Hello everyone,

I've been a long time lurker on this site so finally felt I should register and ask for your advice. I graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a First Class degree in LLB this year and have since taken a year out to figure out what it is I want to do next. I've applied to start volunteering at the Citizen's Advice Bureau recently.

But the reason I'm posting is that I'm currently pondering which Masters in Human Rights to do. I like the idea of Nottingham, however due to family and financial comittments I think I'd be unable to move away from Scotland (at least at the time of writing).

My choice is therefore relatively simple:
- LLM in Human Rights Law at the University of Strathclyde
- MSc in Human Rights and International Poltics at University of Glasgow
- or, LLM in Human Rights Law at the University of Aberdeen

I enjoyed Strathclyde for my undergraduate degree, but I'm not sure of it's standing on a wider scale (even though it was just voted UK University of the Year 2012).Plus is it not a bit negative to do an undergraduate degree and postgraduate degree at the same university? Nonetheless, One of my honours lecturers is the runner of this LLM and was extrememly helpful.

Secondly, Glasgow's program is interdisicplinary... which means it's not an LLM. Is the difference in classification important? I'm contemplating doing a Human Rights Masters then applying for the Government Legal Service, or Civil Service.

Finally, Aberdeen would require moving away anyway and so I'd probably be best just going for Nottingham?

What are your thoughts?

Hello NorMun,

I have also been a lurker on this site for a long time, but your post, and seeing no response(s) to it, prompted me to finally register.

The institutions you are looking at are all clearly very good places to study. Each of them has some unique attributes, particularly the people, and I have a great deal of respect for individuals in every one of them. Ill take the options in the order you ask about them (including Nottingham).

Firstly, I have a bit of a soft spot for Nottingham. The institution was on the shortlist of potential places for my LLM but I studied elsewhere. I believe Nottingham requires the study of eight modules and a dissertation, but I dont know the categories of compulsory and optional, if any. The Nottingham website currently lists the following modules: An Uncensored History of International Law; Counter-terrorism & International Law; Criminal Justice and Globalisation; Economic and Social Rights; Fair Trials, Human Rights and Criminal Justice; Imprisonment & Human Rights; International Criminal Law: Institutions; International Criminal Law: Substantive Law and Process; International Human Rights Law; International Humanitarian Law; International Protection of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons; Law, Development and the International Community; Minorities and International Human Rights Law; Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights and Criminal Justice; Post-conflict Situations and International Law; Principles of Public International Law; Regional Human Rights Law; Religion and International Human Rights Law; Rights, Humans and Other Animals; The European Convention on Human Rights; The Rights of the Child.

Strathclyde you obviously know very well already. I also have an affinity for Strathclyde, and the lecturer you are referring to is a top class academic and I have heard nothing but praise for her from former students (without you mentioning name or even gender I think I know who you mean). The Strathclyde LLM is based around six modules and a dissertation, with four modules being compulsory: European Human Rights; International Human Rights Law; Human Rights Protection in the UK; Human Rights in Comparative Perspective. You choose the other two modules from a range of various LLM programme options.

There is nothing automatically negative in studying for an undergraduate and taught postgraduate degree at the same institution. I know successful people in different disciplines who have completed undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate degrees at the same institution and there are those who do that and then go on to work in the same institution. What matters is that you are happy.

The MSc degree at Glasgow is, as you note, not an LLM. This is a discussion I have had before and you are not alone in wondering whether to study for an LLM degree or another Masters degree. You just need to think about the approach you want to take to studying an issue like human rights as generally there are differences with the way material is covered and sources are used in the likes of an MSc compared to an LLM programme. Is it law, international relations, politics, philosophy, or something else, that interests you most, what do you want to learn more about and why? That said, the MSc at Glasgow combines politics and law so you would get a bit of both.

Aberdeen appears to structure the LLM around four modules and a dissertation. International Human Rights Law is the core and for the other three modules you have options of: The Politics of Human Rights; Peoples, Indigenous Peoples and Minorities in International Law; Use of Force and International Law; Comparative Constitutional Law; Intellectual Property, Human Rights and Development.

Please note that although the number of modules to be studied in the institutions differs, this shouldnt be taken as an indication that more work is required in one than another. Institutions weight modules and allocate relevant credits to them. Therefore they should level out across the institutions regardless of whether its four, six, eight, or more, modules you need to undertake.

In the first instance it would be best to contact all the institutions you are interested in, asking them for prospectuses for each programme, and then find out who teaches on the various core and optional modules, what method is used for delivery of the modules and what method is used for assessment. That should help you make a decision.

Beyond that, for an LLM in Human Rights/Human Rights Law in the United Kingdom I would look for one that contains coverage of the ECHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, and related international human rights instruments, the Human Rights Act 1998 (and since you are in Scotland, the devolved legislation), as a minimum.

Hopefully this is useful to you, and to anyone else who reads it. I wish you all the best for your studies, whatever you decide.