Our LLM International Human Rights Law is the oldest established human rights law course in Europe and reflects our university’s global reputation as the leading centre for human rights research, practice and education. In 2009 the University was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of its excellence in the advancement of human rights.
We provide an advanced conceptual understanding of the international law on the promotion and protection of human rights, at the international, regional, and national level, informed by the latest practice and scholarship.
Our course sets international human rights law in its philosophical and historical contexts, enabling you to understand international human rights law as it applies in various situations including states of emergency or acute crises, development, and transition.
At Essex, we specialise in business law, public law, criminal justice, health law, law and technology, socio-legal studies, and human rights law. We are ranked 51st in the World University Rankings 2021 and we are top 20 in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014).
We attract some of the most experienced and academically qualified students from around the world, and we aim to produce graduates who will be leaders in the field of international human rights law as advocates, field officers, legal advisers or researchers with governments and international and non-governmental organisations.
Your future
Most of our students go on, or return, to work in human rights as litigators, in NGOs and international organisations like the UN, in government (particularly Ministries of Foreign Affairs) and in academia. They are a conspicuous presence in all the key human rights hubs in the world.
Our School of Law graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers in international and intergovernmental organisations or employment with governments across the world, in commerce and banking, in non-governmental organisations and, as might be expected, in the legal profession and the judiciary.
Recent graduates of LLM International Human Rights Law have found employment as:

National Protection Officer for UNHCR
An advocate for Refugees International
A lawyer for the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
An adviser for the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT)
Lead lawyer for the Human Rights Advocacy Centre/Memorial
A trade promotion manager at the Department of Trade and Industry

We are first university in the UK to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). This creates internship and research opportunities for our postgraduate students and is based on our long-established expertise in international humanitarian law.
During the year, we hold a careers session for our students in which we reflect upon our own careers and how they have been built as well as those from former students. We are always available to discuss career options and if you are interested in a particular area of human rights, we can link you up with the relevant alumni to offer advice.