Global Campus of Human Rights

The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA) - organised by the Global Campus of Human Rights - is an intensive high level one-year academic programme in the field of human rights and democratisation.

EMA is a multidisciplinary programme that reflects the indivisible links between human rights, democracy, peace and development. The programme offers an action and policy-oriented approach to learning about international relations, law, political sciences, philosophy, history and anthropology of human rights. Students have the opportunity to be taught by leading academics representing the 41 EMA participating universities, experts and representatives of international organisations (including the European Union, the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe-OSCE) and NGOs while studying in a multicultural environment. EMA students, upon completion of all course components, are expected to gain both academic and practical skills: on the one hand, the ability to conduct independent and interdisciplinary academic research in relation to human rights and democratisation issues; on the other hand, skills which are relevant to human rights practitioners such as reporting, fact-finding and project management.

The Global Campus of Human Rights is an inter-disciplinary centre of excellence supported by the EU, aiming at pursuing the continued promotion of human rights and democratisation through education, specialised training, and research cooperation worldwide through a network of regional partners. Its main headquarters are based in Venice, Italy and the regional partner’s headquarters are based in Argentina, Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lebanon, South Africa, and Thailand. This large network, whose overall composition includes 100 prestigious universities, is the largest university network in the world specialised on human rights and democracy issues. Its partners are renowned worldwide for their leading role in education, research and advocacy in human rights and democratisation.

One of the key features of EMA is the impressive range of high-level academics, experts and officials from a variety of institutions and organisations who teach in the programme, provide thesis supervision, and share with students their insights into human rights practice and challenges.

First Semester

About 70 academics from the participating universities and experts from international IGOs and NGOs contribute to the EMA teaching programme.

Second Semester

In their second semester destinations, students are supervised and supported by the EMA National Directors and other faculty members of the 41 participating universities. 

EMA is open to EU and non-EU citizens.

The criteria used during the selection process are:

• academic ability and background
• experience
• language competence
• motivation

Academic requirements

Applicants are required to hold a university degree of a high standard in a field relevant to human rights, including disciplines in Law, Social Sciences and Humanities, and must have a minimum of 180 ECTS (Bachelor/General Degree).

Applicants completing the degree entry requirements subsequently to the application deadline are requested to provide a current transcript of exams. Eventual admission into the Programme will be conditional upon receipt of documentation of the completed degree (by 31 August 2020).

All selected candidates who hold a non-EU degree are required to produce upon admission a “declaration of value” of their degree. Non-EU candidates are moreover required to obtain a study visa which must cover the entire duration of the academic year (September 2020 – September 2021). Both the study visa and the “declaration of value” are preconditions for enrolment and should be requested from the competent Italian Embassy or representation offices.

Additional studies and experience

Additional studies and practical experience in the area of human rights in inter-governmental, governmental, or non-governmental organisations are helpful.

Language competence

Certified fluency in English is an admission requirement to the programme. While not a prerequisite, the ability to understand lectures and read academic texts in French is a definite advantage for participation in the programme.

The call for applications for the academic year 2020/2021 is now open.

First Round Deadline: 3 February 2020
Second Round Deadline: 30 March 2020

Please note that applications will be processed on an on-going basis.

In order to apply, please go to this link: https://apply.gchumanrights.org

For any problem concerning your submission, please contact the EMA Secretariat.

For clarification on the letters of reference and English language certificates please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website.

The amount of the tuition fee for the academic year 2020/2021 is €5500 (plus enrolment fee of €150). Tuition fees cover the following: all courses of the European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation, both in the first and second semesters; the reading materials for the first semester; tutorship; access to the Global Campus specialised library; individual access to our closed e-learning environment; use of available IT facilities (including wireless area and computer room) and the field trip.*

Successful applicants will receive a letter of admission and will be requested to pay the fees upon acceptance of the offer. Payments can be made via bank transfer in one of the following ways:

• full amount within 2-4 weeks from the date of the letter of admission;
• two instalments: the first within 2-4 weeks from the date of the letter of admission and the second at a specified later date, typically early or mid-July.

All applicants are requested to pay an application processing fee of €50 before submitting their application.

* The annual field trip is subject to final confirmation and availability of budgetary resources.

The Gobal Campus does not provide full scholarships. Only a small number of students might benefit from modest financial support in the form of a partial contribution towards living expenses and/or a full or partial tuition waiver (eight scholarships were granted last year). If your participation in the EMA programme is conditional upon receiving financial support, this must be clearly indicated in the application form.

The venue of the Global Campus of Human Rights Headquarters is the graceful Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò, situated on the lagoon side of the Lido of Venice. The Monastery was founded in the 11th century and transformed into a Renaissance cloister in the 16th century. After the suppression of the Benedictine order in 1770, the monastery was re-opened by Franciscan monks for educational purposes.

Students are responsible for their own accommodation during both the first semester in Venice and the second semester at the hosting university.

The EMA Office is available to provide advice and suggestions for accommodation. See these useful links for independent house hunting. Depending on the choice of accommodation, the anticipated rent per each student could range from a minimum of €300 to a maximum of €700 per month, with utilities and condominium expenses ranging from €85 to €250 per month. 

For the second semester, EMA students carry the responsibility for all accommodation arrangements. Accommodation costs vary depending on the second semester destination, due to the differences in the cost of living in different European countries.

The 15th edition of the Summer School in Cinema Human Rights and Advocacy is a training initiative jointly developed by the Global Campus of Human Rights (GC) and Picture People. The 11-day intense training is aimed at young professionals wishing to broaden their understanding on the connections between human rights, films, digital media and video advocacy, to share ideas and foster participatory and critical thinking on urgent human rights issues, debate with experts and filmmakers from all over the world during the 77th Venice international Film Festival and learn how to use films as a tool for social and cultural change.

The Summer School offers an exciting programme of lectures, film screenings, discussions, working groups and a storytelling workshop that combine human rights expertise, media studies and video advocacy strategies. The seven sessions develop issues relating to The Role of the Media and Films in Advancing Human Rights, a History of Human Rights Cinema, Freedom of Expression and Censorship, the Use of Video in Human Rights Documentation and Advocacy, The Role of the New Media during Conflict, Production of Social Documentaries and Impact Distribution. Each module is illustrated by film, digital media, or documentary screenings.

The storytelling workshop introduces storytelling and storyboarding key concepts, techniques and exercises that provide participants with the basic skills to develop a short film / media /advocacy project to be pitched during the school’s final session. The workshop includes basic techniques of mobile filmmaking and editing for social media. For the purpose of this workshop, participants will work and be tutored in small groups.

As part of the programme participants are required to watch and analyse a selection of human rights related screenings at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Whenever possible, filmmakers, jury members and critics from the cinema world are invited to discuss their work with the Summer School participants. Participants will be given a Cinema category accreditation pass to the Film Festival giving access to a selection of festival screenings.