LLM in International Human Rights Law

Visit the LLM programme pages here.

Human rights are universal, yet are not recognized everywhere, nor interpreted the same in all countries. In some cases, this can leave victims and their lawyers in a situation where they must choose which forum to go to or which human rights legislative system to navigate in order to find their justice.

In this one year International Human Rights Law LLM programme, you will be trained in human rights at the international level, but also in international humanitarian law and other related fields.

You will learn about different human rights systems and how they are interpreted within these systems and within different countries. Our mission in teaching not only focuses on conveying specialized knowledge but also on enhancing students’ academic research skills as well as oral and written presentation skills. This should prepare students for any type of future career in an international legal environment related to international human rights, such as in the United Nations and other international and non-governmental organizations. Further, students will study in a truly international environment, in a very lively town which is extremely popular among students.

This International Human Rights LLM programme offers a broad approach to human rights and is, therefore, a specialization in the broadest sense, covering all aspects of and surrounding human rights. Participating in an LLM programme in any field of international law in the Netherlands, in particular, ensures that students will indeed be studying in a truly international, law-oriented environment; some of the most important international legal institutions in the world reside in the Netherlands. This includes the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court, and the Iran-US Claims Tribunal.

Career prospects

The LLM programme in International Human Rights Law will ultimately help prepare graduates for a (legal) career in performing human rights related assignments in governmental or EU institutions and ministries, the UN or other international organizations, non-governmental organizations (such as Amnesty International or Greenpeace), in the international commercial sector, internationally operating enterprises, and academic institutions.

Admission Requirements (General)

• The basic requirement for admission is a university Law degree which entitles the holder to practise in his/her country of origin or signifying completion of the academic stage of legal education (e.g. LLB)
• The transcript of studies must reflect a GPA (Grade Point Average) equivalent to 7/10 (Dutch grading scale);
• Proof of English proficiency (minimum scores required);
• Letter of motivation;
• A curriculum vitae;
• One academic reference

Specific requirements can be found here.

Application deadlines (course starts September 1, 2019)

• EU/EEA students: May 1, 2019
• Non-EU/EEA students: May 1, 2019

Tuition fees

• EU/EEA students: € 2083
• non-EU/EEA students: € 14600