Program Overview

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For our PhD Human Rights and Research Methods, we offer supervision in all areas of staff expertise including: domestic protection of international human rights standards; free speech and law; health and human rights; human rights law; international law of armed conflicts; international of peace keeping; international humanitarian law; UK human rights; and UN international organisation law. Our former PhD students have gone on to work in legal practice, commerce and industry, the non-governmental organisation sector and academia, including the academic community in Essex Law School. We also offer an MPhil in this subject. Please note, part-time research study is also available. Why we're great.

• Our senior staff have held - and continue to occupy - key positions in the United Nations human rights and development fields.
• We have conducted numerous cases in Strasbourg, establishing far-reaching precedents that have shaped the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.
• We were awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2010 in recognition of our work in advancing global human rights.

Our expert staff

You will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff. The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan. Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

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Specialist facilities

Our Human Rights Centre has almost 50 academic staff members and 30 external fellows, we bring together some 250 scholars and practitioners across disciplines and courses, representing 50 nationalities. We provide our PhD students with a work station/space to support your independent study. We organise and support a range of activities throughout the year and manage research projects on human rights, conflict prevention and promotion of democratic governance. We are home to the UK member of the UN Human Rights Committee, and a member of the Government’s new Advisory Group on Human Rights. A number of our staff have also held senior positions in intergovernmental organisations and are actively involved in international practice.

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Your future

Essex Law School graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers in international and intergovernmental organisations or employment with governments across the world, in commerce and banking, in non-governmental organisations and, as might be expected, in the legal profession and the judiciary. Our large community of graduates regularly inform our current postgraduates of opportunities in their organisations and businesses.