International Human Rights Law

International human rights law sits at the intersection of legal doctrine and global justice, examining the rights that all human beings are recognised as holding under international law, how those rights are enforced or violated in practice, and what mechanisms exist to seek redress when violations occur. The field draws on public international law, constitutional law, criminal law and political philosophy, and its subject matter includes civil and political rights, economic and social rights, refugee law, international criminal justice and the systems of regional and international courts and treaties that structure the international human rights framework.

At the University of York's Law School you will study for three years full-time, developing through a problem-based learning approach that places you in collaborative teams working through real-world human rights violations and their potential remedies. This method mirrors the way that human rights advocates and lawyers actually work, developing both your legal knowledge and your ability to think creatively and critically about how law can be used as a tool for social justice. The programme includes a sandwich year in professional practice and a year abroad, giving you direct experience of human rights work in professional and international settings.

Graduates in international human rights law are well placed for careers in legal practice with a focus on public and international law, for roles in NGOs and advocacy organisations working on human rights, for positions in international institutions including the UN system and regional courts, and for work in journalism, policy research and development. Many graduates pursue the further professional training required for practice as a barrister or solicitor, where human rights law is a respected and growing specialism. Others move directly into campaigning organisations, refugee legal support, academic research or public interest legal work, where the problem-based legal training at York provides a strong practical as well as academic foundation.