Got selected at LSE and Essex for llm in international human rights law and need your valuable opinion about these courses. It will be great if you could please mention the pros and cons of studying at either of the universities. Thank you in anticipation.

There is another thread by Harold Jam ("Master in Human Rights") concerning his choice between LSE and the University of Nottingham. In the end, he gives some feedback on the courses at LSE.

Unfortunately, I do not know much about the University of Essex apart from the fact that it has a strong reputation regarding human rights law.

All the best and good luck with your choice.

PS: Correction: The Original thread was by subsister.

For reputation, LSE is very well known worldwide, while Essex not that much... For staff, there are also very prestigious Human Rights authors who are lecturers at LSE

Well sure - LSE is undoubtedly more well-known internationally. But Essex is also known amongst human rights practitioners to be one of THE human rights law institutes to study human rights law, and any human rights firm or NGO knows that. The issue of which has a better reputation will depend on who your audience is and whether they are specialists in human rights law in particular (where Essex would rank highly) or whether they are generalists seeking human rights law specialists (in which case LSE would probably be more impressive to them.) In either situation, you wouldn't be going wrong.

In my case, I applied only to LSE because of their international reputation because I am not from the UK and am very mobile in both my personal life and my career. I work in international development and not exclusively human rights law, so the general-reputation issue is more important to me. If you are seeking to be a human rights lawyer though, it may be in your interest to consider how the specialized reputation of Essex can help you, as well as how you can benefit from their career contacts in human rights law.

Thank you all so much for your replies.

Poppet: I understand what you mean. After thoroughly reviewing the modules offered by both the universities I discovered that Essex offers 2-3 modules which are parallel to my interests. Though I am very much sad for having missed out on the opportunity of studying under the pupilage of Mr. Kevin Boyle, I believe I am on my way to Essex.

Thank you all once again.

Well sure - LSE is undoubtedly more well-known internationally. But Essex is also known amongst human rights practitioners to be one of THE human rights law institutes to study human rights law, and any human rights firm or NGO knows that. The issue of which has a better reputation will depend on who your audience is and whether they are specialists in human rights law in particular (where Essex would rank highly) or whether they are generalists seeking human rights law specialists (in which case LSE would probably be more impressive to them.) In either situation, you wouldn't be going wrong.

In my case, I applied only to LSE because of their international reputation because I am not from the UK and am very mobile in both my personal life and my career. I work in international development and not exclusively human rights law, so the general-reputation issue is more important to me. If you are seeking to be a human rights lawyer though, it may be in your interest to consider how the specialized reputation of Essex can help you, as well as how you can benefit from their career contacts in human rights law.

I did my human rights LLM at Essex. I also was accepted at other universities, including UCL. If I could do it again, I would have gone with UCL.

It is very difficult to actually get a paying job in the human rights field unless you are wealthy enough to do numerous unpaid internships. At least if you go to LSE, you'll get to live in London AND your university will have name recognition outside the non-profit/charity/NGO world.

BTW - Colchester is a garrison (military) town. It is pretty, but not a place I'd ever choose to live again.

I have offers from the University of Essex and York for a human rights LLM. I really don't know which one to choose. In the beginning I was really drawn to York's programme and overall international reputation (I am an international student), but then I discovered the great modules that Essex has to offer.
Can anyone help shine a light on my decision?
Thanks!

Between York and Essex, I would choose Essex without hesitating a second. Between Essex and LSE, the choice is tougher. I was hesitating myself too some years ago, I finally chose Essex, and I don't regret one second. I met quite a few people who have gone to LSE, and who regret it - some of them have even gone to Essex afterwards. The main issue with LSE seems to be that the professors are not that available, that there is not "group" dynamic or feeling, and that for people interested in human rights, the choices are much more limited and the programme is not tailored around human rights but rather there are diffrent human rights modules from other degrees put together to make a human rights degree. On the other hand, at Essex, people interested in human rights will be sure to find several professors who are experts on the field and who are available as they teach full time at Essex, the degree is fully buit around the human right programme - with many extra-curricular activities such as trips to Europe and Ksoovo and regular human rights speakers, and there's a very important group dynamic. In fact, Essex is probably the human rights degree with the most alumni in the world - sometimes called "the Essex mafia", which is organised in an association http://www.ehraa.org/. Though the human rights job market is though, this is the same for people from every degree, and for people who specifically want to work in the human rights field, the reputation of Essex for human rights, the extra-curricular activities offered and and its alumni network probably makes it the place that gives the most chances to find career opportunities...

By the way, for those of you who are going to Essex next year in a postgraduate human rights degree (LLM or MA), the Essex Human Rights Alumni Association created a group for prospective students, which you can join here http://www.facebook.com/groups/essexhr2013/!

Thank you for your detailed response, Sylvain! It is very much appreciated!