Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in International Human Rights Law

International human rights law is the part of public international law that sets out what states owe to the people under their authority. The United Nations describes it as the body of law that lays down the obligations of governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Its foundations are the Charter of the United Nations (1945) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948.

Since 1945 a series of treaties has expanded this body of law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, for example, entered into force in 1976. Students read these treaties and the decisions of the bodies that apply them, and study how the law is enforced: most of the core treaties have a committee that reviews how the states that ratified them comply, and individuals can bring complaints to those committees. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the focal point for the UN's human rights work.

Qualifications and levels

International human rights law is rarely a first degree. Most students meet it as a course within a law degree and specialise at master's level.

  • Two-year master's degrees. The LL.M. in International Human Rights Law at Lund University lasts two years and has 120 credits. It is run jointly by the Faculty of Law and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. The programme has four terms: the first two cover compulsory modules on public international law and the human rights regimes, the third is for optional courses, and the last is for the master's thesis.
  • One-year master's degrees. The Public International Law LL.M. at Utrecht University is a one-year, full-time programme taught in English. Students choose one of three tracks: Conflict and Security, Human Rights, or Oceans, the Environment and Sustainability. The Human Rights track is built on two core courses, Human Rights I and II, followed by modules on topics such as transitional justice, non-discrimination, international humanitarian law, and gender and law.
  • United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, becoming a lawyer there usually takes seven years of full-time study after high school. An LL.M. comes after the first law degree. Fordham University's LL.M. in International Law and Justice requires a minimum of 24 credits, and part-time students must finish within 24 months.
  • Courses, clinics and legal English. At McGill University, the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism is the Faculty of Law's focal point for research and outreach in the field, and clinical education is a central part of its work. English for Law, in Dublin, offers legal English courses taught by legal professionals, which can help lawyers who plan to study or work in English.

Admission and costs

Most of these programmes are aimed at law graduates. Fordham states that its LL.M. is designed primarily for lawyers and students who work, or intend to work, in the public sector. Lund notes that some students arrive straight from their first degree, while many have already worked as judges, state attorneys, lawyers or members of civil society organisations.

Fees depend heavily on nationality. Lund lists a tuition fee of SEK 155,000 per study year for students from outside the EU/EEA. Utrecht lists €2,694 for Dutch and other EU/EEA students and €21,342 for non-EU/EEA students for 2026-27.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists six active schools for international human rights law: two in Sweden and one each in Canada, the Netherlands, the United States and Ireland. They are Lund University and Uppsala Universitet in Sweden, Utrecht University, McGill University in Montreal, Fordham University in New York and English for Law in Dublin.

English is the usual language of instruction for international LL.M. programmes, but not for every course in the field. Uppsala Universitet's Master's Programme in Human Rights (120 credits), for example, is listed as taught in Swedish. Check the language of each programme before applying.

Careers

Graduates work in very different settings. Lund reports that many of its LL.M. graduates work at UN headquarters, for regional organisations and national governments, as judges at international and domestic courts, for non-governmental organisations, and as independent lawyers or in-house counsel in the private sector.

A master's degree in this field does not by itself give the right to practise law. Appearing in court requires the professional qualification of the country concerned. For the legal profession as a whole, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of lawyers in the United States to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035; it does not publish separate figures for human rights lawyers.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a law degree to study international human rights law?

For most LL.M. programmes, yes: they are postgraduate law degrees aimed at law graduates and practising lawyers. Check the entry requirements of each programme, because they differ between universities.

How long does a master's in international human rights law take?

One or two years of full-time study, depending on the university. The Utrecht programme lasts one year; the Lund LL.M. lasts two years and has 120 credits.

Can I study it in English?

Yes. The Utrecht LL.M. in Public International Law is taught in English, and the Lund and Fordham programmes are presented in English for an international student body. Some related programmes, such as the human rights master's at Uppsala, are taught in the national language.