Our LLM will provide you with the necessary foundation for the skills in the human rights field for legal practice, campaigning and advocacy.
Duration
1 year (full-time)
2 years (part-time)
Number of Credits
LLM: 180 credits
PGDip: 120 credits
PGCert: 60 credits
Start date
September 2023
Degree Type
LLM/PGDip/PGCert
Modules
Why this course
Join one of the very few specialised human rights Master-level programmes embedded in practice, providing you with the necessary professional experience for a legal career in the human rights field.
You will be taught by experts with extensive practical experience at the leading edge of human rights law.
You will gain specialised skills in legal practice, legal reasoning, legal advocacy and litigation, and have access to the legal world in London.
Build upon your experience and acquire skills through our interdisciplinary teaching approach to human rights law, from sociology, international relations, development and politics.
Opportunity to study an optional mini-SQE module to help pass your SQE assessments.
Skills
Face the legal issues in international human rights today in our LLM Human Rights and Legal Practice course.
Our LLM is designed and taught by experienced legal professionals and human rights activists. You will gain a thorough understanding of the theories, issues and concepts underpinning international human rights and, crucially, how they are put into practice. By combining theory with practice, this course will give you both the skills and the knowledge you need for a career in the field of human rights practice, campaigning and advocacy.
Suitable for legal practitioners, aspiring legal professionals and human rights activists, this course will enable you to develop your skillsets in research and analysis, strategic litigation, project management, and advocacy and campaigning skills within the field of human rights. Problem-based and interactive learning methodologies will enable you to master key concepts and instil the ability to learn from experience, absorb and integrate new information, and act strategically.
Gain the skills required for legal practice in the human rights field
With the human rights sector becoming increasingly competitive, employers are now asking for some experience as a prerequisite. London is one of the world centres for this sort of career, with most international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) having their headquarters here.
This course will provide you with a strong academic grounding as well as the practical and vocational legal skills required for legal practice in the human rights field. You will also have the opportunity to undertake a work placement during your degree to develop your skills. After this course, you could work for a law firm, international organisation, government department, think-tank, non-governmental organisation, or a research and development organisation.
A Day in the Life of a Human Rights Activist
Learn more about the human rights academics who teach on this programme by watching our video, A Day in the Life of a Human Rights Activist.
How you'll learn
This LLM programme will examine the rhetoric and reality of human rights using an issues-based approach. Taking an interdisciplinary and holistic approach, you will acquire a high level of specialist knowledge, informed by current thinking and debate. There is also a wide range of optional modules to choose from, with focuses on economic, social and cultural rights; minority rights; business and human rights; policy and management; international human rights; criminal law; and international development.
Finally, you will write up a thesis on a topic that you choose, but the focus will be on a practical and applied human rights experience reflecting on real life experience and applied legal skills.
Upcoming Events:
Career options
This specialised course will prepare you for many career opportunities within human rights law. You could work in human rights organisations, including international organisations such as the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation, the International Criminal Court, or for an NGO specialised in human rights and social justice. Many of these organisations are headquartered in London. You could also have a career in government, diplomatic institutions, think tanks, research and development organisations, or continue your academic career.
How our careers service supports you
Our careers team is available to support you from the start of your studies until after you graduate. We will help you build your CV, prepare for interviews, and meet and learn from successful graduates working at the top of their careers.
Application Info
How to apply
Postgraduate programmes
You can now apply for any programme for any entry point in 2023.
All postgraduate taught applications can be made via our online application form.
- Check our application deadlines
- View our entry requirements for postgraduate programmes
- View our general entry criteria and application FAQs below
If you need any help or advice with your application, or just want to ask us a question before you apply, please do not hesitate to contact us.
International students
Please note that most international applicants have to pay a deposit before securing their place.
- See our Finance pages for more details
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Tuition fees and funding
September 2023 entry tuition fees
Year 1 fees, see links in table below for more information.
2023/24 entry funding
Specific Entry Requirements
Validation and curriculum review
What is validation?
Validation is a formal process through which the University approves a programme (content, teaching, learning and assessment) as being of appropriate standard and quality. This is a normal process used throughout the university sector.
The University expects to publish details of the validated programme in the academic year prior to the start date of the programme. You are advised to check the University website at that time to ensure that you have up-to-date information. In the meantime, if you require information you should contact 0208 392 3232.
What is curriculum review?
Curriculum review is the regular and systematic monitoring and reviewing of programmes. It is a normal process in the sector and it is the way by which the university ensures that your course remains up-to-date and relevant. The process may result in changes to the content, structure and/or assessment of the programme.
The University expects to publish details of the re-validated programme by 31 March in the academic year prior to the start date of the programme. You are advised to check the University website at that time to ensure that you have up-to-date information. In the meantime, if you require information you should contact 0208 392 3232.
Need help before you apply?
Course Facilities
Our Research
Our research is led by a multi-disciplinary team of sociologists, criminologists, social anthropologists and socio-legal scholars, united by a sociological approach to exploring inequalities, prejudice and social trends as they relate to social justice in diverse societies. Our work on social justice centres around four principal research themes: citizenship, migration and rights; personal life, sexuality and identity; social and political violence; and health policies, illness and well-being. Click here to view our research page.
Our Students
“I am currently completing an internship with Amnesty International in their Strategic Litigation Department as one of my final modules. The professors on this course have been more than what I could have hoped for. They provided an engaging, interesting and motivating environment.”
Jasmine Henricson, LLM Human Rights Student
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