Human Rights Master’s Programs
United Nations Institute for Training and Research + University of Stirling
University of Arizona
NOVA School of Law + University Network for Human Rights
United Nations Institute for Training and Research + University for Peace
United Nations Institute for Training and Research + University for Peace
University of Connecticut
Binghamton University
United Nations Institute for Training and Research + Sigmund Freud University Vienna
University of Roehampton
De Monfort University Leicester
Ulster University
University of Leeds
What is a human rights master’s degree?
A master’s degree in human rights will equip you with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to work for the defense, promotion, and protection of human rights. You will learn about human rights laws and protection mechanisms, standards, and instruments, and you will develop practical skills in education, research, campaigning, advocacy, policy, and activism. You will examine the rights of specific groups such as women, children, and refugees, and you will learn about specific rights such as the right to life, the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom from torture. After completing a masters in human rights, you can work for the United Nations, international NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, governments, or corporates to have a tangible positive impact on people’s lives.
What skills will you learn?
A human rights master helps you develop theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a variety of areas. While every master’s degree is different in scope and specialization, below are some of the skills you are likely to gain.
Investigate and analyze human rights violations
Research and critically assess human rights issues
Mobilize and engage others to support a cause
Plan, organize and launch human rights campaigns
Equip people with knowledge and skills to take action
Navigate the international or regional human rights systems
Understand how the UN system and its agencies work
Claim and defend the rights of victims of violations
Manage projects, programmes and organizations
Apply field work methods and interviewing strategies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a human rights master’s degree?
A human rights masters is most commonly a one or two year academic program that awards an accredited degree upon successful completion. Human rights masters tend to be interdisciplinary and draw on the expertise from multiple other disciplines such as law, philosophy, anthropology, history, sociology, psychology and religion. A masters requires the study of a bachelors degree first. Human rights masters can be offered on a full-time or part-time basis and are available in English and multiple other languages including Spanish and French. For many human rights jobs a master’s degree is a requirement. Examples of human rights masters:
- Master of Arts in Applied Human Rights
- Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law
- Master of Philosophy in Theory and Practice of Human Rights
- Master of Science in Human Rights and Data Science
What you will learn in a human rights master’s program?
A master in human rights will equip you with foundational knowledge and skills to promote, defend and protect human rights. You will learn about the theory of human rights from a multidisciplinary perspective and develop practical skills for their application. While some masters are highly specialized on topics such as Child Rights, Women’s Rights or Refugee Rights, others provide a more holistic perspective. In a human rights masters you will learn how to critically engage in current human rights issues and develop the tools and strategies to have a tangible positive impact on people’s lives. This includes studying human rights laws, documents and protection mechanisms, and developing hands-on, practical skills to research human rights violations, analyze human rights cases and advocate for human rights using a broad variety of tools and methods.
What topics does a human rights master’s degree cover?
- The history, origin and evolution of human rights in theory and practice as well as human rights principles, standards and instruments.
- Scope and application of specific human rights such as the right to life, the right to liberty and security, the right to freedom of expression or the right to freedom from torture.
- Mandate and functioning of the International Human Rights Protection Mechanisms such as the UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteurs, UN Treaty Bodies and regional protection mechanisms such as the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
- The structure, management, methods, tools and strategies of human rights organizations.
- Scholarly values and the rules of scientific working and academic research.
- Practical skills for Human Rights Education, Research, Campaigning, Advocacy, Policy, and Activism.
Where you can work with a human rights master’s degree?
Human rights graduates often work for intergovernmental organizations (United Nations, Council of Europe, ASEAN, OSCE), international NGOs (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, International Committee of the Red Cross), governmental entities (UK Mission to the United Nations, Permanent Missions to the United Nations) or social enterprises. Companies also increasingly employ human rights professionals. Examples of employers for human rights graduates:
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) or Council of Europe (CoE)
- Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch or Save the Children
- Government entities, businesses and grassroots movements
