Studies & Degrees in Human Rights
Human Rights Study Programs
Human rights are the rights that every person has simply by being human. Their modern reference text is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948. According to the United Nations, it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Its first article states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
As a field of study, human rights draws on law, political science, philosophy and sociology. Students learn where rights come from and how they are justified, which international and constitutional systems protect them, and how courts, governments and organisations apply them in practice. The master's degree at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), for example, includes subjects on the theory and history of rights, international systems of protection, constitutional and judicial protection, political philosophy and research methods. Other programmes add fieldwork with human rights organisations.
Qualifications and levels
Human rights is studied mainly at master's level, after a first degree in law, politics or another social science.
- Bachelor's level: separate degrees are uncommon. The University of Dayton in the United States offers a BA and a minor in Human Rights Studies; it states that its programme, established in 1998, was the first undergraduate human rights studies programme in the country. Internships, advocacy projects or service-learning are required for graduation.
- Master's degrees in Spain: UC3M teaches the Máster Universitario en Estudios Avanzados en Derechos Humanos, with 90 ECTS credits, in Spanish, on its Getafe campus, with 30 places. It has an academic and research focus and gives access to the university's doctorate in the same field. The Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) teaches the Máster Universitario en Protección Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, with 60 ECTS credits in one full-time academic year, in Spanish and English, with 40 places and professional placements in national and international institutions.
- Master's degrees elsewhere in Europe: the MA in Applied Human Rights at the University of York takes one year full time or two years part time, has 180 UK credits and includes work with a partner organisation in York or Cape Town. Lund University offers a two-year LL.M. in International Human Rights Law of 120 credits, taught in English jointly with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. Utrecht University has a Human Rights track in its one-year, English-taught LLM in Public International Law.
- Doctorate: research master's degrees such as the one at UC3M lead on to a PhD.
Entry requirements differ. Lund asks for a three-year bachelor's degree in law. York asks for an undergraduate degree at 2:2 level or equivalent and, for students whose first language is not English, a test such as IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component.
Where to study human rights
SpainExchange lists 21 active schools for human rights. Eight are in the United States, five in Spain and two in the United Kingdom, and there is one each in Italy, Ethiopia, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and Mexico. In Spain they are in Getafe, Alcalá de Henares, Salamanca, Barcelona and Seville.
English is the language of instruction in the programmes at York, Lund and Utrecht as well as in the United States. In Spain, UC3M teaches in Spanish and UAH in Spanish and English.
Fees depend on the country and on nationality. UC3M gives public prices of €45.02 per ECTS credit for Spanish and EU students and €84.07 for non-EU students (2024-25 prices). UAH gives a guide price of €4,025 for Spanish students and residents and €6,020 for non-resident students from outside the EU. York charges £12,420 for UK students and £27,840 for international students for full-time entry in 2027. Utrecht charges €2,694 for EU/EEA students and €21,342 for others in 2026-27. Lund charges no tuition fees to citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland; for other students the full programme costs SEK 310,000.
Careers
Graduates work where rights are defended, monitored or put into policy. York states that its graduates go on to work with NGOs, humanitarian and development organisations, policy think-tanks, national governments and UN agencies. Utrecht mentions careers as diplomat, attorney, policy officer in national government, researcher and legal adviser in an NGO or international organisation.
A human rights master's degree is not a professional licence. UAH notes that its degree does not qualify the holder for a regulated profession, so anyone who wants to practise as a lawyer still needs the legal qualification of the country concerned. No official statistics on employment exist for this field alone; experience gained in placements and volunteering counts for much when applying for a first post.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a law degree to study human rights?
Not always. Lund requires a bachelor's degree in law for its LL.M., but York asks for an undergraduate degree without naming a subject, and the bachelor's programme at Dayton is interdisciplinary.
How long does a master's degree in human rights take?
Between one and two years. The UAH master's has 60 ECTS credits in one academic year, the UC3M master's has 90 ECTS credits and the Lund programme lasts two years with 120 credits.
Can I study human rights in Spain in English?
Partly. The UAH master's is taught in Spanish and English. The UC3M master's is taught in Spanish.
What jobs can I do with a human rights degree?
Typical employers are NGOs, humanitarian and development organisations, governments, think-tanks and UN agencies, in roles such as human rights officer, researcher, policy officer or legal adviser.