Politics with Human Rights

Politics with Human Rights is a combination that takes the relationship between power and justice as its central concern. Politics examines how power is distributed, exercised, and contested in societies, from electoral systems and government institutions to social movements and international governance. Human rights adds a normative dimension, asking what protections individuals are entitled to by virtue of their humanity, how those rights are recognised and enforced in international law, and where they are violated and why.

At Leeds Beckett University, this three-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study politics and human rights in a different national and institutional context. You will explore the ideas, power struggles, and political movements that shape societies around the world, examining topics including inequality, populism, global justice, environmental change, and the rise of political extremism. The programme challenges you to question assumptions, engage with dominant narratives critically, and debate pressing and divisive issues with rigour and nuance.

Interactive learning, live projects, and industry exposure ensure that the academic content is grounded in what is actually happening in the world, developing the critical thinking and practical skills that employers value.

Graduates of politics with human rights programmes go on to careers in the civil service, international organisations, NGOs, human rights law, journalism, policy research, politics, and the charitable sector. The combination of political analysis and human rights knowledge is particularly valuable in organisations concerned with democratic governance, international development, refugee protection, and social justice advocacy. For those wishing to pursue legal careers with a human rights focus, further professional legal training after the undergraduate degree is required.

Postgraduate study in politics, international relations, human rights law, or public administration is a natural next step.