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100s of Free Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics and Titles

Published by Grace Graffin at January 6th, 2023 , Revised On August 15, 2023

Introduction

Writing a dissertation is a long process that requires good research skills and decent expertise in the field. Depending on the researcher’s university’s academic requirements, some different pre-requisites and requirements should be fulfilled before writing the dissertation (thesis).

For instance, the supervisor may ask the researcher to provide a dissertation proposal with topics based on the current legal trends. Once the dissertation topic is approved, the researcher will have to provide the supervisor with the research aim and problem statement alongside a good methodology .

2022 Human Rights Law Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: how the social rights of immigrants are protected under international human rights law: a primary investigation in the uk.

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate the protection of social rights of immigrates given in the international law in the UK. Many human rights contracts clearly forbid discrimination centered on state origin and want states to guarantee that immigrants’ human rights are treated equally. Moreover, immigrants, like other particularly vulnerable groups, have been granted additional safeguards under international law to address situations in which their rights are most at danger, such as the employment. The research will focus on the immigrants and their social rights in the UK.

Topic 2: The role of social media apps in spreading awareness among youth about human right

Research Aim: The research will aim to explore the part social media plays in spreading awareness of human rights among young. In today’s world, people used social media more than reading newspaper and social media has also helped many people get justice. Young or old, every age group is active on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok etc. and these apps have brought a new way to learn things. So this study will specifically focus on social media apps and how they are contributing in spreading awareness about human rights among people.

Topic 3: What obstacles do international human rights policies encounter in terms of implementation? An academic review

Research Aim: The research will aim to investigate the challenges and problem international human rights face during implementation.  There are many factors that make it difficult to implement the policies in a country or an organization. There should be solution to revolves the problems and challenges in implementation of international human rights. This study will explore and explain the challenges and try to give solution to tackle the challenges.

Topic 4: How are the rights of men being violated in the society? A human right perspective

Research Aim: The research aims to find the reason through which the rights of men are being violated in the society. Men’s rights are violated in the society more often now. Men also get raped, beaten, killed without anyone questioning the abuser. Even after getting hit by a woman, people blame the man. Violence against males is a severe violation of human rights. A government’s role is to guard males from abuse, including domestic violence.

Topic 5: Define the rights to ethics, religion and life in the context of human rights law in US

Research Aim: The research will aim to define the basic human right to culture, religion and life in the human rights law in the US. The research will explain the fundamental rights given to human beings, freedom of speech, and thorough explanation of the human rights law article. The study will also describe the acts that violate fundamental human right.

Covid-19 Human Rights Law Research Topics

Impacts of coronavirus on human rights.

Research Aim: This study will highlight the impacts of Coronavirus on human rights.

International human rights law and COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will address the current pandemic crisis and international human rights law status in response to COVID-19.

United Nations on human rights during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will review the United Nations’ response to human rights for protecting human health and rights during COVID-19.

The role of National Human Rights Institutions during COVId-19

Research Aim: This study will highlight National Human Rights Institutions’ role during COVID-19.

Dissertation Topics in Human Rights Law

Human Rights is an important area of the law inherent to all human beings, regardless of their race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, and other status forms. [1] Human Rights can be seen as the most significant law area that has taken place since the end of the Second World War. [2]

According to Rehman, even though the world has evolved over the years, human rights continue to be constrained and limited. [3] Research in this particular area of the law is important to know its weaknesses and limitations in the 21st century.

This document contains a wide range of dissertation topics based on the area of Human Rights or Fundamental Rights. These topics provided by our PhD qualified writers are based on the current legal trends, which tend to assess different topics related to Human Rights in the 21st Century.

Most of the themes provided have never been researched before and use a desk-based or comparative analysis approach to provide a meaningful contribution to human rights.

Some topics are aimed at thesis which should implement an international aspect of Human Rights. On the other hand, the other topics are focused on specific jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom or the European Union.

You can also start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, including an introduction to the topic, research question , aim and objectives, literature review , and the proposed research methodology to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our dissertation example to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation .

Review step by step guide on how to write your own dissertation here .

2021 Best Human Rights Law Dissertation Titles

Topic 1: an assessment of life imprisonment under the european convention on human rights..

Research Aim: The research will be based on fundamental rights, more specifically on the European Convention on Human Rights. The research will use a desk-based approach assessing Article 3 of the ECHR, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. The research critically assesses how the EU Member States deal with life imprisonment based on their domestic legislation.

Topic 2: Should prisoners be allowed to exercise their right to vote in a democratic society?

Research Aim: Disfranchisement is known as the revocation of the fundamental right to vote in a democratic society. The research will assess if there is a need to make the right to vote a basic fundamental right that can be exercised by prisoners. The research will use be a comparative assessment based on different jurisdictions.

Topic 3: The European Court Of Human Rights and its effectiveness amongst the EU member states

Research Aim: The research will assess the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in safeguarding the rights of EU Citizens. The research will evaluate the EU Supremacy and its authority over the EU Member States regarding human rights. In this line, the research will demonstrate how The ECtHR should balance the EU Law’s fundamental rights and the Member State’s Constitution on fundamental rights.

Topic 4: The link between human rights and same-sex marriage

Research Aim: The Universal Declaration on Human Rights recognises same-sex marriage as a basic right to marriage. However, it can be seen that most countries do not recognise this right. The research will assess different jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is considered legal to enforce this right amongst the signatory countries.

Topic 5: Assessment of human rights in the workplace

Research Aim: Basic Human Rights, such as protection from slavery or inhuman treatment, are available under the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. However, the research will assess human rights’ employment, such as fair treatment, equal pay, and minimum wage. The research will use a comparative analysis to evaluate how different jurisdictions view human rights regarding employment.

Topic 6: The right to life and death penalty in the 21st century

Research Aim: The fundamental right to life is enshrined under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On the other hand, the death penalty seems to be against the right to life and the protection of life preservation. The research will assess how to strike a balance between the right to life and capital punishment.

Topic 7: Should the death penalty be reinstated in the United Kingdom post-Brexit?

Research Aim: The 13th Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights has prohibited the restoration of the United Kingdom’s death penalty since 2004. The research will assess if the United Kingdom should reinstate the death penalty after Brexit. Since the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, it will no more be a party to the convention and will be able to reinstate the death penalty.

Topic 8: Social media and the right to hold an opinion

Research Aim: The research will assess if the current Freedom of Speech and the Right to hold an opinion is adequate to be used online. The research will demonstrate a need to reform the Universal Declaration on Human Rights for online use.

Topic 9: Should article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998 be amended to implement more protected characteristics?

Research Aim: Article 14 of the Human Rights 1998 has a minimal number of protected characteristics. Following Brexit, the United Kingdom nationals may lose the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights. In this line, the research will assess whether there is a need to review Article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Topic 10: Should Human Rights be ignored when taking counter-terrorism measures?

Research Aim: The research will assess if Human Rights should be overlooked when dealing with counter-terrorism measures. The research will aim to demonstrate if there is a need to protect a presumed or prospective terrorist’s basic human rights.

Topic 11: The EU Supremacy and the Constitutional Rights of the Member States

Research Aim: The EU Supremacy imposes authority and control over the EU Member States. In this line, a Member State should remove all conflicting laws that are incompatible with the EU Law. The research will assess the extent to which Member States have accepted the authority of the EU supremacy regarding human rights. In other words, the research will demonstrate if the European Convention on Human Rights has adequate fundamental rights for the Member States.

Topic 12: The importance of Human Rights in a democratic society

Research Aim: The research will assess human rights’ importance, which is a pivotal requirement for democracy. The research will use a comparative analysis of how fundamental rights have been adopted around the world. Furthermore, the research will assess how certain countries that do not follow the Universal Declaration on Human Rights may suffer from the lack of democratisation.

Topic 13: The role of courts in safeguarding fundamental rights in their domestic jurisdiction

Research Aim: The research will demonstrate the courts’ key role in safeguarding the fundamental rights enshrined in a country’s Constitution.

Topic 14: Does the General Data Protection Regulation Act as a Safeguard to the Basic Right To Privacy?

Research Aim: The research will assess the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its safeguards regarding the right to privacy. The research demonstrates how the GDPR can have an important human rights aspect, such as when dealing with a consumer or an online user.

Topic 15: Should Countries Implement A Constitutional Court for Fundamental Rights Breaches?

Research Aim: The research will assess how each country deals with breaches of fundamental rights. The research aims to provide recommendations in implementing a higher domestic authority to treat only constitutional matters like the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Topic 16: Can Torture Be Justified Under Human Rights?

Research Aim: Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that no individual shall be subjected to torture. The research will assess whether torture can ever be justified under the law. For instance, the research will aim to demonstrate whether there are justifiable grounds to inflict torture on criminals in certain cases such as terrorism with the view of getting confessions.

Topic 17: CCTV Surveillance and the Right to Privacy

Research Aim: The Research will assess the use of CCTV surveillance and its effect on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The research will demonstrate if covert surveillance can either undermine or positively affect the right to privacy. The research will further critically analyse the right to privacy against public policy for the common good.

Topic 18: The Need to Standardise Disability Rights around the World

Research Aim: The Research will aim at comparing and contrasting different disability rights under certain jurisdictions. The research will assess whether there is a need to standardise disability rights under one convention or treaty.

Topic 19: Should the Right to Education Be Extended to Tertiary Education

Research Aim: The research will access the right to education as found under Article 26 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The right to education applies to only fundamental stages of education, such as primary and secondary education. The research will aim to demonstrate if the right to education should be extended to tertiary education.

Topic 20: The Role of Legislators and the Right to Education in the Sub-Saharan Region

Research Aim: The research will assess legislators’ role with regard to the right to education. The research will demonstrate whether Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 (SDG4) is implemented in various sub-Saharan regions. The research will prove whether the legislators are implementing appropriate safeguards to remain in line with SDG4 to promote quality education.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service , which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

As demonstrated in this document’s dissertation topics, there is a wide range of human rights law themes that have not been explored over the years. Human Rights Law is an important area of the law that should be assessed to provide precious recommendations for its existence in our modern society. These topics will give a meaningful contribution to the area of human rights and fundamental rights.

[1] ‘Human Rights’ (Un.org, 2020) <https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/> accessed 29 February 2020.

[2] Sorensen (ed.), Manual of Public International Law (MacMillan, 1968) pp. 469-530.

[3] Javaid Rehman, International Human Rights Law (Pearson Education UK 2015).

Important Notes:

As a human rights law student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing human rights law theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

The field of human rights law is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like law , business law , cybercrime , and more. That is why it is imperative to create a human rights law dissertation topic that is particular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation , as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best human rights law dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample human rights law dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Human Rights Law Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter, which usually includes research desig n, research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to link the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : This should be completed following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Human Rights » Human Rights Dissertation Topics (29 Examples) For Research Ideas

Human Rights Dissertation Topics (29 Examples) For Research Ideas

Mark Jun 24, 2020 Jun 20, 2020 Human Rights No Comments

Dissertation topics in human rights law constitute a diverse range of issues that affect human with respect to the law. At the international level, human rights have gained a lot of attention, and this offers different areas for research in the field of human rights. A list of human rights dissertation topics is developed to […]

Dissertation topics in human rights law constitute a diverse range of issues that affect human with respect to the law. At the international level, human rights have gained a lot of attention, and this offers different areas for research in the field of human rights.

A list of is developed to help students in pursuing human rights and law programs. The project topics on human rights and research topics on human rights are listed to help out students. All the topics are included in the list of human rights dissertation topics are highly engaging and relevant.

List of Human Rights dissertation topics

Examining the human rights and the social determinants of health in the 21st century

Studying the opportunities and risks involved in artificial intelligence and human rights

A study of human rights in the age of artificial intelligence

Exploring communication rights in the context of human rights

Analysing the human rights of patients with HIV/Aids in developed countries

A literature review on the role of NGOs in advocacy of human rights

Exploring the expanding horizons of human rights in the 21st century

An analysis of the human rights situation of migrants and refugees in Libya

Analysing the shifting conceptions of human rights within the UK

To study the business and human rights in occupied territory

Investigating the importance of human rights education in developing countries to promote a better future

An analysis of shifting sands in the international economic systems based on international economic law and human rights

How does encouraging entrepreneurship support human rights in different countries?

An analysis of the voice of global consensus on the rights of children

Studying the relationship between human rights and social development in developing countries

A critical analysis of the recent publications of international human rights

A comparison of human right laws of the UK and the United States

An investigation of the recent human right exploitation cases in Australia

Studying the concepts of human rights in the context of human trafficking

A review of the mental health services as an essential element of psychological recovery for the victims of child trafficking

The convention on human rights in the case of surrogacy and privacy

An analysis of the human rights in this age based on the rights of education

Exploring human rights in public health

Investigating how the global business supply chains are transforming to protect human rights

Analysing the role of business enterprises to protect human rights within different industries and sectors

To study the setting up of pillars to enforce corporate human rights obligations

Analysing the importance of human rights in the context of corporate social responsibility

Examining the importance of accountability for corporate human rights abuses

Studying the relationship between money, millennials and human rights to ensure sustainable investing

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LL.M thesis topics

On this page you can find an overview of all our LL.M thesis topics or Master theses in English.

Do you want to write your LL.M thesis on a human rights topic? Choose one of these topics and contact the relevant supervisor. Do you want to write a Master thesis in English? First consult the Plato list.

All subjects in the domain of human rights or transitional justice in which the student applies a socio-legal perspective ann integrates a substantial empirical component (qualitative and/or quantitative) to examine the law “in practice”.

Across Europe and around the world, issues of memory and old monuments are being revisited. The shift of historical narratives resulted in the loss of social consensus about the past and interpretation of history. Since monuments are among the most visible expressions of history they have appeared in the middle of contestation and heated debates. […]

This research deals with the impact of prosecution of “minor offences” on people living in poverty in Europe. Through case studies (criminalization of beggars, SyRI case in the Netherlands etc. ), it explores whether minor offences – which are usually punished by outstanding fines with minimum procedural rights – are compatible with the ECHR (more […]

The sovereign debt crisis could have a direct impact on human rights, especially when they are framed within a programme of austerity, and tension between the ‘market justice’ and ‘social justice’ occurs. The aim of the thesis is to study the different human rights legal discourses surrounding the latest cases of sovereign debt restructurings.

Lately, the ‘Facebook Oversight Board’ and other private mechanisms of human rights accountability have been established. The Oversight Board of Facebook was created to review the lawfulness of certain ‘emblematic’ content moderation decisions taken by the social media platform. The Board comprises 20 representatives of civil society, including academics, human rights experts, and journalists. It […]

Regional human rights courts can organize so-called fact-finding missions when confronted with human rights violations. Both the Inter-American and African Court of Human Rights may, if necessary, organize such missions when confronted with cases involving gross and/or large-scale violations of human rights, while the European Court of Human Rights seems to have become rather  reticent […]

Human rights defenders around the world are being killed, especially in Latin-American countries. How is the Inter-American human rights system responding to this cruel reality?

During the past years worldwide human rights defenders are being targeted for doing their job. Such attacks may be of a physical, but also of a psychological nature, and they may target the human rights defenders themselves and/or their families. This study aims to evaluatie what kinds of legal mechanisms exist under international law, i.e. […]

Particular focus on Myanmar/Sri Lanka or Cambodia. Language requirement ENG.

Focus on the Mediterranean or boat pushbacks in Southeast Asia. Language requirement Eng.

Study of the marginalisation of certain regions in the TJ process, looking into the importance of socio-economic rights in ICL. Language requirement ENG.

In 2010 Marie-Benedicte Dembour published an article entitled ‘What are Human Rights? Four Schools of Thought’ in Human Rights Quarterly. Her model posits that we do not all conceive of human rights in the same way, but that there are four main conceptions of human rights. She proposes that those who hold a ‘natural’ view […]

The summer of 2015 saw Europe hit by a refugee crisis – or some commentators say – more accurately a crisis in refugee protection. Marie-Benedicte Dembour asserts in an article forthcoming in Questions of International Law that, due to the relative weakness of its past jurisprudence concerning migrants’ rights, the European Court of Human Rights […]

Judges have to act in an impartial manner while deciding cases. The research will examine the breadth of the right to freedom of expression of judges from a cross-cutting international and regional human rights perspective, with possibly a case study.

Suggested by and with cosupervision from PICUM, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. How does the package, comprised of the Council’s Facilitation Directive and the Framework Decision, impact undocumented children and families’ ability to secure adequate housing? This research would (i) look at the EU and national legal framework criminalising landlords renting to […]

For many centuries, citizenship has been regarded as the highest degree of affiliation between an individual and a ‘self-governing’ political community’. However, in the last years, the development of programs around the globe are seeking to attract flows of foreign capital by different incentives, including granting legal membership with society in exchange for diverse types […]

During the past decades social rights have become more prominently part of legal studies. However, most studies deal with substantial violations of social rights. This study takes a procedural turn by looking at the instrument of interim measures awarded by international monitoring bodies, thereby focussing on the different UN Treaty Bodies and regional human rights […]

In present-day society indigenous peoples are one of the most vulnerable groups. This study assesses to what extent such groups can rely on interim measures before international human rights monitoring bodies, both at the UN and regional level and to what extent such measures effectively protect their rights.

Worldwide, but especially in the America’s, women human rights defenders are being targeted. Such attacks may be of a physical, but also of a psychological nature, and they may target the human rights defenders themselves and/or their families. This study aims to evaluatie what legal mechanisms are available in the ambit of the Inter-American Human […]

Could be further narrowed down to a particular focus on the UN, European or Inter-American standards of protection. Language requirement ENG & Spanish.

‘Universal jurisdiction’ is a principle of international law based on the recognition that certain crimes are so horrific that they affect the international community as a whole. Universal jurisdiction is therefore a key component in the fight against impunity. This thesis will analyze specific recent cases (for example, concerning Syria) where the principle of universal […]

Study of development of strategic litigation, the possibilities and limitations of using this approach. Language requirement ENG & Spanish.

Case study of the Tunisian court establised to adjudicate cases related to gross violations of human rights. Language requirement ENG.

This thesis will explore the interaction of the United States with the Inter-American System. In particular, it will analyse the Inter-American approach regarding migrants who are minors.

The research should focus on a legal analysis of Strasburg case law on history, when the Court was asked to rule on the so-called ‘historical situations’ (to bring justice to those accused of war crimes, to protect the rights of mass atrocities victims and their relatives, to deal with Holocaust and genocide deniers, to punish […]

Needless to say, having evidence being declared inadmissible can be devastating to a case. Two cases which ended up before the European Court of Human Rights due to the inadmissibility being contested are Cwik v Poland and R.B. v Estoni. In Cwik, the ECtHR agreed that the tape of the interrogation by a gang of […]

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LLM in Human Rights

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The LLM in Human Rights is designed to provide you with a theoretical and practical understanding of international human rights law in its broader political context, with a particular emphasis on human rights in times of transition, including conflict situations or other political and societal movements.

Dr Elisenda Casanas Adam and Dr Kasey McCall-Smith talk about the benefits of studying for the LLM in Human Rights at Edinburgh Law School.

You will have the opportunity to not only explore the global role of human rights and the international and domestic machinery that promotes and enforces rights, but also how academic debates connect to the practice of human rights.

The programme has a flexible structure, including some interdisciplinary options, that enables you to tailor your curriculum to best suit your individual interests and career plans, drawing from a choice of specialised courses from the Law School and the School of Social and Political Science.

Edinburgh Law School is an ideal place to study human rights. With a history at the centre of the Scottish Enlightenment, we offer a unique academic space for the learning and research of human rights, which includes the University's Global Academies in the areas of Justice, Health, Development, Food and Environment and Society. Together, the Global Academies address crucial global challenges spanning the ambit of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights and each year offer abundant opportunities for students to explore the links between human rights and the fast-paced world around them. The School is also uniquely placed to maximise its relationships with the City of Edinburgh’s many and varied human rights and peace initiatives.

Despite what many in the press may lead the public to believe, human rights and the legal and political machinery that exist to promote and protect those rights are here to stay. Human rights language is embedded across international, regional and national legal frameworks and the LLM is designed to teach you how to use this language for the improvement of the world around you. Human rights increasingly permeates other legal fields and disciplines. Understanding the basis of these rights will inform you as to how use your education to contribute to a more sustainable social and environmental future.

Because human rights are prevalent across such a broad range of disciplines, graduates of our programme have the opportunity to find work across an unlimited field. In addition to specialising in human rights law as practitioners, past students have gone on to work for human rights courts, the diplomatic service, as policy analysts and researchers in the government or in civil society and advocacy organisations, to name but a few of the career paths that have been followed after completing the LLM in Human Rights.

As a leading research institution, those teaching on the human rights programme make a point of bringing their research insights into the classroom.

Whether exploring transitional justice negotiations, deliberating the role of human rights in constitution building, addressing fair trial issues in Guantánamo, teasing out the role of women in security strategies or understanding how national governments prioritise rights through law and policy, academic staff are eager to engage students in their projects. This not only provides real, practical insight into the theory of human rights, but animates the debates about human rights in our seminars.

Additionally, each week you will have the opportunity to attend multiple extracurricular events, adding a further layer of depth to the basic course offerings.

Edinburgh plays host to a wide-ranging schedule of academic and research events throughout the year. You will be able to subscribe to mailing lists in line with your preferences. Rarely does a day pass where there are no extra-curricular events taking place.

In addition to Edinburgh academics often speaking at research related seminars, academic visitors abound in Edinburgh. Through the variety of research centres, particularly the Edinburgh Centre for International and Global Law and the Global Justice Academy, students are able to tailor an extracurricular calendar that meets all lines of theoretical, legal and interdisciplinary approaches to human rights. Furthermore, across the year we invite experts into the classroom to cover specific human rights issues in depth.

If you have any questions about the LLM in Human Rights please don't hesitate to contact us.

[email protected]

This programme can be taken full time over one year or part time over two years, subject to visa restrictions, and gives you the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects across human rights, law, crime and criminal justice, as well as options from other disciplines. This enables you to tailor the programme to meet your specific interests.

The programme consists of 180 credits, comprising taught courses worth 120 credits (60 credits per semester) and a 10,000 word dissertation worth 60 credits. Full programme details for the 2023-24 academic year are available on the University Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study website.

View 2023/24 programme information for the LLM in Human Rights

Courses listed below are scheduled for the 2023-24 academic year.

Depending on demand, space on specific courses may be limited.

You must take this course:

International Human Rights Law (20 credits)

This course will focus on the international law of human Rights, primarily through looking at the U.N. system including Charter and Treaty bodies as well as looking at the links between International human rights law and other related fields such as International Humanitarian law and International Criminal law.

You can select between 60 and 100 credits of the following courses:

• Fundamental Issues in International Law (40 credits) This is a course aimed at introducing students to fundamental debates about the nature of international law and the international legal order today, and its relationship to states, markets, conflict, justice and human rights. The course is historical, conceptual, theoretical and legal. It introduces students to key ideas and arguments about where the international legal order is coming from and where it is going, what its building blocks are, and how those components are changing. A theme uniting the course is the extent to which the international legal order is shifting from a classical jus inter gentes to something else: a law of global governance, a global administrative law, a law of rights and regulation, or some combination.
• Inter-state Conflict and Humanitarian Law (20 credits) The course will comprise the study of conflict in international law. It will be concerned with the law relating to the resort to armed force by states. The law relating to self-defence will be studied. There will also be a focus on humanitarian law, in particular, on the law relating to entitlement to combatant status, on the law regulating the conduct of hostilities between opposing forces and the law on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. In addition, there will be a study of post-conflict issues.

Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (20 credits)

This course will examine the role of human rights in intra-state conflict and in peace processes. In particular it will examine how peace processes and agreements deal with power-sharing arrangements, transitional justice mechanisms, gender equality, and return of refugees. The course will examine the moral, political and practical dilemmas in dealing with these issues, and consider the extent to which human rights law provides useful guidance and requirements, or hinders conflict resolution efforts. The course will also touch on the overlapping requirements of international humanitarian law and international criminal law.

• Human Rights Law in Europe (20 credits) This course will look at the protection of human rights in Europe through a primary focus of the law of the European Convention on Human Rights. The course will also look at some other human rights instruments of the Council of Europe as well as human rights protection in the EU system.
• Human Rights Clinic (20 credits) The objective of the course is to enable you, primarily through research, discussion, writing and presentation in a practical setting, to acquire a thorough knowledge of advanced human rights protection at the national and international level. Through a strong link to professional human rights practice it will develop your capacity to critically analyse how the human rights system works and the demands that it places upon the various actors, including civil society, government, legislatures and stakeholders. It builds upon the foundations delivered in International Human Rights Law.
• Child Law in Comparative Perspectives (20 credits) This course aims to explore the legal status of children in Scots law, the law in other jurisdictions within the UK and the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Students from other jurisdictions will be encouraged and invited to share research findings from their home countries.
• Women's Rights as Human Rights? (20 credits) This course provides a detailed consideration of the ways in which the idiom of human rights both empowers and emasculates different women around the world. It considers women's rights historically, theoretically, institutionally and through a variety of case studies. No knowledge of the topic is required, but some familiarity with general human rights debates is useful.
• Economic and Social Rights (20 credits) This course will provide students with an advanced introduction to the evolving uses of economic and social rights. It will examine debates about the nature of these rights and examine their recent constitutionalisation in some states. The course will examine the impact of economic and social rights jurisprudence and adjudication, and ask whether the legal language of economic and social rights can address contemporary problems of distributive justice, inequality and the retreat of systems of national welfare.
• Citizenship in Europe (20 credits) The aim of this course is to explore the multi-level governance framework for citizenship in Europe, looking at the national, sub-national and international/European levels at which law operates. The aim is to understand the classic notion of national citizenship in the context of developments such as European Union citizenship and the impact of supranational and international norms such as the ECHR, placing the law throughout in its wider political context.
• EU Immigration and Asylum Law (20 credits) The course is aimed to provide the students with the foundations of EU Immigration Law. They will engage in discussion on primary and secondary sources, as well as analysis of the centrepieces of the area. Through the involvement of practitioners, they will be exposed to different approaches and address the topics from a theoretical, and practical, points of view.
• Human Rights Law and Armed Conflict (20 credits) First, we will consider the extent to which human rights law can apply to armed conflict. In so doing we will examine the principal applicable sources of human rights law; identify, define, and classify the activities of armed forces; consider the relationship between international humanitarian law and human rights law; and analyse the extraterritorial application of human rights law. Second, we will look in detail at a range of military activities and analyse the relevant human rights law. This will include a consideration of lethal and non-lethal targeting, detention operations and air and maritime warfare. It will further consider a careful analysis of the right to life, freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and torture, and the right to liberty. Third, we will analyse the obligations on states to investigate alleged human rights law violations during armed conflict and the enforcement of human rights law. Finally, through an analysis of recent armed conflicts, we will consider the extent to which human rights law can impact the military effectiveness of armed forces and what, if anything, states can do to limit the effect of human rights law. Throughout the course we will consider both the theoretical legal framework applicable to armed conflict and the practical consequences of the application of a state¿s human rights law obligations.
• Global South Actors in International Relations and International Law, 1945-present (20 credits) Major powers were often dominant in constructing modern political and legal systems. However, Global South actors have also been a powerful but under acknowledged force in shaping world affairs. The subject of the course is how Global South organisations in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia have shaped political and legal norms and institutions in human rights, peace and security, and disaster management.
• Making International Law (20 credits) This course will explore the complex and subtle art of international law-making. Focusing on the variable actors and multilateral processes that monitor, add to and adjudicate questions of international law, one of the core aims of the course is strengthening the student¿s understanding of how new rules are created and how existing rules develop along with the global community in the context of shared values. In exploring these issues, students will critically examine questions relating to legitimacy and coherence of the international system. Students will compare approaches across different fields of international law and consider how variances feed into debates about fragmentation and enforcement. The class will complement the wider range of issues covered in Fundamental Issues in International Law.
• Conflict and Peaceful Transition in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (20 credits) Since the Cold War, the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has witnessed a series of intrastate wars that are among the most prolonged conflicts in the world. As of 2021, there were nine states with active armed conflicts in the region. The failure of conflict resolution and the transition process in the region calls for new and critical approaches. This course provides students with theoretical and practical skills and contextualised knowledge of the EMR relating to transversal issues that interact with conflict and peaceful transition. Student will benefit from a deep and comprehensive vision of the region which will enhance their capacity to offer contextualised and integrative solutions to problematic situations introduced as real-life case studies.
• LGBT Rights: A Legal Perspective (20 credits) LGBT Rights: A Legal Perspective engages with the complex relationship between selected LGBT matters and the legal framework applying to them. Its basis is the treatment which minorities defined by gender identity and sexual orientation have received in human rights law, with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights being particularly important sources. In selected case studies, the course will also deal with the way in which domestic laws have implemented LGBT rights or have provided adopted a restrictive stance on matters relating to sexual minorities. The topics under discussion include criminalisation and decriminalisation of same-sex activities, anti-discrimination legislation, same-sex marriages and same-sex unions, transgender rights and the law relating to conversion practices. At the end of the course students are expected to have obtained insight into the way in which courts have interpreted human rights instruments to protect rights that are not expressly mentioned in them, to have developed the ability to critically examine some of the leading controversies in the field of LGBT rights and to be able to compare approaches that domestic laws have taken on salient issues relating to the protection of sexual minorities.

You can select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses:

• Global Childhoods and Human Rights (20 credits)
• Global Crime and Insecurity (20 credits)
• Advanced Comparative Constitutional Law (20 credits)
• International Relations Theory (20 credits)
• Gender and Development (20 credits)

You will have the option to take between 0 and 40 credits of courses from different subject areas offered by the Law School, depending on availability and with the permission of the programme director.

Full programme details, including core and optional courses, are available on the University Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study website.

View 2023-24 programme information for the LLM in Human Rights

Having successfully completed 120 credit points of courses within the LLM, you will be ready to move onto a single piece of independent and in-depth research. The 10,000 word dissertation allows you to focus on a preferred topic from within the field of human rights, normally based on a subject you have studied in one of your courses during the programme.

You will be assigned an academic dissertation supervisor who will provide you with support and guidance while you prepare and write your dissertation.

The dissertation is a challenging but rewarding endeavour, asking you to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the relevant literature and an ability to engage critically with a range of sources, drawing on the skills and knowledge you have developed during the course of the programme. Students are encouraged to show originality and evidence of independent thinking, whether in terms of the material used, or the manner in which it is presented.

The dissertation is written in the summer months (April to August) after the taught courses are successfully completed.

As an alternative to the conventional dissertation, some students may have the chance to apply to complete a project-based report with an NGO, government department, political party, or other relevant business or organisation during the spring and summer.

You will undertake a research project on a human rights topic linked to the activities of your respective host. The research projects will need to be officially approved by the programme director, and you will have a relevant member of staff as a contact, in parallel with the arrangement for dissertation supervision.

Project opportunities will be made available on a competitive basis, with applications made at the start of semester two.

Placements will be competitive and candidates will be shortlisted on the basis of their marks for the previous semester, with employers making the final decision based on the student's personal statement.

You may also set up projects directly, subject to a formal process of approval by the programme conveners.

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances or lack of demand for particular courses, we may not be able to run all courses as advertised come the start of the academic year.

Staff teaching on the core courses for the LLM in Human Rights for 2023-24 are experts in their field and are actively involved in cutting-edge research in various areas of human rights, international and public law.

Dr Kasey McCall-Smith - Programme Director 2023-24

Dr McCall-Smith is a senior lecturer in Public International Law and programme director for the LLM in Human Rights. She joined the Law School on a permanent basis in 2014 having contributed to a number of international law and human rights law courses since 2008. She is a US qualified lawyer and holds a BA (1998) and a Juris Doctor (2001) from the University of Arkansas. She also holds an LLM and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. 

She is an active researcher in international human rights law, treaty law and is interested in the role of the UN human rights treaty bodies as generators of law. For several years she has been exploring best practice in relation to incorporating human rights treaties into national law. She has also carried out extensive research on the issue of torture and fair trial in the US military commissions in Guantanamo. Alongside her role as an academic, Dr McCall-Smith acts as a consultant on projects across a range of issues relating to human rights and the law of treaties.

She is currently the Deputy Director of Internationalisation at the Law School, the Director of the Global Justice Academy and is the Executive Chair of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI). She also serves as a member of the Academic Advisory Panel to the Scottish Government’s Human Rights Task Force.

Find out more

Paul Behrens joined the faculty in 2012. His principal research interests are international criminal law, diplomatic law, international humanitarian law and comparative constitutional law. He is an Associate of the Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Leicester University and member of the Surrey International Law Centre. Together with the director of the Stanley Burton Centre, he is the founder of an interdisciplinary research initiative which has hosted conferences on selected topics in the field of genocide studies. Find out more

Nehal Bhuta joined Edinburgh Law School in 2018 from the European University Institute where he was Professor of Public International Law. His research interests include: International law, human rights, international humanitarian law, history and theory of international law, indicators in global governance, histories of rights, political theory, theory of the state, international criminal law.

Nehal is on sabbatical in semester 1 of the 2022-23 academic year.

Michelle Burgis-Kasthala joined the Law School in September 2013. Her teaching focusses on public international law and international human rights law. Her research centres on the operation and contestation over international law across the Arab World.

Paolo Cavaliere joined the Law School from September 2014 as a lecturer in Digital Media and IT Law. His main interests in research include the discipline of pluralism and diversity in the media, e-democracy and the relationship between new media and politics, regulation of audiovisual industries and digital media.

Find out more 

Dr Deval Desai joined Edinburgh Law School in 2020 as Lecturer in International Economic Law. His work focuses on law and development, administrative law and regulation, (de)colonial patterns of knowledge and authority, and theories of the state in the Global South. He has taught on these topics on the European Joint Doctorate in Law and Development; the interdisciplinary masters programs at the Graduate Institute, Geneva; Harvard's Institute for Global Law and Policy; and as a visiting professor at Manchester, Northeastern Law School, SOAS, and the Universidad de los Andes.

Deval previously held research positions at Harvard Law School and the Graduate Institute -- where he helped establish and coordinate the Global Scholars’ Academy, to support collaboration and mentorship among junior faculty in the Global South. Deval serves on the editorial board of the Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, the Emerging Scholars Forum of Global Perspectives, and previously sat on the editorial board of the Harvard International Law Journal.

Katy started off her career as a secondary school teacher of Economics and Accounting for seven years. She then graduated with an LL.B from Edinburgh University in 1992 and qualified as a solicitor in 2003.  From 2000 to 2007, she headed up the Scottish Child Law Centre. Katy is also a Safeguarder for the Children’s Hearing System, Child Welfare Reporter in Family Law Actions in Edinburgh Sheriff Court and trained and experienced mediator. Between 2002 and 2007, Katy lectured and taught at Edinburgh Law School on the LL.B, Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DPLP) and Trainee Continuing Professional Development (TCPD) before being appointed as a Teaching Fellow in the Law School in 2008 and a Senior Teaching Fellow in 2014.

Katy’s particular area of interest is Child and Family Law and Mental Health Law. She co-authored the annotated Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 (W Green) and is currently co-authoring a book on Children’s Rights.  Katy is the co-editor of the Family Law Bulletin (W Green). She is regularly invited to speak at conferences on child law matters. Katy is an active member of the Scottish Government’s Cross Party Groups on Children and Young People, and Mental Health.

Dr. Kathryn Nash is a Chancellor’s Fellow in the University of Edinburgh Law School. Previously she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Political Settlements Research Program. She received her PhD in Politics and International Studies from SOAS University of London, and her research interests include global governance, the role of regional organizations in responding to complex crises, and peace and security. Her book – African Peace: Regional Norms from the Organization of African Unity to the African Union – was recently published by Manchester University Press.

Jo Shaw has held the Salvesen Chair of European Institutions in the School of Law since January 2005. Since 2018, she has also held a part time visiting position in the New Social Research programme of Tampere University in Finland.

Between 2009-2013, she was Dean of Research of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, leading on research development and REF submission for the College. From 2014-2017 she was Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities.

Since 2017, she has been working on a set of related projects on citizenship regimes: what they are and how they work. Her work has been supported by a EURIAS Fellowship at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (2017-2018) and a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2018-2020). She is also co-Director of the Global Citizenship Observatory. Her current work builds on research previously funded by the European Research Council and the Nuffield Foundation.

Dr Asanga Welikala is a Lecturer in Public Law at Edinburgh Law School, The University of Edinburgh, and the Acting Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law. He is also a Research Associate of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, and Research Fellow of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), Sri Lanka. Asanga's research interests lie in comparative constitutional law, applied constitutional theory, and Commonwealth constitutional history.

Asanga will be on sabbatical in semester 2 of the 2022-23 academic year.

Elisenda Casanas Adam is a Lecturer in Public Law and Human Rights and a member of the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law. Her main research interests lie in the comparative analysis of public law, focusing on the legal accommodation of national identity, the courts and the judiciary, devolution, judicial review and human rights. She has a special interest in the public law of Scotland and the United Kingdom, and of Catalonia and Spain.

Find out more  

Leandro’s main research interests lie in EU Constitutional Law, EU Fundamental Rights Law, the law and policy of the EU Area of Freedom Security and Justice. He teaches and is courses organiser of courses in EU Law (Hons), EU Constitutional Law (LLM) and EU Fundamental Rights Law (LLM). Leandro’s publications focus on the interaction amongst different areas of law and policy, such as crime, migration, and human rights. His first monograph analyses the legislative and judicial approach of the EU in the fields of substantive and procedural criminal law, immigration, citizenship and free movement.

Stephen Neff's primary research interest is the history of public international law. He is the author of a book on the historical development of international economic law. His current focus is the history of the law of neutrality. Another major interest is international human rights law, from both the academic and the practical standpoints.

Stephen will be on sabbatical in semester 2 of the 2022-23 academic year.

The staff teaching on this programme are subject to change for the 2023-24 academic year. Staff listed as on sabbatical will not be available to teach for the duration of their sabbatical.

If you have any questions about the LLM in Human Rights please don't hesitate to contact us.

Find out what it's like to study for an LLM in Human Rights at Edinburgh Law School from our current and former students.

Swann, South Korea

Swann, originally from South Korea, studied for an LLM in Human Rights in 2021/22 graduating in 2022. In this video she talks about her experience of studying for an LLM at Edinburgh Law School, life in Edinburgh and her plans for the future.

Daniel, from Romania but now lives in Canada, studied for an LLM in Human Rights in 2022/23 graduating in 2023. In this video he talks about his experience of studying for an LLM at Edinburgh Law School, life in Edinburgh and his plans for the future.

Arnold, from The Republic of Armenia, studied for an LLM in Human Rights in 2021/22 graduating in 2022. In this video he talks about his experience of studying for an LLM at Edinburgh Law School, life in Edinburgh and his plans for the future.

Andreia, from Portugal, studied for an LLM in Human Rights in 2021/22 graduating in 2022. In this video she talks about her experience of studying for an LLM at Edinburgh Law School, life in Edinburgh and her plans for the future.

Daniel, from Denmark, studied for an LLM in Human Rights in 2019/20 graduating in 2020. In this video he talks about his experience of studying for an LLM at Edinburgh Law School, life in Edinburgh, completing his studies during the Covid-19 pandemic and his plans for the future.

Martina, from Italy, studied for an LLM in Human Rights in the 2019/20 academic year, graduating in 2020. In this video she talks about her experience of studying for an LLM at Edinburgh Law School, life in Edinburgh, completing her studies during the Covid-19 pandemic and her plans for the future.

Desiree studied the LLM in Human Rights in the academic year 2019-20, graduating in 2020.

I am British and Turkish-Cypriot, raised in a divided Cyprus. With first-hand experience of frozen conflict, a big draw for me in choosing the LLM in Human Rights at the Edinburgh Law School became the optional focus on conflict resolution curated by Professor Christine Bell. I was also very drawn to the possibility of a placement-based dissertation and the professional emphasis incorporated within the programme.

Throughout the year our professors took a genuine interest in our background and pursuits, seeking to incorporate these into the course structure. Seminars featured guest speakers presenting their expertise and were always interactive. I gained a renewed appetite for research and a better sense of my desired career path, in large part due to the course structure and enthusiasm of the teaching staff. The student cohort worked as a team from the get-go to overcome any challenges and make the most of the programme together.

Tanya, a student from South Africa studying the LLM in Human Rights in the 2019/20 academic year at Edinburgh Law School talks about her experiences of studying on the LLM.

Georgia, a student from Scotland, talks about her experience of studying the LLM in Human Rights at Edinburgh Law School.

Please note that the information provided is for entry in the 2024-25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ.

This programme can be taken full-time over one year or part time over two years, subject to visa restrictions.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

We recommend that you apply as early as possible. This is particularly important for applicants who may need to allow sufficient time to take an English language test, for overseas students who may need time to satisfy necessary visa requirements and/or to apply for University accommodation.

We require a minimum 2:1 honours degree from a UK university, or its international equivalent, in law. We will also consider candidates with a degree in a non-law subject if they can demonstrate advanced academic study in international relations and/or relevant professional or voluntary work. Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.

Supporting Your Application

• Relevant work experience is not required but may increase your chances of acceptance.
• Relevant professional qualifications will be considered.
• Preference will be given to those with grades above the minimum requirements due to strong competition for places on this programme.

International qualifications

You can check whether your degree qualification is equivalent to the minimum standard before applying.

Check your degree

Students from China

This degree is Band A.

Find out more about our postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

Postgraduate study in the field of law requires a thorough, complex and demanding knowledge of English, so we ask that the communication skills of all students are at the same minimum standard.

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic and IELTS Academic Online : total 7.0 (at least 7.0 in the writing component and 6.5 in each other module)
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 100 (at least 25 in writing and 23 in each other module)
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 (at least 185 in writing and 176 in in all other components)
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components
• PTE Academic: 70 overall with at least 70 in the writing component and 62 in each other component
• Oxford ELLT (Global and Digital): 9 overall with at least 9 in the writing component and 8 in each other component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, that was taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). The UK Government's website provides a list of majority English speaking countries.

View the UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or equivalent, that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.

Approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

View approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries

Your application may not be successful if you do not currently satisfy any of these requirements; alternatively, you may be offered a place conditional on your reaching the satisfactory standard by the time you start the degree.

Find out more about the University's English language requirements

Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes

We also accept satisfactory completion of our English for Academic Purposes programme as meeting our English language requirements. You must complete the programme no more than two years and one month before the start date of the degree you are applying to study.

Find out more about the University's Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes

English language support

The University runs a series of programmes for English Language Education, including a pre-sessional English Language Programme intended to strengthen your English Language skills before you start your programme of study.

Find out more about English language support offered by the University

Deadlines for applicants applying to study the LLM in Human Rights in 2024-25 are provided in the table below.

We monitor application numbers carefully to ensure we are able to accommodate all those who receive offers. It may therefore be necessary to close a programme earlier than the published deadline and if this is the case we will place a four-week warning notice on the relevant programme page.

Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.

Applications are made online via the University Application Service, EUCLID.

Please follow the instructions carefully and make sure that you have included the following documentation with your application:

• You will need to submit a personal statement of around 500 words, outlining your academic history and relevant experience. Guidance on writing your personal statement .
• Degree certificates showing award of degree
• Previous academic transcripts for all past degree programmes (please upload the full transcript showing results from all years of study)
• A reference in support of your application. The reference should be academic and dated no earlier than one year from the start of study on the LLM programme
• Evidence of English language proficiency, if required

If you are currently studying for your degree or you are not in a possession of an English test result you may still apply to the programme. Please note that it is your responsibility to submit the necessary documents.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

View full detailed application guidance

Students at this University must not undertake any other concurrent credit bearing studies in this (or in any other) institution, unless the College has granted permission. The College must be satisfied that any additional credit-bearing studies will not restrict the student’s ability to complete their existing programme of study. Students will not be permitted to undertake concurrent degree programmes in any circumstances.

If you are studying at this or another institution just prior to the start of your postgraduate studies you must have finished these studies before the start of the programme to which you have an offer.

After your application has been submitted you will be able to track its progress through the University's applicant hub.

Application processing times will vary, however the admissions team will endeavour to process your application within four to six weeks of submission. Please note that missing documentation will delay the application process.

You will be informed as soon as possible of the decision taken. Three outcomes are possible:

• You may be offered a place unconditionally
• You may be offered a conditional place, which means that you must fulfil certain conditions that will be specified in the offer letter. Where a conditional offer is made, it is your responsibility to inform the College Postgraduate Office when you have fulfilled the requirements set out.  Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.
• Your application may be unsuccessful. If your application has not been successful, you can request feedback from us or refer to our guidance for unsuccessful applicants, which explains some of the common reasons we why we reach this decision. View the University's guidance for unsuccessful applicants

Deferring your offer

We do not normally offer deferrals, however, we may be able to make a very limited number of offers for deferred entry in exceptional circumstances.

View full guidance on deferral requests

If you receive an offer of admission, either unconditional or conditional, you will be asked to pay a tuition fee deposit of £1,500 (within 28 days of receiving your offer) to secure your place on the programme.

Find out more about tuition fee deposits

The University’s terms and conditions form part of your contract with the University, and you should read them, and our data protection policy, carefully before applying.

University of Edinburgh admissions terms and conditions

If you have any questions about applying to the LLM in Human Rights please don't hesitate to contact us.

Key information

Llm and msc programmes.

Public Law research

Why Edinburgh Law School?

Edinburgh Centre for International and Global Law

Postgraduate taught

LLM International Human Rights Law and Practice

Put the law to work in defence of human rights

Year of entry: 2024 (September)

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Centre for Applied Human Rights , York Law School

September 2024 ( semester dates )

Apply for this course

Join us online or in person to find out more about postgraduate study at York.

Human 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:

• work on  real human rights issues in partnership with international and local NGOs, UN mechanisms or governmental bodies;
• undertake fieldwork in Colombia, South Afria or York and acquire valuable socio-legal skills ;
• learn from the experiences of  human rights defenders  based at the Centre for Applied Human Rights and from the interactions with an international student body;
• benefit from the interdisciplinary expertise of staff at the Centre for Applied Human Rights and York Law School.

Research excellence

York Law School was ranked a top 25 law school in the UK according to the Times Higher Education's ranking of the latest REF results (2021)

Human Rights Defenders

Our unique Protective Fellowship Scheme puts experienced activists at the heart of your learning

Human Rights City

York is the UK's first Human Rights City, championing a vibrant, diverse, fair and safe environment

Course content

The LLM aims to familiarise you with three key aspects of human rights activism; law, policy and advocacy. You'll learn to:

• critically examine international and regional human rights treaties
• assess the work of monitoring and adjudication bodies
• analyse how political and social context shape international instruments, domestic legislation and policy
• develop advocacy strategies to address these issues

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. 

Dissertation

Core modules.

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.

• Applying International Human Rights Law
• Practice of Fieldwork
• Human Rights Placement
• International Human Rights Laboratory

Option modules

You will also study two option modules. In previous years, options have covered topics such as:

• Financial Crime  (York Law School)
• International Criminal Justice  (York Law School)
• Issues in the Philosophy of Criminal Law  (York Law School)
• Law and Society  (York Law School)
• Current Issues in Counter-terrorism and Media Law  (York Law School)
• Mental Health and Mental Capacity Law  (York Law School)
• Comparative Constitutional Law and Theory  (York Law School)
• International Trade Law and Regulation  (York Law School)
• Critical Theory  (Politics) 
• Theories and Policies of Development Governance  (Politics) 
• Aftermath of Conflict  (Politics)
• Politics of Peacebuilding  (Politics) 
• Law and Social Control  (Sociology)
• Women, Citizenship and Conflict  (Centre for Women’s Studies) 
• Public International Law (York Law School)

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.

• Dissertation  

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:

• The Universal Periodic Review and interstate shaming, providing an analysis of the impact of relational politics on Bahrain’s UPR outcomes.
• Female genital mutilation in exile: attitudes towards FGM among the Somali diaspora in Leeds.
• Guarantees of non-recurrence and gender-based violence: a case study of Tunisia.
• Lawyering for change: a case-study of advancing refugee protection in Thailand.
• Internet activism and the strife for environmental rights, examining citizens’ collective action on social media when facing air pollution problems in China.
• Art as a means to improve the social construction of disability and the realisation of disability rights' in the UK.

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:

• Preparation : extensive background research on country context, the host organisation and relevant thematic issues to scope and define the project.
• Fieldwork : two weeks intensive fieldwork that may involve qualitative or quantitative data-collection in York, abroad (Colombia, South Africa or York) or online.
• Writing and follow-up : writing up the analysis, completing the output and participating in dissemination.

Past projects have included:

• Drafting a legal brief for women’s groups to obtain standing in proceedings affecting women’s rights in Malaysian courts;
• The Use of Technology in Facilitating and Preventing Contemporary Forms of Slavery;
• The Blue Badge Test in York: Can the realisation of disabled people’s rights and the prevention of terrorism be reconciled?;
• Developing human rights indicators for the York: Human Rights City;
• Designing a user-friendly version of the thematic report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders from York.

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.

The York approach

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.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

• Analyse and evaluate human rights law to develop informed, critical understanding of the ways in which social, political, economic and institutional interests shape human rights.
• Design legal human rights advocacy to enhance the implementation of human rights practice by drawing on an understanding of UN, regional, and state policy-making processes.
• Retrieve and critically assess legal texts and socio-legal data using appropriate research methods and analytical techniques to investigate complex contemporary human rights.
• Engage with debates at global, national, and local levels, communicating ideas effectively and in different formats to peers, policy actors, lawyers and human rights defenders across a range of professional settings.
• Apply the values of collaborative, participatory and cultural sensitivity approaches to problem-solving and the shaping of human rights interventions.
• Engage in continual reflective practice by exploring different approaches and theories to particular challenges and critically reflecting on their value and effectiveness in diverse contexts.

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 Read about our students' experiences

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees for 2024/25.

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) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%).
• International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

Fees information

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.

• Postgraduate taught fees and expenses

Additional costs

If you choose to undertake a placement in Colombia or 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.

Funding information

Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2024/25 throughout the year.

If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a  10% Masters fee discount .

Funding opportunities

• UK government Masters loans
• Funding for UK students
• Funding for international students

Centre for Applied Human Rights scholarship

'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.

• Chevening Scholarships

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.

Living costs

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.

Teaching and assessment

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.

Teaching format

You will be taught by academics and experienced practitioners in a range of innovative and interactive formats, including:

• Lectures and guest lectures by renowned practitioners
• Interactive seminars and workshops
• Directed reading
• Fieldwork in York, Bogotá (Colombia) or Cape Town (South Africa)
• Simulation and role-play
• Independent study and group work
• Human rights clinical activities, including advocacy interventions and submissions to international human rights bodies.

Teaching location

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 Bogotá (Colombia), in Cape Town (South Africa), online or in and around York (UK).

About our campus

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.

Assessment and feedback

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.

• Dr Piergiuseppe Parisi (Joint Programme Leader)
• [email protected]

• Dr Mattia Pinto (Joint Programme Leader)
• [email protected]

Related courses

• MA Applied Human Rights

Discover York

Accommodation

We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.

Student life

Explore campus and city life and hear what our current students have to say about living here.

Lively, full of culture and beautiful, York is regularly voted one of the best places to live and visit in the UK.

Find out more about York. Chat to staff and students and take the tour, on campus or online.

• Staff & students

LLM International Human Rights

Course information.

1 year, full-time

Course overview

The LLM in International Human Rights equips you with advanced knowledge and expertise in human rights law, giving you access to our internationally leading faculty, eminent legal experts and some of the foremost human rights organisations in the UK.

Why study LLM International Human Rights at Goldsmiths

• The LLM in International Human Rights introduces you to the history, theory and practice of international human rights law.
• We’ll focus on the strengths as well as identifying and critiquing the limits of domestic and international human rights.
• You’ll master the instruments and institutions that make up the international system of human rights protection from around the world, exploring their potential for reform.
• You’ll explore some of the most cutting-edge human rights debates of our times, from gender identity to AI-based predictive policing.
• You’ll learn from important legal thinkers, internationally leading barristers and politicians. Our Law faculty and  Visiting Professors  are some of the greatest legal minds of our generation.
• We’re focussed on employability, and you’ll have the opportunity to gain practical experience through taking placements and law clinics modules (for credit). Our Careers Service is here to support you every step of the way.
• You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with renowned legal scholars, eminent legal practitioners and NGOs working in the field of International Human Rights, including the foremost human rights organisation,  Liberty , that leads our pioneering 'NGO Advocacy, Litigation and Practice' modules.

Study 21 st century Law, and Law in context

As well as compulsory modules that provide you with a foundational knowledge of human rights law theory and practice, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of specialist human rights modules delivered by the department of Law (module details below).

To diversify your studies, you’ll also be able to choose relevant optional modules from the Department of Politics and International Relations.

Our curriculum has been built for the 21st-century landscape of Law, including subjects from Feminist Approaches to Law to NGO Advocacy in a polarised world to Environmental Challenges, Social Justice and Human Rights. You can find our full module list below.

Active learning

Our students learn the law in action while helping local communities and developing crucial professional skills. Through our placement modules focussing on human rights and criminal justice, or by participating in Law Clinics.

Students currently have the opportunity to learn invaluable practical skills by taking part in the  University of London Refugee Law Clinic or the Law and Policy clinics covering a wide range of topics.

Our leading researchers 

You'll have unique access to influential legal thinkers who have undertaken high-level legal and policy work in government departments, international courts, prestigious research centres, boutique law firms and some of the top NGOs and human rights organisations in the UK. Find out more about our leading researchers.

Harvard Law School course

We are the first department outside the United States to offer free access to Harvard Law School’s pioneering Zero-L course.

Taught by 18 leading Harvard Law faculty members, it has hours of video lectures, vocabulary, and periodic comprehension checks that you can take at your own pace. The course modules cover a range of topics, including introduction to the legal profession, History of the American Constitution, separation of powers and federalism, stages of litigation and citizenship rights.

Materials developed by Goldsmiths Law academics to support the delivery of Zero-L direct you to key areas of interest in the programme and give you support to understand how Zero-L strengthens your understanding of English law and helps you to develop legal skills.

Clinics, placements and internships

The LLM at Goldsmiths is unique in giving students access to Law and Policy Clinics for credit. In Goldsmiths’  Law and Policy Clinics , you'll confront challenging societal issues through supervised legal research and public engagement activity. Areas of research and public engagement activity covered by the Clinics include immigration, the law of financial wrongdoing, police interrogation, and counter-terrorism law.

We also offer our students access to the University of London’s  Refugee Law Clinic  (awarded  Best Contribution by a Law School  in the  LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards 2023).

Students can choose a Placement module as an option and are given access to  summer internships with internationally leading faculty as well as  social welfare placements in law centres and legal advice clinics across London.

Study abroad, international court visit and our Athens Summer School

We take our students on an annual international court visit.  Read our blog to learn more about our visit to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on February 2023, where students attended a Grand Chamber hearing and participated in a workshop with the UK Judge at the Court, Tim Eicke KC.

We organise an  annual summer school in Athens , in collaboration with leading Universities there. The week-long intensive programme provides a range of courses (in e.g. refugee law and migration studies, EU law, criminal law, law and technology), connects our students with high-profile institutions and authorities there, such as the British Ambassador and British Council in Greece, as well as giving them unprecedented access to cultural visits and experiences. Read more about our summer schools in Athens in  June 2022 and June 2023 .

In recent years, our students have also attended summer schools at the University of Geneva and Amsterdam Law school.

Students are supported through substantial Department of Law scholarships to participate in our summer school and international court visit.  Funding is reviewed on a yearly basis. To find out more about funding and other global opportunities at Goldsmiths, visit our  Study Abroad pages .

Student life and student support

You'll belong to a close-knit community, and will be supported by a network which includes academic personal tutors, career advisers, disability officers and other student support staff. We work in small groups in lectures and research seminars, and immerse in legal London as a group on a regular basis. The legal, institutional and cultural experiences you will gain in the LLM Law will stay with you forever.

Find out more about  student life and studying in London , explore  'a day in the life'  in the Law department, and visit the  Department of Law Instagram page  for a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to study Law at Goldsmiths.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos .

What you'll study

Compulsory modules.

All students must complete the following compulsory modules (30 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits).

Students can then choose optional modules to the value of 90 credits.

These 90 credits can be made up exclusively of Department of Law optional modules, but you may choose to select up to 30 credits from either of the Interdisciplinary modules lists below, which include human rights modules from the Department of Politics and International Relations.

Department of Law optional modules

Department of law interdisciplinary modules, department of politics and international relations interdisciplinary modules.

Download the programme specification .

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

Applicants will normally have a degree in Law, a related social science discipline (such as Criminology, Politics and International Relations, Sociology, Anthropology, Media & Communications, Economics or Psychology) or a humanities degree (such as English, History, Philosophy or Art).

We also accept applications from people with professional, transferrable experience working in:

• Criminal justice and human rights organisations
• The civil service or other governmental positions

Students will normally be expected to have an upper second-class honours degree or its equivalent. 

There is some flexibility where applicants demonstrate exceptional commitment or abilities to study for the degree because of their possession of other qualifications, or because they have relevant experiences that would qualify them for the programme.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification ) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study .

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees.

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

• Home - full-time: £14120
• International - full-time: £20460

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office , who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment .

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page .

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities . If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

• Details of  your academic qualifications
• The  email address of your referee  who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
• Copies of  your educational transcripts   or certificates
• A  personal statement  – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online.  Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

Find out more about applying .

Similar programmes

LLM Criminal Justice

The LLM in Criminal Justice gives you a panoramic, 360-degree view of the criminal process, and a multidimensional perspective which explores organic synergies between domestic, transnational and international criminal justice. It opens up diverse career paths in the criminal justice and human rights sectors.

LLM Criminal Justice and Human Rights

This cutting-edge LLM places you in the unique position to develop advanced knowledge and expertise in two specialist fields, criminal justice and international human rights. It will empower you to pursue legal practice in the UK and internationally, opening diverse career paths in the criminal justice and human rights sector, or advancing you to the position where you will choose to undertake a PhD in criminal justice or human rights or their interactions.

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177 Human Rights Research Topics: Bright Ideas List 2023

Do you have a college research project or thesis on human rights and have been wondering how to prepare a good paper? You need a number of things, such as good research, analytical, and writing skills. However, the first step is getting the right topic. This is very challenging for most students, but we are here to help. This post provides a 177 human rights topics list that you can count on for the best grade. We will also tell you how to craft a great university human rights dissertation.

A Brief about Human Rights

Human rights are the basic freedoms and rights that belong to all persons in the globe, starting from birth to death. These rights apply irrespective of where you are, personal beliefs, or the way you decide to live your life. They cannot be taken away but can be restricted in some cases, such as if you break the law.

The basic rights are anchored on shared values, such as dignity, fairness, equality, independence, and respect. They are all protected by law. Because of their wide applications in areas such as the justice system and employment-related topics, you can expect to get many related school assignments and projects on it.

How to Write a Good Human Rights Thesis or Dissertation

Before we can look at the best human rights thesis topics, let’s look at the best process of writing it. This can be divided into six main steps:

• Identify the study topic in line with your class teacher/professor’s recommendations. You can use our list of basic human rights topics that comes shortly after this guide.
• Research the topic well to ensure it has ample resources. Then, identify the main points that will be covered during the study. It will be good to think about the entire dissertation right from the start because all parts are interconnected.
• Develop a thesis statement. This is very important because it will be tested after analyzing the results.
• Develop a good structure for the thesis. This is the outline that will guide you on what to include at what point. Carefully look at the current recommendation from your school. One of the best outlines you might want to consider include:

Introduction Literature review Methodology Results Analysis and discussion Conclusion Bibliography

• Prepare the first draft.
• Write the final draft by redefining the first draft. At this point, it will be a good idea to consider editing services from experts.

Next, we will highlight the main topics that you should consider in human rights. However, we’d like to remind that you can only pay for thesis and not waste your time over a tone of assignments.

Top Human Rights Research Topics

• How does social discrimination impact people living with HIV/AIDS?
• Same-sex marriage: Why is it more social compared to religious significance?
• A review of international reaction to sweatshops in Asian countries.
• A closer look at the flaws of morals for kids raised in the US compared to those brought up in Japan.
• A comprehensive review of the employment problem arising from the surge of the immigrant population.
• Human rights violations in a country of choice: How has it impacted its image?
• War against terrorism: How is it impacting human rights?
• Should prisoners retain their voting rights?
• Should the US cut trade ties with countries that grossly violate human rights?
• Universal human rights: Are they achievable in the modern world?
• Is there a point where human rights can be justified in the interest of national security?
• Use of cameras in public places: Do they violate human rights?
• Non-governmental organizations’ operations: Are they strong enough to help protect human rights?
• Promotion of human rights: Should it be the first priority for every government?
• Capitalistic systems: Do they defend or violate human rights?
• Comparing the policies for human rights protection of the United States and India.
• A review of human rights violations during the 2021 US army withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• Should the US be held accountable for the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945?
• Human rights in the US and Latin America: A comparison.
• Compare two historical human rights portraits in the 20 th century.

Argumentative Human Rights Topics

• Is violation of human rights allowed during times of war?
• Circumcision of infants: Does it violate their human rights?
• Should women and men have varying rights?
• What is the link between human rights and traditions?
• Capital punishment: Should it be considered a violation of human rights?
• Right for freedom to education: Should it be made available for all?
• Social media networking services: Should they guarantee privacy for all the clients.
• Is the US policy on immigration discriminatory?
• Interest of states: Should it take precedence over an individual’s human rights?
• Developed countries have a duty to promote human rights in the developing states.
• Pet ownership should be considered a universal human right.
• Childhood concept differs from one culture to another: Should the notion of child labor also vary?
• What are inappropriate ways of fighting for human rights?
• Development of a country: Does it depend on the country’s defense of human rights?
• From a human rights perspective, which is the most important amendment to the US constitution?
• Comparing Apartheid and Holocaust: Has justice been done for the victims.
• Human rights in the 21 st century: Is the globe doing enough to address the crisis in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia and Afghanistan?
• What are the most important lessons on human rights from World War II?
• Human rights violations in West Bank: Has the globe done enough?

International Human Rights Topics

• What does the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines tell us about human rights internationally?
• A review of cases of human rights in the United States between the 1950 and 2000.
• Analyze the impacts of discrimination based on color and race.
• A thematic review of modern human rights movements.
• Trace the evolution of human rights starting from the ancient times to the age of globalization.
• What is the relationship between human rights and peace in a country? A case study of the Netherlands.
• Disability in the UK is under attack: Discuss.
• Who should people running away from human rights violations turn to?
• Is it appropriate to deny human rights on the basis of religion and gender?
• Violation of human rights in North Korea: How is the developed world preparing to tackle it?
• Violation of human rights in Venezuela: Should the United States get involved?
• The right to stay silent in a court of law: How is this likely to affect the accused person?
• What are the best remedies for addressing violations of women’s rights in the Middle East?
• Will the world ever get to a point where people will live without worrying about human rights violations?
• What makes it so difficult to introduce gun control in the United States?
• Who should be held responsible for cases of mass shootings in schools?

Controversial Human Rights Topics

• What are the similarities and differences between human and civil rights?
• Evaluate the violation of human rights in Syria in the 21 st century.
• Police-related human rights violation: How can we prevent it?
• Should prisoners have a right to vote?
• Assisted euthanasia is a violation of human rights: Discuss.
• Should persons who try to take their own lives be charged in a court of law?
• What is the best way to punish states for violating human rights?
• Countries arming themselves with nuclear weapons are readying to violate human rights.
• How effective are laws on domestic violence in the UK?
• All cases of human abuses in history should be tried and concluded.
• Is the UN doing enough to protect human rights?
• Holocaust: Is it possible for the world to heal completely?
• Do you think that the Rwanda Genocide could have been avoided?
• It is time to act: How do you think the global community should handle the problem of immigrants trying to cross from Africa into Europe?
• The hidden danger of not addressing bullying in school.
• Is disciplining a child a violation of human rights?
• Are correctional facilities doing enough to correct the behavior of inmates?
• Is imprisonment enough to punish murder criminals?
• Making a case for life imprisonment and the death penalty for murder criminals.
• Is abortion a violation of human rights?

Human Rights Discussion Topics

• What is your view on the famous revolt of the Cockroach People?
• Discuss the outcomes of the LGBT movements in the 20 th century.
• A deeper look into civil rights movements from Malcolm X point of view.
• Interaction between Japan and China during WWII: How did it impact human rights issues in the two states?
• Discuss the biggest human rights violations in South Africa after Apartheid.
• UN Refugee program: How does it help enhance refugees’ welfare across the globe?
• French Revolution and human rights: A thematic review.
• Human rights in medieval Europe.
• Human Rights Act in New Zealand in 1993: What is its significance?
• Which human rights did women across the globe find hard to access in the 20 th century?
• Police brutality in Brazil: Are the efforts taken by the government enough?
• Discuss transgender rights in Europe.
• A review of transgender human rights issues in the United States.
• Disability rights in the UK.
• Comparing disability policies in the US and India.
• Racial profiling by police.
• What are the roots of racism in the United States?
• Review the Trail of Broken Treaties.
• A deeper look at the Chattel Slavery in the Colonial America.
• Review the African-American male experience.
• Reviewing the history of the Bill of Rights in the United States.
• Analyzing the American Indian Movement: How does it compare with other human rights movements?
• Human rights in modern cinema: How are whites and people of color-treated?

Interesting Civil Rights Topics

• Black Power Movement: How did it impact the Black Lives Matter in 2020 and 2021?
• Are the 20 th Century civil rights movements sustainable?
• Comparing women rights movements in 2020 and the 20 th century.
• How did Martin Luther influence the civil rights approaches that came after him?
• Comparing the scientific Revolution, Reformation and Renaissance movements’ impacts on western thought.
• Protestant Reformation: Discuss how Catholic Church’s corruption and crusaders of war contributed towards its formation.
• A closer look at the human rights movements during the Industrial Revolution of between 1760 and 1840.
• How did the teachings of the American Revolution help the secession movement and Civil War?
• How did Teddy Roosevelt impact the progressive movement?
• The impact of communism impacts world history.
• The location of a civil movement is the most important thing in its success: Discuss.
• What made people start nationalist movement in Prussia?
• Discuss the results of anti-nationalist movements in New York.
• Female and Islam oppression on the globe.
• Reinventing a revolution: A closer look at the Zapatista Movement.
• What is the link between music, protest, and justice?
• Confederate Flag: Is it a symbol of oppression?
• Review the voting rights of 1965.
• The West Memphis Three.

Special Human Rights Debate Topics

• Women rights in the first half and second half 20 th century.
• Legalization of same sex marriage and its impact on global fights for human rights.
• Human rights movements in the US and their impact on federal policies.
• International human rights movements: How has it influenced the UK judicial policies?
• Responsibility to protect: How is it related to the issue of human rights?
• Suffrage rights in ancient Greek: A holistic review.
• Human rights presentation in the philosophy of enlightenment.
• Human rights violations during the First World War.
• What are lessons did we learn from Hitler and Holocaust during WWII.
• These five reasons are the main causes of human rights violations in the 21 st century.
• The main causes of gender disparity in the US.
• Comparing the state of human rights in the UK and Qatar.
• Do you think the bible violates human rights?
• Environmental racism: What are the main effects?
• The importance of the judiciary in protecting human rights.
• Women rights in the Roman Empire.
• Segregation is a violation of human rights.
• Discussing critical human rights issues in India.

Unique Human Rights Topics for Research

• The collapse of the Soviet Union and Rise of Communism in Russia.
• Comparing the Pan-African movement to the 20 th -century cultural nationalism of Latin America.
• A review of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement’s goals and methods.
• Abolition of death penalty: Why it is a major human rights issue.
• Popularity of social media and its impact on human rights. A closer review of Arab countries in North Africa.
• International Calvinism: What was the impact on European Culture?
• Why do other countries not intervene in North Korea where massive abuses of human rights have been reported?
• A statistical review of human trafficking in the 20 th century.
• How can a person as an individual help to promote human rights?
• Utilitarianism contravenes human rights.
• Human rights institutions and their efforts in protecting human rights in Africa.
• Military actions to protect human rights: Does it make sense?
• Black Lives Matter Movement protests: What does the movement say about human rights today?
• Does the UK constitution comprehensively cover the issue of human rights?
• Global manufacturing: How has it impacted the rights of workers?
• Has the International Labor Organization done enough to protect the plight of workers on the globe?
• How does poverty impact human rights in developing countries?

PhD Topics in Human Rights

• A review of the parts of the globe with the worst cases of human rights violation.
• How does the internet promote human trafficking? A thematic review.
• A comprehensive review of factors that impact the outcome of different trials in a court of law.
• Legitimate forms of the death penalty.
• What factors prevent people from getting justice? A literature review.
• A comprehensive review of the impacts of legalizing drug use.
• What factors prevent equal representation of women in top leadership roles in the developing world?
• What are the major problems faced by LGBT couples? Propose possible solutions.
• Racial profiling by police: A case study of Mexico.
• A comparative review of human rights policies of three countries of your choice in Europe.

Other Human Rights Research Paper Topics

• LGBT relationships: Why are they disallowed in some countries?
• Comparing the rights of pets to human rights?
• A review of human rights violations during quarantines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A review of the fundamental principle of the EU Commission of Human Rights.
• Human rights violations in Taiwan.
• What is the link between ecological problems and human rights problems?
• Evaluate the most frequently violated human right in your workplace.
• What is the UK policy on refugees?
• A closer review of transgender rights in Europe.
• Discuss physical abuses in marriage in the UK.
• Evaluate the amendment of laws in France to suit LGBT relationships.
• Prisoners of war: Do they deserve human rights protection?
• Discuss the strategies used by the two countries with the best human rights records.
• Comparing the human rights institutions in Africa to those in Asia.
• Violation of human rights in Crimea in 2014: Were the remedies enough?

Need Assistance in Writing Your Research Papers on Human Rights?

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Llm human rights, conflict and justice.

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• Jump to: Course overview
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Key information

Home student fees : £15,130 per year Overseas student fees : £25,740 per year

Please note that fees go up each year.   See  postgraduate fees  for further details.

A 2:1 degree in a relevant undergraduate degree.  

If you have a lower degree classification, your application may be considered if you can present a strong case, either through relevant work experience, other legal qualifications, or a strong supporting statement. References are not required, but can help build a stronger application if you fall below the 2:1 requirement or have non-traditional qualifications. 

See international entry requirements and English language requirements .

Course overview

The SOAS LLM in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice provides a specialisation in a constantly evolving area of law that covers a range of issues at the heart of major contemporary developments and debates.

This programme offers a wide range of distinctive modules that combine a focus on core subjects in the field alongside a critical inquiry into the theory and practice of human rights law and related fields, particularly as they relate to the global South. Options include core international modules on international human rights law, international criminal law, international refugee and migration law, international humanitarian law, and justice, reconciliation and reconstruction in post conflict societies.

The degree also offers singular modules on specific legal approaches, settings, and cross-cutting themes such as Human Rights and Islamic Law; Law, Rights & Social Change; Law, Human Rights and Peace-building: the Israeli-Palestinian case; Darfur: Anatomy of a Human Rights Emergency; and Human Rights of Women.

Why study LLM Human Rights, Conflict and Justice at SOAS?

• We are ranked in the UK top 20 (QS World University Rankings 2023).
• We are ranked 6th in the UK for employability (QS World University Rankings 2023)
• Our research publications have been rated first in the UK - and our School of Law rated sixth in the UK - in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
• We provides a unique environment and opportunity to engage with relevant issues taught by our expert staff who bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience of working and teaching in the field. 
• The programme uses a range of teaching methods and approaches, which draw on the wider, global community of academics, legal practitioners and NGOs, to foster an engaged, critical learning environment.

SOAS Centre for Human Rights Law

The area of human rights, conflict and justice occupies an important place in the SOAS School of Law, which is home to the SOAS Centre for Human Rights Law . The Centre provides a focal point for research activities and regular events, and an opportunity for postgraduate students to become involved and engage with the SOAS research community and actors in the field.

The programme is ideal for LLB graduates or legal professionals with an interest in the theory and practice of human rights law and related fields, particularly as they relate to the global south. You will join an international alumni of graduates from the LLM at SOAS, many of whom are now working at the UN, in NGOs, in government, private practice, policy work or academia.

Please note that the LLM is restricted to applicants who hold an UK law degree or international equivalent. 

Global Partnerships

This programme can be offered as part of a dual LLM degree with University of Bergen .

Through the dual LLM, University of Bergen LLM students can spend either Year Four or Year Five of their five year programme at SOAS studying for an LLM and gain an award from both institutions. For more information and eligible programmes included in the dual LLM, please see the SOAS-Bergen partnership on the Global Partnerships website.

Students must take modules to a total value of 180 credits, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules. Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits. Students who wish to graduate with a specialised LLM are required to take at least 60 credits associated with their specialised LLM, and the dissertation topic will be undertaken within the LLM specialisation.

Please note that not all modules listed will be available every year.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. 

Dissertation

Dissertation (12,000 words), on a topic related to the specialism of the degree

Taught component

120 credits total

Students take the following compulsory module (15 credits)

• Choose modules from List A  to the value of 60 credits and
• Choose modules from List A and List B OR from postgraduate open options to the value of 45 credits

List A (subject to availability)

List b (subject to availability), open options.

Open options will need approval of deputy PG programme convenor (LLM or MA)

Teaching and learning

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

Contact hours

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes.

Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

We recommend that part-time students have between two-and-a-half and three days a week free to pursue their course of study. 

Knowledge and understanding

• Students will acquire specialist knowledge of human rights law internationally.
• the theoretical and practical underpinnings of human rights law internationally;
• the context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended;
• the role played by law, particularly human rights law in different situations internationally;
• the role and function of legal institutions institutions in managing human rights;
• the weight and significance of different sources and methodologies.
• Students will develop knowledge of how to locate relevant materials and assess their relevance and/or importance.

Intellectual (thinking) skills

• Students should develop rigor in analysis and assessment of legal arguments.
• Students should develop the ability to understand, summarise and critically assess differing perspectives on theoretical debates.
• Students should develop independence of thought and the confidence to challenge the accepted wisdom.
• Students should learn to identify issues and formulate questions for further research through independent work.
• Students will be encouraged to bring to bear their own previous experience and knowledge in addressing legal issues in an interdisciplinary manner.

Subject-based practical skills

The programme will help students develop the ability to:

• Write clear research essays and dissertations.
• Research in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes and online, and retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.
• Present seminar papers and defend the arguments therein.
• Discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
• Develop essay and dissertation research questions.
• Read legal source materials rapidly and critically.
• Present legal arguments in moots and debates.

Transferable skills

The programme will enable students to:

• Communicate effectively in writing.
• Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively both orally and in writing.
• Read and comprehend significant quantities of reading rapidly and effectively and develop critical faculties.
• Find and use a variety of written and digital materials, especially legal materials, in libraries and research institutes.
• Present (non – assessed) material orally.
• Develop teamwork skills.

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Scholarships

SOAS Law graduates leave SOAS as civic minded and critically engaged individuals who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies. With a thorough understanding of the legal dimensions underlying many of our global challenges today, our Law students are valued by employers due to their analytical skills, specialist knowledge, and global perspective.

SOAS Law graduates have found the LLM a vital boost to their work as legal professionals and that this Law Masters is an excellent base for further study towards a research degree such as a PhD leading to an academic career.

Recent School of Law graduates have been hired by:

• BloombergNEF
• British Medical Association
• Clifford Chance
• DAC Beachcroft LLP
• Department for Work and Pensions
• HM Treasury
• Latham & Watkins
• Legal Cheek
• Simpson Millar Solicitors
• The Economist
• Travers Smith
• World Cancer Research Fund

Find out about our Careers Service.

Dr Michelle Staggs Kelsall

International Law; Human Rights; Business; Human Rights; Law; Policy of Southeast Asia

Professor Lutz Oette

Public international law; human rights, particularly prohibition of torture; victims' rights and reparation; human rights, law reform and justice in Sudan; international refugee law

SOAS Voices

South Africa v Israel, provisional measures and the obligation to prevent genocide

SOAS Law academics contextualise South Africa v. Israel before the International Court of Justice ruling and discuss the implications of this case on international law and human rights protection.

Why I chose to study MA Human Rights Law at SOAS  

MA student Anna moved across the pond to pursue a Human Rights Law degree. She runs through the key reasons why she chose SOAS.

How is Covid-19 impacting human rights?

Covid-19 constitutes a major stress test for societies, states, and the international order.

Africa neglects women's property rights at its own economic peril - but it's not the only culprit

Women in Africa own less than 10% of the land. Transformation can only be achieved through legal awareness raising and bottom-up legal change strategies to facilitate economic empowerment.

Sudan's catastrophe: A long history of failed responses to structural and direct violence

The current crisis in Sudan has deep roots. Seemingly erupting suddenly, it has in fact been a long time coming.

OPINION: How Suella Braverman's fight to "stop the boats" breaches human rights

The UK government wants to remove the right to claim asylum from people who arrive without the right of entry, whom they call “illegal”. But it does not address the nation's international human rights obligations and echoes the anti-migrant discourse of previous generations.

The Social Life of Law in Authoritarian Contexts

Food security and the governance of local knowledge in india and indonesia (2018–2023).

Working with the Australian Research Council to examine the ways small farmers identify, conserve and exchange useful plant material.

Fostering ecocentric community-led river restoration and conservation in the Ganga Basin (2022–2023)

Interrogating the concept of "river rights" to examine the contribution of ecocentric rights for river restoration and conservation.

Conflicts over Access to Water and Land: Evolving dimensions (2022–2025)

Addressing water conflicts through the lens of water security.

Carceral Policy, Policing and Race

Amplifying the carceral experiences of marginalised populations across the Global South.

Sanitation in India: Understanding a complex and controversial human right (2016)

Examining the right to sanitation in India from a broad perspective that encompasses the various dimensions of the right.

Legalissues Related to water sector restructuring in India (2006–2009)r

The first major study of water law in India since the early 1990s and contributed to ensuring policy-makers would consider it a more important part of sector reforms.

UKIERI: Climate change and groundwater management in India (2013–2015)

Analysing the impact of climate change on groundwater.

Rule of Law in Thailand

Enhancing SOAS knowledge and capacity in the study and research of East and Southeast Asian laws, with a focus on Thai law.

Age of consent and child-marriage in the British Empire

Exploring the debates that led to the reform of age of consent laws in UK and their introduction in other parts of the Empire at the end of the 19th century.

HURIME Project: Human Rights in the Post-Uprisings Middle East

Enhancing the knowledge of academicians and politicians on the new tendencies of human rights discourses and practices in the MENA region.

SOAS Influencing the Corridors of Power project

Influencing the Corridors of Power (ICOP) is an innovative front-line project which addresses the democratic deficit between UK universities and UK politics.

The 7th Kay Everett Memorial Lecture: "Simply being gay" and "Gaming the system": a look at some myths about legal protection for LGBTQI+ refugees

Come join us for the Kay Everett Memorial Lecture at SOAS University of London, in partnership with Wilsons LLP! This event honours the legacy of SOAS Alumna and lawyer, Kay Everett.

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Human Rights » 80 Human Rights Research Topics

80 Human Rights Research Topics

FacebookXEmailWhatsAppRedditPinterestLinkedInAre you a student at the undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral level seeking captivating research topics in the field of human rights? Look no further. Our topic help online service can provide valuable assistance to students searching for research topics in human rights to write their dissertations. We understand the significance of selecting a relevant and […]

Are you a student at the undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral level seeking captivating research topics in the field of human rights? Look no further. Our topic help online service can provide valuable assistance to students searching for research topics in human rights to write their dissertations. We understand the significance of selecting a relevant and compelling research topic in human rights that aligns with your interests, academic goals, and the broader field of human rights.

In today’s complex and interconnected world, the study of human rights has become increasingly critical. As a field that examines the fundamental rights and freedoms to which every individual is entitled, human rights research delves into the diverse challenges and advancements in the protection and promotion of these rights. Whether you are an undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral student, engaging in research on human rights offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the discourse surrounding social justice, equality, and dignity.

By exploring topics such as discrimination, gender equality, refugees and migration, freedom of expression, or the rights of marginalized communities, you can contribute to the development of policies, strategies, and interventions that aim to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Human rights research is not only academically stimulating but also socially impactful, empowering individuals and communities around the world. It is a field that fosters empathy, critical thinking, and a commitment to justice, making it a compelling choice for students passionate about making a difference in the world.

A List Of Potential Research Topics In Human Rights:

• The role of transitional justice in addressing historical injustices and promoting reconciliation.
• Exploring the right to freedom of expression in the digital age.
• Exploring the intersectionality of race, gender, and human rights.
• Investigating the right to healthcare and access to essential medicines.
• What are the human rights considerations in digital contact tracing and its impact on privacy rights?
• Assessing the human rights implications of autonomous weapons systems and drones.
• What are the human rights considerations in the use of facial recognition technologies for health monitoring purposes?
• Assessing the human rights implications of extractive industries and natural resource exploitation.
• The impact of artificial intelligence on human rights protection.
• What are the human rights implications of government surveillance during public health emergencies?
• Analyzing the impact of discrimination based on caste, class, or ethnicity on human rights.
• What are the human rights considerations in vaccine distribution and equitable access?
• The rights of migrant workers in the UK: Analyzing the challenges and barriers faced by migrant workers in accessing their rights and protections.
• LGBTQ+ rights in the UK: Investigating the progress and challenges in ensuring equal rights and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in the UK.
• Analyzing the impact of armed conflicts on children’s rights.
• Investigating the human rights implications of data privacy and protection.
• The impact of gender-based violence on women’s rights.
• Analyzing the rights of indigenous children and their access to education and healthcare.
• What are the human rights implications of emergency measures and their potential for abuse and discrimination?
• What are the human rights challenges faced by individuals in quarantine or isolation during the pandemic?
• Investigating the impact of economic globalization on labor rights.
• Analyzing the human rights violations in conflict zones and the role of international humanitarian law.
• How has the pandemic affected the right to education and access to digital learning opportunities?
• Analyzing the rights of persons with disabilities and inclusive policies.
• Analyzing the rights of persons with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of international human rights treaties in promoting accountability.
• How has the pandemic affected the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association?
• The role of international organizations in promoting and protecting human rights.
• Assessing the impact of social media on human rights advocacy and activism.
• The impact of climate change on the realization of the right to a clean environment.
• Investigating the rights of persons with age-related disabilities and challenges in aging societies.
• The role of truth and reconciliation commissions in promoting justice and reconciliation.
• Analyzing the impact of human rights violations during armed conflicts on the mental health of survivors.
• What are the human rights implications of contact tracing technologies and data privacy concerns?
• Investigating the rights of indigenous peoples and their land rights.
• The right to privacy in the digital age in the UK: Examining the human rights implications of surveillance and data collection practices in the UK.
• Investigating the rights of persons with migrant status and the challenges of integration.
• How has the pandemic affected the rights of persons in detention and the prison system?
• Investigating the impact of armed conflicts on cultural heritage and the right to cultural identity.
• Assessing the rights of prisoners and the challenges of prison reform.
• How has the pandemic impacted the right to freedom of expression and the role of disinformation?
• Assessing the effectiveness of human rights education in promoting awareness and empowerment.
• Human rights and racial equality in the criminal justice system in the UK: Analyzing the systemic issues and potential reforms to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
• Exploring the rights of persons with mental disabilities and the challenges of stigma and discrimination.
• Exploring the rights of indigenous women and their struggle for equality.
• The role of national human rights institutions in promoting human rights domestically.
• How has the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities and human rights disparities?
• The role of the Human Rights Act 1998 in protecting human rights in the UK: Analyzing the effectiveness and potential reforms of the Human Rights Act .
• The role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in promoting human rights at the grassroots level.
• The human rights implications of government surveillance and mass surveillance programs.
• The role of transitional justice mechanisms in post-conflict societies.
• Human rights and counter-terrorism measures in the UK: Assessing the balance between national security and protecting civil liberties and human rights.
• Human rights implications of Brexit: Examining the impact of Brexit on the protection and promotion of human rights in the UK.
• The role of human rights defenders in promoting and protecting human rights.
• What are the human rights challenges in protecting asylum seekers and refugees during the pandemic?
• Exploring the human rights implications of counter-terrorism measures.
• Investigating the rights of migrants and refugees in destination countries.
• The role of international criminal justice in addressing human rights abuses.
• Investigating the rights of persons with HIV/AIDS and combating discrimination.
• Assessing the human rights challenges faced by refugees and internally displaced persons.
• Exploring the right to privacy in the context of digital surveillance and data collection.
• What measures can be taken to protect healthcare workers’ rights during and after the pandemic?
• The role of media in raising awareness and promoting human rights.
• Analyzing the human rights implications of artificial reproductive technologies.
• The role of international trade agreements in protecting and promoting human rights.
• How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the realization of economic and social rights?
• How has the pandemic affected the rights of women and girls, particularly regarding gender-based violence and access to reproductive health services?
• Human rights and the rights of persons with disabilities in the UK: Assessing the progress and challenges in ensuring equal rights and accessibility for persons with disabilities.
• Assessing the human rights implications of emerging technologies such as facial recognition and biometric surveillance.
• The rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK: Examining the challenges and policies related to the protection and integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.
• Exploring the right to freedom of religion and belief in diverse societies.
• How has the pandemic impacted the right to housing and access to safe and adequate shelter?
• How has the pandemic impacted the rights of marginalized communities, such as refugees and internally displaced persons?
• The right to water and sanitation: Challenges and solutions.
• The right to education for marginalized communities: Challenges and strategies for inclusivity.
• How has the pandemic affected the right to work and decent working conditions?
• What are the human rights challenges in ensuring the protection of vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or persons with disabilities, during the pandemic?
• Exploring the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in the context of border control and migration policies.
• Human rights and the rights of children in the UK: Investigating the protection and promotion of children’s rights, including issues such as child poverty, education, and child protection.
• How has the pandemic affected the rights of migrant workers and their access to healthcare and social protection?

In conclusion, if you are a student at the undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral level seeking compelling research topics in the field of human rights for your dissertation, we have provided a diverse range of options to explore. Remember to select a topic that aligns with your passion and expertise, and utilize available resources such as academic literature, case studies, and human rights organizations. With dedication and a commitment to human rights, your research can make a meaningful impact and contribute to positive change in society.

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Dissertation Topics in Law for LLM Students

• Updated on  
• May 9, 2023

The last academic challenge before the completion of your postgraduate degree is a dissertation or thesis. Many students pursuing LLM are often confused while deciding the correct topic for the dissertation as it requires a lot of research. To help you with the dissertation this blog contains ideal law dissertation topics for LLM in India. Keep reading to know more!

This Blog Includes:

How to choose the best dissertation topic, advantages of choosing a good dissertation topic, criminal law dissertation topics, international law dissertation topics, family law dissertation topics, employment law dissertation topics, international commercial law dissertation topics, law dissertation topics india, intellectual property law topics in dissertation, constitutional law topics in dissertation, sports law topics in dissertation, medical law topics in dissertation, commercial law dissertation topics, company law dissertation topics, tort law dissertation topics, eu law dissertation topics, the english legal system and constitutional and administrative law dissertation topics.

A lot of research and hard work is required to decide what is a correct and valuable topic for the dissertation or thesis. It is seen in various students that before graduation the dissertation is the last hurdle in the way. It is advised to pursue a topic after valuable research and most importantly that goes with the student’s interests.

Also Read: Dissertation Topics

There are an array of benefits when you choose a good and valuable dissertation topic. These advantages include:

• This helps you in the analysis of the topic and deep research.
• Present you with a program to enhance your investigative skills.
• In explaining your subject option, you should be prepared to show how your previous research experiences ended up with great knowledge. 
• You can find a degree of education useful for postgraduate research.

Also Read: Law Entrance Exams: India & Abroad

Criminal law is the body of law regulating crime and criminal activities in India. This proves to be an important topic and is interesting as well. Some of the criminal law dissertation topics are:

• A Significant Study of Struggle against Girls in India
• Case Debate on business trial in India
• An Analysis on Terrorism and Lawlessness Against Infants in India
• A survey on Legislation against private terrorism in India
• Significant Evaluation Of Death Cost In India
• An Analysis of Juvenile Justice System and Order in India
• The appearance of the group is in the criminal law process
• The Root Elements of the Infant Mergers
• White-Collar Crime Law in India
• Criminology and Criminal Justice

Also Read: How to Write a Dissertation?

International law dissertation is another amazing topic where you can add your relevant thoughts. Some of the unique international law dissertation topics are:

• What are the significant aspects of collective civil obligations in now’s global order?
• What are the causes that cause application of foreign order at the state standard also complex?
• Figure out the very important issues encountered by establishing universal rules.
• What are the effects of accelerated market restraints on people? Can such a thing be explained?
• What are global challenges encountered by international businessmen, when installing service projects in third group societies?
• What are the effects of letting offenders continue to their native land for action?
• How seeing abuse as a foreign war case will change the position of African people?
• What are the important challenges encountered by companies that are coming in the global travel industry from the ocean.
• What universal rules regulate copy? How should this case be corrected?
• Which governmental law of the UK is sufficiently sufficient to be carried out universally?

Also Read: What is a Dissertation? Meaning, Projects, Report Work

Some of the most important and unique family law dissertation topics are:

• Separation case for father and female representatives of the group, makes it favour any particular gender or is it merely a sense
• Matrimonial Act and how it affects women who join without their permission. What is the attitude of decisions about made mergers and how can one explain it in the court of decision
• Residential part by stepmothers and offspring, how goes on the case provide everybody has their got right and place
• Youth insurance problems in the unified kingdom, which of the state shows to have very trouble with such arguments and why is it so
• Adolescent abuse-is it important to discipline your children and youths? What is the perimeter between youth abuse and correcting your children for setting their limits
• Internal disorder and its effect on the boy and female representatives personally, which of them picks up a greater claim in the mind of order and how can we get rid of that biasness
• Protection problems for separated mothers, how goes on it go and what goes on the statute have to do about the protection of the child for each mother
• How looks at the proper form thing if a man is incapable to provide and provide his house owing to lack or scarcity of means
• Long-distance communications and their fair significance cut off from the spiritual and artistic attitudes
• Minor job- what are we looking at to abolish it and how goes on our constitutional process set limits and provide that they are found

Employment law dissertation enables you to craft perfect research on your thesis or dissertation. Some of the employment law dissertation topics are:

• The link between trade and morality in the UK. An academic context.
• A study of the relationship between sports departments and their service contracts.
• The effect of variation in the business decisions of the UK after starting the EU.
• The task of infant employment regulations in the UK. How does the judiciary remain fighting developing youth employment?
• The influence of civil responsibility service in UK regulations.
• A study of the market association in the UK study of the business requirements and principles.
• A provisional review of business decisions in the station waggon part of the UK and EU. Who gets the first job benefit and rights insurance systems?
• An in-depth study of justice fees in the validities of UK legislation.

Some of the international commercial law dissertations you can choose from are:

• An assessment of the enemy-pollution bill in the UK. Its origins and effects on the state leaders.
• A strategic study of the joint cloak and how the decision can pass through it.
• The performance of UK legislation in affecting joint difficulties while preserving major human rights.
• A symposium on the differences enveloping the purview of field 33 groups do 2006 in the UK
• The effects of setting reasonable requirements for the principal’s needs. How does the organisation do well under this?
• An in-depth assessment of economic regulation programs at attending institutions in the UK.
• The effect of UNCITRAL’s performance on the unification of universal economic legislation in the UK.

Also Read: How to Write Acknowledgement for Dissertation?

Some of the Indian legal topics you can choose for your dissertation are:

• Handgun Case in India: Provision of a Different Structure
•  Animal investigation: Order in India
• Wire advertising and constitutional structure
•  Joint Civil Power and change
• Moral Orders and Cases in producing societies
• Men Investigations and Indian constitutional practice
•  Improvement of infants and proper conflict

Some of the catchy and interesting dissertation topics that you can choose as a dissertation topic for law assignment:

• Scientific advances and present IP rule in India
• IP rules and the safety of/on Internet
•  New patent statutes and digitalisation

Also Read: University of Law: Eligibility, Application, Courses & More

Here are some of the finest dissertation or thesis topics for constitutional law dissertation topics are:

• Accident plans in India: A study
• Legal exploitation and its interest: An assessment
• Application of International Cases in Indian Legal Structure
• Able expression in virtual life and Indian Custom

Also Read: Dissertation vs Thesis

A constantly fascinating subject, sports provides a large range of fields and issues to judge from to create your analysis report. It can deal with universal order, national order, carrying out parties, power, and often better.

Here are some of the finest dissertation (thesis)points on Sports law:

• Doping and Sports: National and International fair innuendo
• Legalisation of speculating in India: Law and Cons
• Handling sports organisations and their constitutional ramifications
• Transgender animals and Indian Custom

Medical law dissertation is another great topic you can choose from, some of the medical law dissertation topics are:

• Member retention: Fair experts and cons
• Miscarriage in India: A global review
• Made fertilisation: Provision of primary training to find out these matters
• Supported suicide: Fair, honest and therapeutic ethics
• Animal torture: A fair claim research

Also Read: Law Courses

Commercial Law is one such topic where a wide area of study is to be covered because it cannot be described within a single legal jurisdiction. A commercial law dissertation often involves comparisons with other countries. Listed below are some topics for Commercial Law Dissertation:

• A critical assessment of the international commercial arbitration system as a cost-effective and efficient means to administer justice in commercial disputes
• An assessment of security over personal property when it comes to the matter of possessory and non-possessory forms of security and other legal devices
• An investigation of the emergence of new manifestations of international commercial law
• A critical assessment of the passing of risk in the commercial law in England and Wales
• A critical assessment of the Future of consumer protection in England and Wales in the post-Brexit era

There is a great scope of producing an effective Company Law Dissertation as it provides you with potential sources. From the Companies Act 2006 to corporate governance, you have a lot of options to choose from. Listed below are some great Company Law Dissertation Topics:

• A critical analysis of the shareholder versus stakeholder basis of corporate governance
• Arguments for and against ‘stakeholder theory’ and to what extent are they still valid?
• Should the OECD’s Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital 2010 be ratified into UK Law?
• To what extent has Environmental Law merged together Vicarious and Corporate Liability
• Is the English maintenance of the “internal management” model failing to bring company law in the 21st Century?

The word Tort comes from the Latin term torture which means “Wrong”. In simple terms, Tort Law is supposed to address the civil wrongs done to a person, accidentally or incidentally. The victim/injured/aggrieved party is provided with compensation for the damages.

This area of law is one of the most important aspects of law study as it demonstrates the circumstances through which an individual is held accountable for another party’s injury either done intentionally or omissions or even by accident. Listed below are some topics for a Tort Law Dissertation to make it easier for you to draft an effective dissertation:

• Importance of foreseeability and policy in establishing a duty of care
• Analysis of the rules regarding the recovery of economic losses in tortious actions
• When it comes to matters of occupiers’ liability under the Occupiers Liability Acts of 1957 and 1984 respectively, when is a trespasser, not a trespasser?
• Wrongful Restraint of a man’s Liberty: Meaning, Defense and Remedy
• Why might the duty of care afforded to children be considered to be a step too far regarding the recognition of tortious liability?

Also Read: All About PhD Thesis

EU Law is considered as an expandable area of academic interest, particularly due to the UK’s recent Brexit from the Union. There is a wide range of dissertation topics you can consider for an EU Law Dissertation, from UK’s Brexit to the superiority of EU Law. Listed below are some great dissertation topics to start with your EU Law Dissertation:

• Critical Analysis of the UK’s Separation from the EU.
• Brexit and EU economy: How the UK’s decision has affected EU trade.
• An argument: Is EU Law actually superior?
• Importance of the enforcement actions against EU Member States as part of the European law-making process.
• How has the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950 contributed to the recognition of human rights internationally?

The English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law may be classified into 3 key areas-

• The nature of the Constitution may be considered in areas including, but not limited to, the recognition and application of conventions and the rule of law. 
• Evaluation of the roles of the legislature, executive and parliament in the context of the recognition of the separation of powers, which could include legislation’s passage through Parliament, the delegation of legislation, the relationship between Parliament, the crown and the Royal Prerogative, and the executive, legislative and judiciary’s relationship.
• Judicial Review includes the basis for intervention, such as ultra vires and illegality, procedural irregularity, irrationality, proportionality, and the nemo judex rule.

A number of areas can be covered in this dissertation as the English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law is quite different from other legal systems as the role of the judge differs in an adversarial system. The major difference is in how a trial is pursued. Some topics for an English Legal System and Constitutional and Administrative Law Dissertation are as mentioned below:

• The Role of natural justice  in the UK Constitution
• Are conventions still a valid part of the UK Constitution?
• Is the Royal Prerogative an essential part of the British Constitution?
• Are the current models of statutory interpretation fit for purpose, especially as the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) infer a more active approach for judges?
• In what ways will the relationship between constitutional and administrative law in England and Wales be affected by Brexit?

The following are the popular law universities in the world: Harvard University Columbia University Stanford University

Here are some of the finest dissertation or thesis topics for constitutional law dissertation topics are: Accident plans in India: A study Legal exploitation and its interest: An assessment Application of International Cases in the Indian Legal Structure Able expression in virtual life and Indian Custom

The average salary of a lawyer in India is 3.5 Lakh per year.

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5 L.L.M Human Rights Distance Learning Programmes

Long distance learning offers students the flexibility to continue working while furthering their education at the same time. Such programmes are highly valuable for individuals who wish to maintain their current professional or personal occupations but still further their academic engagement. The following article outlines five L.L.M. degrees in the field of human rights offered as long distance learning programmes.

L.L.M. with Specialisation in Human Rights, University of London

The specialisation in Human Rights Law at the University of London is one of the most in-demand programmes offered by the Postgraduate Law Faculty. The programme challenges students to engage with human rights issues from the perspective of governments, international bodies, individuals and corporations. Furthermore, the programme unpacks the complexities involved in the promotion of human rights values and protection, focusing specifically on the rights of women, children and refugees. Important legal frameworks are unpacked and their effectiveness analysed. The programme content is written and delivered by individuals renowned in the field of human rights who seek to transfer both their academic and practical experience to students. The course is designed specifically to accommodate for professionals and is structured so as to allow flexibility of study-period as well as course-work submission. The programme offers the option to study from 1-5 years full or part-time.

LLM in International Human Rights Law, University of Law, UK

This LLM in International Human Rights Law focuses on building a student’s in-depth knowledge of the subject and how international law protects human rights. It covers topics like the general principles of international human rights law, the connection between humanitarian and human rights law, and the challenges and future of international and domestic human rights. Full-time, the program takes 12 months. Part-time takes 21 months. Modules are assessed by a 3-hour written exam (which must be taken at one of the UK campuses or approved overseas center) or a written coursework assignment. A 15,000-word thesis is also required. To apply, students need a UK undergraduate degree (any subject) at 2:2 or above, or an equivalent qualification. Proven English proficiency is needed, as well.

L.L.M. in International Human Rights Law, De Montfort University, Leicester

Aimed at professionals already practicing in the field of human rights, this course provides students with the opportunity to develop their academic training so as to differentiate themselves in the job market and boost employability. With the flexibility offered by the distance learning platform, students can do all this without sacrificing their current and on-going professional pursuits. The course is delivered in partnership with Informa Professional Academy, an organisation dedicated to facilitate the furthering of professionals’ postgraduate education. Over the course of two and a quarter years, students will be expected to undertake a series of modules which combine the study of the origins of international human rights law and thinking with a thorough training in the international human rights legal system. Additionally, students must submit a dissertation which critically engages with a theme related to international human rights law.

L.L.M. in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Aberystwyth University

Allowing students a maximum of five years to complete their degree, this distance learning L.L.M. provides students with all the necessary resources to achieve high academic results in the study of human rights and humanitarian law. The flexible programme can be designed so as to suit the needs of each individual student, requiring the completion of a certain set number of module courses as well as a dissertation by the end of the five years. For the dissertation component, students are encouraged to do research on a topic that is relevant to their professional pursuits. There is a biennial residential weekend where students attend lectures and seminars which stimulate debates around the topics being covered in the distance courses. Attendance at these weekends is highly recommended as it provides the opportunity to interact with other students as well as the programme lecturers and co-ordinators.

Master’s in International Human Rights Law, Oxford University

This programme is offered jointly by the Department for Continuing Education and the Faculty of Law and takes place on a part-time basis over a period of 22 months. The programme is structured as such so as to accommodate for lawyers and others human rights practitioners who wish to further their studies while continuing their practice in the field. During the learning period, students will complete two distance-learning modules online as well as two learning periods based at the Oxford campus. The course has a focus on human rights in practice. The aim is to ensure that students not only know the law around human rights, but can use it to implement change in the real world. Furthermore, in grappling with the scope and limitations of international human rights law, students are pushed to think analytically about what further research needs there are around the subject.

Master of Laws in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law

This hybrid programme, offered by the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, is designed as a combination of online and residential course components so as to accommodate for human rights practitioners and advocates who wish to pursue advanced education while continuing their professional activities. The programme provides students with specialised training in the constitutional and legal frameworks that underlie international human rights law. Furthermore, the course is offered in both English and Spanish and it is the only course of its kind in the United States. The structure of the programme requires students to take two online courses and to participate in two, three-week summer session at the Washington College Law campus. Writing and externship requirements can be completed off-campus.

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About the author, human rights careers.

Human Rights Careers (HRC) provides information about online courses, jobs, paid internships, masters degrees, scholarships and other opportunities in the human rights sector and related areas.

100 Law Dissertation Topics For LLM in India

100 Law Dissertation Topics For LLM in India – A Master of Laws (LLM) is a postgraduate degree that focuses on specialized legal training for individuals who already possess a law degree. In India, pursuing an LLM is a popular option for law graduates who wish to further their education and specialize in a particular area of law. A crucial aspect of completing an LLM in India is writing a dissertation, which involves conducting independent research on a legal topic of the student’s choice. Here are some Law Dissertation Topics for LLM in India.

• The role of the judiciary in promoting social justice in India
• Human rights and the Indian constitution
• The effectiveness of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms in India
• Intellectual Property Rights and the Indian legal framework
• The impact of the Right to Information Act on Indian democracy
• The legal and ethical implications of surrogacy in India
• The regulation of cryptocurrencies in India
• Cybersecurity laws in India: current status and future prospects
• The intersection of gender and law in India
• The liability of online intermediaries under Indian law
• The legal and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in India
• The regulation of e-commerce in India: challenges and opportunities
• The intersection of law and medicine in India
• The role of NGOs in promoting access to justice in India
• The legal framework for environmental protection in India
• The Indian judiciary and the separation of powers
• The constitutional validity of the death penalty in India
• The regulation of insider trading in India
• The impact of the Goods and Services Tax on Indian businesses
• The regulation of foreign investment in India: challenges and opportunities
• The role of the National Green Tribunal in environmental protection in India
• The Indian banking sector and the prevention of financial crimes
• The Indian judiciary and the protection of fundamental rights
• The legal framework for corporate social responsibility in India
• The regulation of medical negligence in India
• The impact of intellectual property rights on pharmaceutical innovation in India
• The Indian legal framework for data protection and privacy
• The legal and ethical implications of genetically modified organisms in India
• The Indian legal framework for child protection and welfare
• The regulation of online defamation in India
• The Indian legal framework for labor rights and industrial relations
• The impact of globalization on Indian competition law
• The legal and ethical implications of assisted suicide in India
• The Indian legal framework for consumer protection
• The regulation of food safety and standards in India
• The Indian legal framework for animal rights and welfare
• The role of the media in shaping public opinion on legal issues in India
• The regulation of medical malpractice in India
• The Indian legal framework for juvenile justice
• The impact of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code on the Indian economy
• The Indian legal framework for disaster management
• The legal and ethical implications of artificial reproductive technologies in India
• The regulation of online gambling in India
• The Indian legal framework for child marriage prevention
• The impact of the Companies Act, 2013 on Indian corporate governance
• The Indian legal framework for intellectual property licensing
• The regulation of medical research in India
• The Indian legal framework for renewable energy
• The legal and ethical implications of animal testing in India
• The regulation of multi-level marketing in India
• The Indian legal framework for copyright infringement
• The impact of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act on the Indian real estate sector
• The Indian legal framework for data retention and surveillance
• The regulation of ride-hailing services in India
• The legal and ethical implications of climate change in India
• The Indian legal framework for franchise agreements
• The impact of demonetization on the Indian economy and its legal implications
• The Indian legal framework for cross-border insolvency
• The regulation of drone operations in India
• The legal and ethical implications of biometric authentication in India
• The role of the Indian Constitution in protecting fundamental rights.
• The scope and limitations of the right to freedom of speech and expression in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of minorities in India.
• The constitutional validity of affirmative action policies in India.
• The evolution of the doctrine of basic structure and its impact on Indian constitutional law.
• The constitutional protection of religious freedom in India.
• The intersection between environmental law and constitutional law in India.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring accountability in public governance in India.
• The constitutional validity of the death penalty in India.
• The role of the judiciary in protecting human rights under the Indian Constitution.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of women in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of children in India.
• The constitutional validity of the right to privacy in India.
• The role of the President and Governors under the Indian Constitution.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring social justice in India.
• The constitutional validity of anti-defection laws in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of disabled persons in India.
• The constitutional validity of the Right to Education Act in India.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring economic rights in India.
• The constitutional protection of property rights in India.
• The role of the Election Commission of India under the Indian Constitution.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring the independence of the judiciary in India.
• The constitutional validity of the sedition law in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ persons in India.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring the right to a fair trial in India.
• The constitutional validity of reservation policies in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of migrant workers in India.
• The constitutional validity of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of prisoners in India.
• The constitutional validity of the Triple Talaq law in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of indigenous peoples in India.
• The constitutional validity of the Right to Information Act in India.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring transparency and accountability in the governance of political parties in India.
• The constitutional validity of the Aadhaar (UID) scheme in India.
• The constitutional framework for ensuring the right to health in India.
• The constitutional protection of the right to protest in India.
• The constitutional validity of the anti-conversion laws in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of persons with mental illnesses in India.
• The constitutional framework for protecting the rights of refugees in India.

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