Where Diplomacy Meets Data:
Preparing International Experts for the Digital Era
As digital technologies reshape diplomacy, security and global governance, international affairs require a new kind of expertise. DA alumna Sophie Ernest explains why the MSc DIA equips graduates with the skills needed to navigate and shape international politics in the digital age.
"I am delighted to support the Diplomatische Akademie Wien – Vienna School of International Studies (DA) not only as an alumna, but also because programmes like the MSc in Digital International Affairs embody an education that con-tinuously reimagines the discipline of international relations for the digital era. This programme, in particular, ties in the analysis of foreign and security policy with hands-on expertise in big data, cybersecurity, digital diplomacy and international law – a combination that gives graduates a clear competitive edge.
In many emerging professional domains at the intersection of technology, digitalisation, public administration, devel-opment, and politics, this very combination of skills is increasingly sought after: on the one hand, a profound under-standing of international processes and institutions, and on the other, the assured application of – or collaboration with – digital technologies and platforms. This applies to careers ranging from ministries and international organisa-tions to development cooperation and the executive bodies of regulatory authorities such as the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (KommAustria and RTR), where media regulation, platform over-sight, data flows, funding mechanisms and network regulation have long become core responsibilities.
From my own experience, I can say that at the international level, negotiations are increasingly shaped by issues that can hardly be addressed without a deep understanding of the digital dimension – for example in dealing with major technology platforms, safeguarding democratic public spheres, or regulating global data flows. When the new head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 compares the power of large platform companies to that of states, this clearly illustrates how questions of sovereignty and security are now also negotiated in the digital realm – and how essential it is to develop a well-trained sensitivity to these issues.
The MSc in Digital International Affairs responds precisely to this reality. It not only conveys the opportunities and risks that digitalisation creates in diplomacy, law, security and the economy, but also enables students to apply mod-ern digital tools in practice – for example methods of data analysis and artificial intelligence. Anyone who later works at institutions such as the RTR, in ministries, international organisations or the tech sector at the interface of regula-tion and policy needs the ability to translate technical details into political strategies, and vice versa.
For these reasons, I support the education offered by the DA, and in particular the MSc in Digital International Affairs: because it trains the next generation of experts who think international politics, technological development and social responsibility together – and who remain capable of effective action both in negotiations and in regulatory practice."
Sophie Ernest studied Global World Affairs at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., media studies at the University of Vienna, and completed the Diploma Programme at the DA. She began her career at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, where she first supported the EU Department and subsequently the communications departments on EU affairs, media policy, and international cultural policy. She then served as European policy spokesperson for the Federal Minister for the EU, Arts, Culture and Media in the Federal Chancellery, focusing on Council-related issues and European media policy as well as coordinating communication during Austria’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018. Afterwards, she was Head of Communications at the Federation of Austrian Industries, Vienna. In 2021, she became Managing Director of the UBIT Academy incite, where she developed training and further education programmes for supervisory board members and the professional groups of IT consultancy and management consulting. Since September 2022, she has been Head of Office to Mag. Wolfgang Struber at RTR GmbH, where she is responsible for strategic managing director agendas and coordination within and outside the organisation. In addition, she is Head of the Competence Centre for the Media Division.
To learn more about the MSc DIA programme and read the entire testimonial, visit www.da-vienna.ac.at/DIA.
Last update: 4 February 2026