Program Overview

LLM International Human Rights Law

The LLM International Human Rights Law is a postgraduate course offered by the University of Essex. This course is the oldest established human rights law course in Europe and reflects the University's global reputation as a leading centre for human rights research, practice, and education.

Overview

The course provides an advanced conceptual understanding of international law on the promotion and protection of human rights at the international, regional, and national levels. It is informed by the latest practice and scholarship, setting international human rights law in its philosophical and historical contexts. This enables students to understand international human rights law as it applies in various situations, including states of emergency or acute crises, development, and transition.

Course Structure

The course structure is flexible, with a mixture of core/compulsory modules and optional modules chosen from lists. The research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. Modules are assessed via coursework, examination, or a combination of both.

Components and Modules

• Dissertation: A compulsory element of the course, undertaken in the final year, which is 15,000-20,000 words in length.
• International Human Rights Law: Law and Practice: A compulsory module that provides a critical and contextual introduction to international human rights law.
• International Human Rights: Theories and Institutions: A compulsory module that introduces students to critical approaches to human rights law and the range of international and regional institutions for enforcing human rights.
• Human Rights Law option(s) from list: Students choose optional modules from a list of available human rights law modules.
• Foundation Essay: A diagnostic essay intended to provide an early opportunity to engage in legal analysis and writing.
• Public International Law: A compulsory module that understands the founding principles of international law and applies the tools and techniques of legal reasoning to the international legal system.

Teaching and Assessment

Postgraduate students usually attend two-hour workshops or a one-hour lecture and one-hour seminar for each module each week. Teaching is supplemented by lectures, and postgraduates are welcome to join the numerous guest lectures held at the School yearly. Modules are assessed via coursework, an examination, or a combination of both.

Fees and Funding

• Home/UK fee: Ł11,025
• International fee: Ł23,875 There may be scholarships, bursaries, or discounts available to help with the cost of this course.

Entry Requirements

• UK entry requirements: A 2:2 degree in Law, or a 2:2 joint honours degree that includes at least one of the following subjects: Criminology, International Relations, Law, Politics, Political Science, Sociology. The University will also consider applicants with any other 2:2 degree or above.
• International & EU entry requirements: The University accepts a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries.
• English language requirements: If English is not the first language, an IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in all other components is required.

Career Prospects

The majority of students go on to work in human rights as litigators, in NGOs and international organisations like the UN, in government, and in academia. Recent graduates have found employment as National Protection Officers for UNHCR, advocates for Refugees International, lawyers for the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights, and advisers for the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), among other roles.

Research Areas

The University of Essex has a large and ever-growing network of human rights alumni working in international organisations, national governments, and NGOs around the world. The course is based in the Essex Law School, which specialises in business law, public law, criminal justice, health law, law and technology, socio-legal studies, and human rights law. Students have the opportunity to work on real-life projects with the Human Rights Clinic and engage with various research projects and centres, including the Essex Business and Human Rights Project, the International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy, and the Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project.