Top 10 LL.M. Programs for Human Rights Law 2023

It’s no wonder that an increasing number of students are aiming to pursue an LL.M. in Human Rights Law: With so much happening in the world today, from wars and forced exile to environmental disasters, it’s essential to understand the overlapping legal frameworks and laws that affect human rights of people everywhere.

What does an LL.M. in Human Rights include?

Today’s best LL.M.s in Human Rights Law instill critical insights into these topics by leveraging current research from human rights centers and hubs. Some law schools also provide the opportunity for students to pursue internships, either during or after their LL.M., with an international organization or human rights-related nongovernmental organization (NGO). Through these internships, students can get hands-on experience in humanitarian law and human rights law.

LL.M.s in Human Rights typically cover a variety of topics, and the best programs delve deep into concepts like international law, humanitarian law, international criminal law, refugee law, and other related topics. Some law schools also offer related masters programs, in subjects like humanitarian law and asylum law, while other schools offer programs that specifically address human rights in a region, such as Europe.

Which law schools offer Human Rights LL.M. programs?

LL.M.s in Human Rights are offered by law schools all over the world. Hot spots for students to pursue these degrees include locations in Europe, the UK, and the USA. Many students gravitate towards locations like London and the Hague here many NGOs and other human rights-related agencies are clustered.

Proximity to these kinds of NGOs and international organizations allows for networking and connecting with important decision-makers. This is why some of the world’s best LL.M. programs in Human Rights Law are located in important hubs like Geneva—home to groups like the Human Rights Council—and New York City, home to the United Nations headquarters

How much does an LL.M. in Human Rights Law cost?

The tuition fees for Master's programs can vary; many students can offset the cost of these programs through scholarships, grants, loans, and other funding sources. 

LL.M. in Human Rights: What are the career prospects?

After completing a LL.M. Human Rights, many graduates go on to work in international law firms dealing with human rights issues, as well as NGOs and other organizations. Advocacy groups, in particular, may be interested in hiring graduates who have a knowledge of human rights law and related fields.

See below for the Top 10 LL.M. Programs for Human Rights Law. Those who are interested in this subject might also want to see the Top 10 LL.M. Programs in Public International Law as well. 

New York City, New York 1607 Followers 1069 Discussions
Columbia

Students who study at Columbia can take advantage of the school’s Human Rights Institute, which serves as a hub for human rights research and events. Although the school does not offer a specialized LL.M. in Human Rights, it does offer many relevant opportunities for LL.M. students interested in human rights law, including the Human Rights LL.M. Fellowship, which offers tuition waivers and in some cases a living stipend. LL.M. students also have access to a Human Rights Clinic and social justice initiatives.

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Geneva, Switzerland 257 Followers 106 Discussions
Geneva Academy

The Geneva Academy—which was launched in 2007 by the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies—produces a range of research in the international humanitarian law and human rights fields. Not only does the Academy run an LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, it also offers a Master in Transnational Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law. The Academy’s location in Geneva means that Human Rights LL.M. students don’t have to go far to network with important people and organizations in the human rights field.

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Leiden, Netherlands 693 Followers 545 Discussions
Leiden

Leiden’s European and International Human Rights Law LL.M. addresses the legal challenges involved in European and international human rights law. The program also includes a study trip to Strasbourg and Geneva, so that students can experience these issues in the real world. The school also offers some related LL.M. programs, including an LL.M. in International Children’s Rights and one in International Criminal Law.

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Turin, Italy 234 Followers 61 Discussions

By nature of its heritage alone, UNICRI—one of the United Nations’ five research and training institutes—is, for many students, an ideal place to study human rights law. The institute, in cooperation with the University for Peace, offers an LL.M. in Transnational Crime and Justice that combines distance learning with a residential portion and a research element. In addition to addressing a number of important topics for human rights law, the program also provides sessions on professional development in the UN system.

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Washington, District of Columbia 1216 Followers 976 Discussions
Georgetown

Georgetown Law’s Human Rights Institute produces research in the field and puts on events as well. Although the school doesn’t offer an LL.M. Human Rights, it does offer a Global Health Law LL.M.; and, in cooperation with Geneva’s Graduate Institute, runs an LL.M. in Global Health Law and International Institutions. For students who are interested in human rights law and want to network with global decisionmakers, Georgetown’s Washington, DC location is a great place to start.

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London, United Kingdom 859 Followers 958 Discussions
LSE

LSE’s location in central London means that there’s a good flow of guest speakers from NGOs and other institutions operating in the human rights field. The school’s LL.M. specialism in Human Rights Law is delivered in close cooperation with LSE’s Centre for the Study of Human Rights and provides an overview of many aspects of human rights law.

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Colchester, United Kingdom 114 Followers 195 Discussions
Essex

The University of Essex runs the Essex Human Rights Centre, which was launched in 1982 and serves as a hub for the study of human rights. The Centre—as well as others in the Essex network—gives students in the school’s LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law the opportunity to work on real-world projects during their studies. Essex also offers an MA in Human Rights and Cultural Diversity, which covers a range of topics in the field, as well as an MA in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights.

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Notre Dame, Indiana 56 Followers 31 Discussions
Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s LL.M. in International Human Rights Law is a well-regarded program that leverages insights from the school’s Center for Civil and Human Rights. After graduating from the program, students can pursue an internship with a human rights institution or NGO; past interns have gone into organizations like Human Rights Watch and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, for example. The school provides funding opportunities for these internships as well.

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Lund, Sweden 131 Followers 83 Discussions
Lund University

For some students interested in studying human rights law, the Sweden-based Lund University, which offers a Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law, is something to consider. In recent years, the school has doubled-down on the subject, launching a research hub in partnership with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

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Oxford, United Kingdom 922 Followers 870 Discussions
Oxford

Oxford’s Master’s in International Human Rights Law, which the Faculty of Law offers in partnership with the Department of Continuing Education, is roughly equivalent to an LL.M. and is delivered on a part-time basis over two years plus two summer residential sessions. It covers a range of topics relevant to human rights law, with classes in Business and Human Rights, the International Rights of Children, and more. Oxford’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, which publishes research, ensures that the degree is infused with current thinking.

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