The LLM in Human Rights Law at the University of Johannesburg is a postgraduate law degree designed to deepen understanding of fundamental rights, justice, and human rights protection both within South Africa and in a broader global and comparative context. It encourages critical engagement with contemporary human rights developments, the philosophical and constitutional foundations of rights, and how legal systems can address inequality and social transformation.
Offered through the Faculty of Law’s Department of Public Law, the qualification combines structured coursework with a research component, typically including modules on the history and philosophical foundations of fundamental rights, the South African Bill of Rights, and the enforcement of fundamental rights domestically and internationally, along with a minor dissertation on a topic of the student’s choice.
The programme is available on campus at the Auckland Park Kingsway Campus and can be pursued either full‑time (two years) or part‑time (three years), accommodating both students and working professionals with evening lectures scheduled to support part‑time study.
Graduates are prepared for careers in legal practice, public interest law, policy advocacy, international organisations, academia or the judiciary, particularly in roles that centre on protecting human rights and advancing social justice within constitutional and international frameworks.
