CIS Professional Diploma study plan

Map the four exam domains against your own school context and rate your confidence in each on a 1-5 scale

Define international education in your own words and contrast it with international schooling, transnational schooling and global education

Summarise the purpose and structure of the CIS membership community, distinguishing member schools, higher education institutions and associations

List the services, networks and professional learning opportunities CIS offers member schools and identify which you already use

Explain the difference between CIS membership and CIS accreditation and why a school might hold one without the other

Outline the stages of the CIS international accreditation cycle from application through the preparatory visit, self-study, team visit, decision and periodic reporting

Identify the role of the visiting team, the school's self-study coordinator and the governing body at each stage

Draft a timeline showing what your school would need to do in each of the twelve months before a team visit

Analyse how the CIS accreditation standards and domains connect to school improvement planning rather than to compliance alone

Describe how the self-study process should involve faculty, students, parents and governance to be credible

Explain how visiting team findings are reported, how the school responds and how recommendations become action

Compare at least two other international accreditation or inspection routes and state how CIS differs in philosophy and process

Define socially responsible leadership and distinguish it from generic school management or marketing language

Identify the practical implications of accreditation expectations for governance, ethics, stakeholder voice and community partnership

Explain how a school demonstrates global citizenship through curriculum, service learning, student agency and institutional decision-making

Evaluate one existing school initiative against global citizenship criteria and identify what would need to change

Define intercultural learning and distinguish intercultural competence from cultural awareness or celebration of diversity

Describe at least three recognised frameworks or models of intercultural development and how each would inform teaching

Explain how curriculum, assessment, language policy and student mobility each shape intercultural learning outcomes

Design a classroom or whole-school activity that develops intercultural competence and explain how you would assess it

Define safeguarding and child protection and explain how they differ from well-being and from health and safety

Identify the components of an effective safeguarding policy, including recruitment, induction, code of conduct, reporting routes and record keeping

Explain how a school builds a safeguarding culture in which students and staff feel able to raise concerns

Describe the role of governance and leadership in safeguarding accountability and how this connects to accreditation standards

Describe how to recognise and respond to concerns about physical, emotional and online harm, including peer-on-peer abuse

Explain the principles of listening to the child, confidentiality, information sharing and working with external agencies

Outline the elements of a well-being framework covering student voice, mental health support, transitions and staff well-being

Explain the additional safeguarding considerations for residential trips, online learning, admissions and international staff recruitment

Consolidate all four domains into a single concept map showing how membership, accreditation, leadership and safeguarding interlock

Re-rate your confidence against the week 1 baseline and target the two weakest areas with focused revision

Practice answering extended exam-style questions under timed conditions and review your answers against the rubric

Produce a final one-page summary sheet of key definitions, processes and standards you can revise from