International Human Rights

On this programme you will acquire specialised and in-depth knowledge and understanding of international human rights law, political theory of rights and international relations relating to human rights. The programme is interdisciplinary thus building on the strengths in this area of the Sutherland School of Law and the School of Politics and International Relations. Members of staff in the Sutherland School of Law have engaged in major research in this area spanning the full range of international human rights law from asylum law and practice, the EU and fundamental rights to the law of privacy in Ireland.





To understand and think critically about the intersections between law, politics and international relations that come to the fore in the study of human rights

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To apply their knowledge and understanding of human rights law, political theory and international relations to real and hypothetical factual situations



To conduct independent research and write coherent, well-structured papers.

The LLM requires the completion of 90 ECTS. The dissertation is worth 30 ECTS and there is a dissertation seminar in semester 2 for 2 hours per week with the dissertation being completed in Semester 3. The typical enrolment for a full-time student is 3 modules in Semester 1 and 2. Although all modules are available, students on this programme usually choose from the following modules. Part-time students, taking the degree over two years, should note that classes are as for those taking the full time option, but will take less credits per semester as they have 2 years to complete this programme.



For January start Full Time students the Dissertation seminars begin straight away and the dissertation will take place during the summer



Stage 1 - Core

Human Rights Law and EqualityEQUL40070

DissertationLAW40290

Law of the ECHRLAW40780

Politics of Human RightsPOL41020

Theory of Human RightsPOL41030



Stage 1 - Option

Gender, Conflict-related Harm & Transitional JusticeGS40100

International Competition LawLAW40150

Punishment, Prisons & Public PolicyLAW40620

NGOs: Law, Governance and Social ChangeLAW40760

Law and Governance of the EULAW41040

Coercive ConfinementLAW41050

Climate Change Law and PolicyLAW41090

Online RegulationLAW41150

Data Protection and Privacy: National and International PerspectivesLAW41270

International Tax LawLAW41450

White Collar CrimeLAW41500

Financial RegulationLAW42010

Law of Armed ConflictLAW42020

Culture, Heritage and Human RightsLAW42040

United Nations Human Rights PracticeLAW42130

Politics of DevelopmentPOL40100

Advanced Disability StudiesPSY40640

Disability Policy LegislationPSY40890

Degree Requirements



Applicants must hold a Law degree, or an inter-disciplinary degree in which law was a major component. Applicants must have achieved at least an upper second class honours or equivalent.



Applicants holding a Graduate Diploma in Law (60 ECTS Credits) may be considered but will normally be admitted only where they can show an exceptionally strong performance in both their undergraduate degree and diploma.



Exemption from these requirements may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience or those with a graduate qualification at Masters level or higher in a relevant discipline. Such applicants should state clearly in their application why they feel their qualifications/experiences are appropriate for admission to the programme.



These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes



English Language Requirements



Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) The test results must be less than 2 years old.



The School encourages all applicants whose first language is not English to attend the pre-sessional English programme offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre, details of which are available at www.ucd.ie/alc.

Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/



International applicants should visit the UCD International Office website (www.ucd.ie/international) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.

Application Procedure



Applicants should indicate which programme they are applying for. All applicants should note:



Official transcripts must be submitted as proof of examination results by all applicants except UCD graduates.



The personal statement is an important component of the application. It should contain information demonstrating your capability to undertake the course successfully. You should detail any relevant research and practical experience including any publications and major essays/projects.



Applicants must nominate two academic referees (name, position, postal address, e-mail address and telephone number). If an applicant has been in employment for more than two years, one of the referees must be your employer.



Please note: If you are offered a place on the LLM programme, accepting that place is a two-part process. You must submit an on-line acceptance and you must also pay a non-refundable deposit (normally €500) within 15 working days of the date of your offer letter.



Letter Of Recommendation

How to apply?

LLM International Human Rights FT (B440)

Deadline Rolling *



LLM International Human Rights PT (B441)

Deadline Rolling *



* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised.

90

B440: 1 year full-time

B441: 2 years part-time

Mode of delivery: Face-to-Face

LLM International Human Rights (B440) Full Time

EU fee per year - € 9320

nonEU fee per year - € 19900


LLM International Human Rights (B441) Part Time

EU fee per year - € 4660

nonEU fee per year - € 9950


***Fees are subject to change



Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.


We also offer scholarships for EU applicants. All applicants who apply before May 31st will be included. Further details at http://www.ucd.ie/law/study/scholarships/

Next Intake: 2024/2025 September.

Careers & Employability

The programme qualifies you to work in the field of human rights, either internationally or in Ireland, as a practising lawyer, legal adviser, policy-maker, advocate, researcher or academic. Career opportunities exist in inter-governmental organisations (United Nations, Council of Europe, European Union, Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe), government departments, international and domestic nongovernmental organisations, and law firms including McCann FitzGerald and Allen & Overy.



Several UCD careers events are held throughout the year, including dedicated law careers fairs which are attended by top employers. For specific careers advice, the UCD Sutherland School of Law has a dedicated careers advisor on its academic faculty.