Master in European Human Rights LL.M.

The goal of the program is to shape internationally renowned legal experts who are ready to take challenges on a global scale and confident to handle complex issues in the international regulatory environment with a high level of confidence.

Human Rights have become a significant part of the legal order of the European Union, accompanied by an ever-growing social need for better protection. Internationally agreed on human rights principles and standards now also increasingly influence economic policy formation.

Constantly ranked in the top tier of Law Schools in Central-Europe, the Faculty of Law, ELTE launches a program in European Human Rights to bring together leading scholars, lawyers and policymakers. Starting from 2016 September, our European Human Rights program focuses on complex and creative problem-solving in the field of human rights law and wishes to enable students to take new approaches in human rights litigation on various European fora.

Globalization has prompted interest in deepening understanding of the relationship between human rights and traditional areas of law. Important efforts have already been made by various international organizations to disentangle the links between ethics, human rights, development, and economics.

Human rights advocates can bring a rights-based approach not only to strive for higher-level protection but also to bring about better economic and developmental results, thereby instrumentalizing human rights values and concepts.

Strength of program

We provide a vibrant, international environment where participants work under the supervision of internationally recognized experts. After graduation, they will be able to confidently deliver legal solutions to multifaceted human rights issues or create tailor-made prevention tools to avoid human rights abuses.

Our leading scholars seek to foster an encouraging learning environment to support legal professionals who are frequently facing new challenges.

Structure

The work schedule of the program is part-time: correspondence program. (Classes are held every second Friday and Saturday)

Semester I

• Human Rights Protection - General Overview and Critical Approaches
• The Operational Mechanisms of the European Union and its Importance for Human Rights Protection
• English Legal Writing
• Fundamental Human Rights in the European Union and the procedure of the European Court of Human Rights
• Overview of the European Convention on Human Rights and The Institutional System and Practice of the European Social Charter
• Human Rights Instruments of the Council of Europe and their enforcement mechanisms
• Comparative Analysis of the National Constitutional Mechanisms of Human Rights Protection
• Sociology of Human Rights

Semester II

• Citizens’ Rights in the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights
• The Right to Property and Related Economic Rights; Labour Rights as Human Rights
• Constitutional Interpretation
• The prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; European Criminal Law
• Freedom of Religion and the Status of Churches in Europe
• Communicative Freedoms in the European Union and in the European Convention of Human Rights; Privacy Protection in the EU and Council of Europe
• International and European Refugee Law and Minority
• Equal Treatment and the Prohibition of Discrimination
• Right to Justice; Human Rights and the Sociology of Jurisdiction
• The Right to Liberty and Security
• Transitional Justice
• Human Rights and Private Law relations
• The Right to Peace
• Environmental Protection in the European Union
• Business and Human Rights
• Thesis degree
• Optional lecture (Transitional Justice)

Career opportunities

Our distinguished program prepares students for outstanding careers in human rights litigation practices, government, academia, business, public policy, international and local NGOs.

Students who successfully graduated from the program will be entitled to use an LL.M. title according to the regulations of Act on National Tertiary Education of Hungary. (Act No CCIV of 2011).

Job examples

• Lawyer specialized in human rights
• A legal expert on human rights

Admission requirements

Entry requirements

Applicants have to be in the possession of a Master level legal degree as this is a second master program.

Language requirements

• A minimum level of language proficiency (oral) (A1-C2): B2
• A minimum level of language proficiency (written) (A1-C2): B2

Further comments:

The required level of English language knowledge is minimum B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Documents to submit with the application

• Online application form
• Master-level degree
  An official English version/translation of the law diploma (Degree accepted for admission: legal master degree or a legal degree equal to a legal master degree)
• Motivation letter (In English)
• Language certificate (Minimum B2 level English language certificate)

Application procedure

The application starts in the online application system. Students need to register in the system, fill in the online application form, upload the required documents and follow the instructions during the application process.

There is no entrance exam, decisions are made upon the provided documents.

Materials sent by postal mail, electronic mail or fax are not considered. The Faculty of Law does not return application documents or provide copies thereof under any circumstances.

The decisions are made by the Admission Committee of the Faculty within a month after the application deadline.

All applicants are notified in written form about the outcome of their applications.