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5 Renowned Masters of Human Rights Law in the United Kingdom

LLM in Human Rights Law, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

The Human Rights stream forms one of LSE’s LLM specialisms, allowing students to construct a Master of Laws with a focus on issues of Human Rights. The LSE Centre for the Study of Human Rights facilitates this interdisciplinary degree and works alongside numerous intergovernmental and nongovernmental organisations to ensure that there is a diverse range of guest speakers, lectures and seminars available to students. Concerns around human rights, and the heightened public debate around related issues, form a central interest of LSE’s teaching philosophy. As such, students have access to a wide selection of courses and topics for study, all of which encourage a thorough engagement and understanding of the historical and contemporary aspects of the field of human rights law.

The LLM in Human Rights Law is a one-year programme which consists of both coursework and a written thesis component.

Master in International Human Rights Law, Oxford University

This programme is offered jointly by the Department for Continuing Education and the Faculty of Law and takes place on a part-time basis over a period of 22 months. The programme is structured as such so as to accommodate for lawyers and others human rights practitioners who wish to further their studies while continuing their practice in the field. During the learning period, students will complete two distance-learning modules online as well as two learning periods based at the Oxford campus. The course has a focus on human rights in practice. The aim is to ensure that students not only know the law around human rights, but can use it to implement change in the real world. Furthermore, in grappling with the scope and limitations of international human rights law, students are pushed to think analytically about what further research needs there are around the subject.

LLM in Human Rights, University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh Law School offers an academic programme on human rights which addresses crucial global challenges spanning the ambit of civil and political, social, economic and cultural rights. This is in the context of a city dedicated to many and varied peace and human rights initiatives.  The programme is designed to train students in both the theoretical and practical aspects of international human rights law and position this understanding within the broader, global political context. The course has a specific focus on the relationship between human rights and conflict resolution and encourages students to explore the role of human rights from global and domestic perspectives and the various mechanisms that are at work in these different spheres. The programme provides students with an interdisciplinary learning environment and allows students the flexibility to structure the course according to their key interests. This programme is a one-year, full-time degree and students are required to undertake a number of mandatory courses with additional elective courses as well as a final written thesis.

LLM in International Human Rights Law, University of Cambridge

The Cambridge International Human Rights Law programme has a focus on bringing together historical and contemporary ideas and concepts that have shaped the practice of human rights law. At the end of the one-year programme students will have gained critical skills allowing them to: explore and analyse key concepts and themes in human rights law; examine the interconnection between international human rights law and other social and normative phenomena; assess the significance of international human rights law at a global level; and foster an engaged and critical approach to the protection of international human rights. The course comprises of both coursework and a master’s thesis allowing students to engage with a general introduction to concepts around human rights law as well as focus more specifically on specialised streams. Students will be well-equipped to enter the field of international human rights law upon graduating.

LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice, University of York

The Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York offers this LLM degree in International Human Rights Law and Practice. The programme seeks to engage students around the key paradox of the continued existence of serious human rights abuses despite there being recent substantial proliferations of treaties and adjudicative human rights bodies. Students are thus provided with the critical analytical and practical skills necessary to address this paradox and the range of concerns that it raises at global and local levels. The course is offered as a one-year, full-time programme, during which students will complete both coursework modules and a written dissertation. Students will also have the opportunity to undertake a field trip to Malaysia where they will be placed and work within a local NGO over a two-week period.

Also consider: master’s degrees in human rights

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