Put the law to work in defence of human rights
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
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Upcoming eventsHuman rights abuses still occur, despite growing numbers of international treaties and organisations dedicated to their eradication. The LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice engages you in a critical, nuanced and interdisciplinary examination of this paradox.
You'll learn about issues central to the work of human rights scholars and practitioners including states and non-state actors as perpetrators and duty-bearers; standard-setting versus implementation; and the interaction between law, policy and advocacy at local, regional and global levels. Whether you are a mid-career professional or recent graduate, our LLM enables you to acquire the substantive knowledge, versatile skills and valuable networks necessary to work in the human rights field.
The LLM International Human Rights Law and Practice is distinctive because you will:
York is the UK's first Human Rights City, championing a vibrant, diverse, fair and safe environment
The LLM aims to familiarise you with three key aspects of human rights activism: law, policy and advocacy. You'll learn to:
You'll have the opportunity to work on a human rights project in partnership with local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations mechanisms or governmental bodies.
Our core modules enable you to acquire holistic knowledge and the socio-legal skills you need for a successful career in human rights practice, or progression to PhD study.
You'll have opportunities to join the Human Rights Defense Clinic, write essays and a moot written submission, produce presentations and hold moot oral arguments, prepare advocacy campaigns and submissions to international human rights bodies, as well as undertake a human rights placement in Colombia, South Africa or York with an organisation that works on a topic of interest.
You will also study two option modules. In previous years, options have covered topics such as:
The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course. For further information please get in touch.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
During the Summer Terms, you will work on a dissertation of up to 12,000 words on a topic of your choice.
You will receive specific dissertation training and will be guided through your dissertation journey by an academic supervisor. The dissertation is due for submission in mid-September.
The dissertation is a substantive piece of academic work and the culmination of your studies. It's often possible to align your dissertation with an organisation you've worked with, ensuring it has immediate relevance and impact. As part of their dissertation research, many of our students choose to undertake fieldwork and collect primary data, drawing on the theoretical knowledge and practical skills which they have developed on the LLM. The dissertation can be the springboard to progressing to PhD studies.
Previous students' dissertations have investigated:
York Law School and CAHR recognise the hard work and celebrate the academic achievements of our students by offering a Best Written Dissertation Award and Best Overall Student Prize.
You and your group will forge a relationship with an organisation to develop and deliver a project. The experience mirrors a classic human rights mission, requiring the following elements:
Past projects have included:
Every year, CAHR presents the Sam Pegram Human Rights Placement Award to the group which produced an output that best demonstrates a commitment to reflexive human rights practice and which seeks to centre the needs and voices of those involved in the struggle for human rights.
The fieldwork trips abroad will only run if there are sufficient student numbers.
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
I cannot overestimate the value of the placement; my experiences were immensely rewarding and incredibly interesting. Throughout the entirety of the process, I have continued to expand my understanding of human rights and their practice in a wide variety of contexts.Alice, LLM International Human Rights Law and Practice
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. |
£5,600 | £12,950 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
If you choose to undertake a placement in South Africa you will need to budget around £1,400 to £1,600, over and above tuition fees and living expenses. Placements in York do not incur additional costs, apart from potential limited local travel.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
Every year CAHR offers one scholarship for the LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice. The scholarship is only open to students who qualify for UK (home) fees who have received a conditional or unconditional offer for full-time study.
Awarded by British embassies and high commissions, Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK. They are offered to early and mid-career professionals with the potential to become future leaders. We have hosted 34 Chevening Scholars in the past five years and welcome further enquiries and applications.
The Sam Pegram Scholarship provides full tuition fee waiver, travel, accommodation and living costs for a student studying International Human Rights Law and Practice with a specific interest in migration issues.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
You will be taught by academics and experienced practitioners in a range of innovative and interactive formats, including:
Most of the teaching activities will take place at the Centre for Applied Human Rights and York Law School. The Centre is based in the Research Centre for Social Sciences on Campus West and York Law School is located in the Law and Management Building on Campus East. In addition, you will spend two weeks undertaking fieldwork, either in Cape Town (South Africa), online or in and around York (UK).
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
You'll be assessed on work including essays, moot written submissions, legal advocacy campaigns, reflective diaries, presentations and your dissertation.
We'll be looking for evidence of your ability to interpret international human rights law and use compelling socio-legal arguments to identify and challenge human rights violations. You should be able to speak knowledgeably about unfolding international events to a range of audiences, and collect and interpret qualitative data to support your arguments.
As well as your assessed work you'll be given formative assignments which don't count towards your final grade. The feedback you receive for this work will help you develop your skills and identify areas for improvement.
We provide career advice, networking opportunities, hands-on experience and personalised reference letters to help you find good jobs with human rights NGOs, humanitarian and development organisations, policy think-tanks, national governments, and UN agencies.
Find out more about our graduates' careers:
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent. Some academic study or practical experience of law is desirable, but not required. |
| International pre-masters programme | Pre-masters from our International Pathway College |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
Get in touch if you have any questions
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