International Human Rights Law LLM

Course overview

Taught by experts, this advanced course in international human rights law offers a unique and distinctive focus on the theories and practice of rights worldwide, producing a vibrant environment for exploring this significant area of law and policy.

This course will provide you with advanced knowledge, greater understanding and critical insights into current systems of human rights legal protection and the most pressing human rights debates.

You’ll explore domestic, regional, and international human rights legal systems to analyse how rights have been legalised, developed and enforced. You’ll consider key critiques of the theory and practice of human rights.

You’ll investigate the law relating to the protection of life and human dignity, freedom from torture and other ill-treatment, freedom of expression, and human rights relating to media organisations, poverty, terrorism, health care, children and the family, and disabled people.

You’ll benefit from the expertise of leading academics in a stimulating research environment. Our research groups include:

• Centre for Business Law and Practice (CBLP)

• Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (CCJS)

• Centre for Law and Social Justice (CLSJ)

• Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education (CIRLE)

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent in law or a relevant social science subject.

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Law (6 weeks) and Language for Social Sciences and Arts: Law (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

Career opportunities

From day one, we encourage you to think beyond your time at Leeds and reflect on a meaningful career.

Students who have graduated with this degree often choose careers that centre on or involve understanding and applying human rights law and developing policies at an organisational level. Further training is required but many also go on to practise as lawyers or legal advisors.

Recent graduates have gone on to work in the UK and overseas in a range of organisations including the Ministry of Defence, Women for Women International, Deafblind Association of Zambia, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights and beyond. Many also pursue further study by commencing PhD research.

Our other alumni are working at the European Commission, United Nations, non-governmental organisations and in the government sector.