Human Rights

Entry requirements

Upper second class honours (2:1) degree or equivalent in law or any social science subject, or a degree in another discipline with demonstrable interest in human rights or relevant experience as a practitioner.

Months of entry

September

Course content

About the MSc programme

The MSc Human Rights is a unique multidisciplinary programme that provides a concentrated year-long engagement with the foundations of human rights and key contemporary human rights issues.

Human rights are not just a set of legal entitlements; they also raise fundamental questions concerning political philosophy. Human rights can be studied sociologically and they are a matter of policy, practice and activism. The programme links theory and practice in a multidisciplinary way and aims to equip you with knowledge of the key sociological, philosophical, and legal issues relevant to human rights.

During the programme, you will engage in an academically rigorous way with some of the most compelling issues in contemporary human rights. The core course is unique in linking legal, philosophical, sociological and critical perspectives on human rights though a rigorous and analytical approach.

The core course serves as an introduction to the core standards and structures of human rights and discusses a range of key issues in the current, ongoing debates about the role of human rights. While these may change from year to year, thematic issues that the compulsory course covers include: human rights institutions, culture and human rights, genocide, humanitarian intervention, gender and sexuality and human rights, race and apartheid, and transitional justice.

The programme is closely connected to LSE Human Rights. In addition to research, LSE Human Rights runs an active public events programme and offers masterclasses and guest practitioner seminars throughout the year exclusively for students on the programme.

Department of Sociology

Established in 1904, the Department of Sociology at LSE is committed to empirically rich, conceptually sophisticated, and socially and politically relevant research and scholarship.

As a Department, we seek to produce sociology that is public-facing, fully engaged with London as a global city, and with major contemporary debates in the intersection between economy, politics and society – with issues such as financialisation, inequality, migration, urban ecology, and climate change.

Information for international students

LSE is an international community, with over 140 nationalities represented amongst its student body. We celebrate this diversity through everything we do.

If you are applying to LSE from outside of the UK then take a look at our Information for International students.

Fees and funding

Fees

Every graduate student is charged a fee for their programme. Visit the website for more information about the fees.

Funding

The School recognises that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students.

This programme is eligible for needs-based awards from LSE, including the Graduate Support Scheme, Master's Awards, and Anniversary Scholarships.

Selection for any funding opportunity is based on receipt of an application for a place – including all ancillary documents, before the funding deadline.

In addition to our needs-based awards, LSE also makes available scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for students studying specific subject areas.

Find out more about financial support.