the unique opportunity to study with up-and-coming diplomats.
Please note that the academic year may vary slightly depending on the year. Contact us to confirm the start and end dates before applying for this program.
Students will enroll as full-time students for one semester alongside PDA graduate students, and earn up to 9 credits toward their graduate degree from AU. Subject areas include:
All courses and fieldwork are conducted in Spanish.
AU students who wish to participate in the program must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish at a high intermediate level at the time of application and are encouraged to reach advanced proficiency before enrolling at PDA. Students are required to submit a language assessment as part of the application.
Students have the opportunity to take non-credit French and Portuguese language courses to improve their language skills without incurring additional costs.
Spring: October 15
Fall: March 15
Students must be in the second year of their Master's program at AU by the semester they plan to study at PDA in order to be eligible to apply.
Applicants are required to submit a non-refundable $50 application fee.
You will be notified by email with a decision regarding your nomination for study abroad.
Please note: This program is competitive and submitting an application does not guarantee admission.
This program is compatible with Global Governance, Politics, and Security; Comparative Regional Studies; U.S. Foreign Policy & Security; International Peace and Conflict Resolution; and Intercultural and International Communication.
Students may take Peruvian courses offered for both first and second year students, subject to approval by PDA and the student's academic background.
Cross-cultural communication and respect must be at the core of negotiations.
While at PDA, I had the chance to discuss varying topics in class and built a professional network that allowed me to participate in the VIII Summit of the Americas Conference in Lima. During the Summit, I engaged with numerous stakeholders, including the Coalition for Good Governance, members of the Movement for Human Rights against Corruption and high-level officials whose objective is to create strong institutions to ensure free and fair elections.