International Human Rights Law (M.A.)

International Human Rights Law considers protection of the individual as developed through organs of the United Nations, other international institutions, and at regional and domestic levels in the North and in the South.  The program seeks to give students a thorough grounding in the theoretical underpinnings of human rights law and in the methods of solid multidisciplinary research that are required for investigating legal issues pertaining to human rights. It is intended for those presently working, or desiring to work, in humanitarian organizations, in government departments and agencies concerned with humanitarian issues, or in other public, private and international sectors where there is increasingly a need for persons who have an understanding of the law and legal consequences of human rights within an international framework.

It is possible to work towards the MA in International Human Rights Law and the Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies (FMRS) simultaneously or sequentially, and to cross count 4 courses (12 credits) with the advice and consent of the department for a total of eleven courses (see Dual Graduate Degrees under Academic Requirements and Regulations section).

Admission

The applicant for admission to the MA program should have an acceptable bachelor’s degree in law, political science or a closely related social science (preferably with a minor in political science or law studies), and an overall grade of gayyid giddan or a grade point average of 3.0. Applicants with deficiencies in their preparation may be required to take appropriate courses at the undergraduate level. Admitted degree candidates should normally start their course sequence in the fall semester. If students are enrolled in the AUC English Language Institute (ELI), they cannot begin study in the Law Department until any ELI coursework is completed.