International Human Rights

This programme is offered at the Irish Centre for Human Rights within the School of Law. The centre is one of the world’s premier university-based institutions for the study and promotion of human rights and humanitarian law. The programme offers students a wide range of specialised courses, taught by leading experts in the field, and prepares students for work in the international human rights field, in policy, law, advocacy or human rights practice. The programme has a strong human rights clinical focus, providing students with core human rights lawyering skills in advocacy, international diplomacy and public policy. Students participate in a dynamic programme of seminars, workshops and conferences with world-leading practitioners and scholars. While the programme’s emphasis is on the law and policy of human rights, suitably qualified candidates from non-law backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Coursework begins with an in-depth study of the international human rights system and selected issues of international human rights law. Specialised modules in business and human rights, climate justice, international migration law, refugee protection, international humanitarian law, international criminal law, minority rights and rights of indigenous peoples, gender and human rights, counter-terrorism and human rights, and child rights. Completing a 15,000-word research thesis in the field of international human rights law is also a requirement. A wide range of subject choices is available to students, drawing on the expertise of our full time staff and prestigious adjunct faculty.