Dual Degree Option in Political Science (B.A.) and International Human Rights Law (M.A.)
The Dual Degree option combines a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Human Rights Law. It is a dual degree, creating a synergy between the existing BA in Political Science and the existing MA in International Human Rights Law.
The dual degree option enables good students to prepare for a postgraduate degree while completing the requirements for the BA in Political Science. Non-law students who achieve a MA Degree under the auspices of the Law Department at AUC qualify for better jobs in Egypt or abroad, or pursue a legal education at prestigious law schools in the United States and elsewhere. The MA degree also provides students with the necessary expertise in international human rights law and with the intellectual, analytical and communication tools needed to intervene critically and effectively in the global policy debates confronting their societies as policy makers, academics, activists and international civil servants.
By the end of the sixth semester of the political science BA at AUC, and after successfully completing POLS 4371 , the student has to declare her/his intention to pursue the Dual Degree by submitting a graduate admission application. The student should follow the application procedures for graduate studies. Admission decisions will be made by the Law Department’s Admission Committee. Successful applicants will be admitted pending the fulfillment of two conditions: i) finishing the requirements of their undergraduate degrees with at least B (GPA 3); and ii) obtaining an average of at least a B+ (GPA of at least 3.3) across the three cross-listed ‘Dual Degree’ Law courses. Places are limited.
Students enrolled in the dual degree will receive a political science BA degree certificate upon the completion of their undergraduate course requirements. Many students feel the need to work in parallel to the pursuit of an MA degree. We believe that students who fulfill the pols BA requirement should not be denied the opportunity to do so.
Under this structure, dual-degree students will be required to take three 400-level courses that are cross-listed under LAW and POLS. These three “Dual Degree” cross-listed courses (see below) will count for credit towards both the BA in Political Science and under the MA in International Human Rights Law.
The three ‘Dual Degree’ Law courses to be offered to undergraduates in the Political Science Department are the following: (a)
(b)
and (c)
The curriculum for the MA IHRL requires the completion of nine courses and a thesis, as indicated in the tentative plan below: 3 POLS/LAW undergraduate courses, 2 graduate regional human rights courses, 3 graduate elective courses,
, and the thesis.
Tentative Plan for Full-time Students
SEMESTER VI (POLS undergraduate program)
LAW/
(counts towards both concentrations in POLS for all students) (and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]
SEMESTER VII (POLS undergraduate program)
LAW/
(counts towards both BA POLS and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other core courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]
SEMESTER VIII (POLS undergraduate program)
LAW/
(counts towards both BA POLS and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other core courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]
SEMESTER IX (MA IHRL program)
* (2 out of 3 starred courses required)
* (2 out of 3 starred courses required)
* (2 out of 3 starred courses required)
LAW Electives**
SEMESTER X (MA IHRL program)
LAW Electives**
LAW Electives**
SEMESTER XI (MA IHRL program)
** Lists of LAW elective courses will be provided to students in the program prior to registration for each semester.
