Prepare yourself for your career. Apply for a Masters in Human Rights and Diplomacy jointly offered by UNITAR and University of Stirling
Prepare yourself for your career. Apply for a Masters in Human Rights and Diplomacy
INTRODUCTION
Human rights are omnipresent in international public discourse and our everyday life. These rights are however under increasing pressure in recent years, with wars, violations, and abuses committed against minorities across the world. In January 2020, UNITAR partnered with the University of Stirling to launch the Masters in Human Rights and Diplomacy to address this concern.
This Master programme, taught jointly between UNITAR and the University of Stirling’s schools of Law, Philosophy, and International Relation, will equip students with valuable knowledge on the practice and theory of human rights laws and politics, the UN human rights institutions, their history and their philosophical foundations. On top of interactive seminars led by top Stirling professors, the one-year Masters programme offers workshops by prominent UN experts in soft-skill building; a 3-day study visit to the “capital” of Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland; and a 3-month Human Rights on-the-job placement in a UN Agency*.
*Within the final term, 12 of the best students have the option of undertaking an on-the-job placement at a Human Rights advocacy group as well as a UN agency under UNITAR’s guidance.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Following the successful completion of the course, beneficiaries will be able to:
- Explain, analyse and apply international human rights law in both theory and practice
- Engage in the theoretical framework of diplomacy, its history and the development of international relations
- Engage and debate critiques of human rights
- Draft documents and possess the skills needed to negotiate their progress in a range of human rights institutions
- Find your way within the United Nations Institutions working on human rights matters and local NGOs
- Apply a wide range of theoretical and practical methods to human rights research, activism and politics
BENEFICIARIES
This course is ideal for any graduate or professional with a background in Law, International Relations, or any related field, and who is seeking to finesse their skills and knowledge in Human Rights issues and mechanisms; negotiation and leadership skills; multilateral diplomacy; the architecture of Human Rights Institutions within the UN System; and international law in a dynamic, multicultural environment.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION
Do you have any questions? Interested in signing up to the course? Please click on the link below for all the relevant information:
https://www.stir.ac.uk/courses/pg-taught/law-and-philosophy/msc-human-rights-and-diplomacy/
Top reasons to study with us
The only Human Rights and Diplomacy programme in the world taught in partnership with UNITAR
First-hand interactive immersion within the UN and Geneva’s multilateral working environments on a study visit to Geneva for all students on the course
88% overall student satisfaction with MSc Human Rights and Diplomacy (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2022)
Course objectives
- Explain, analyse and apply international human rights law in both theory and practice
- Engage in the theoretical framework of diplomacy, its history and the development of international relations
- Engage and debate critiques of human rights
- Draft documents and possess the skills needed to negotiate their progress in a range of human rights institutions
- Find your way within the United Nations Institutions working on human rights matters and local NGOs
- Apply a wide range of theoretical and practical methods to human rights research, activism and politics
Work placements
In the Autumn semester, students with a strong enough profile will be supported to apply for UN internships. These have recently included unpaid internships at the International Court of Justice, the UN Joint Inspection Unit, UNESCO and others.
Many other students pursue integrated professional projects in Scotland and the UK. Recent projects included the Forth Valley Welcome refugee organisation; Nourish Scotland on the right to food; Positive Action on Housing focused on rooms for refugees; Scottish PEN focused on journalists’ and writers’ rights; Howard League Scotland focused on the rights of prisoners; Stirling Council working on poverty sensitivity training; Leprosy Mission Scotland; Revive Campaign on the psychological effects of explosive violence; and with the UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia.
Our Programme has partnered with UN Women (UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women), the Institute for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (IHRDA) and the East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights) to deliver placement opportunities to some of our students.
Entry onto the MSc does not guarantee entry onto the UN internship module. There is a limited number of places on this module, so students for this module need to go through a further selective application and possible interview process during the MSc. Students who do not gain entry to the UN internship module are supported to pursue excellent placements in non-UN human rights organisations, or the dissertation.
Study abroad
As well as the integrated trip to Geneva for all students, the UN internships include options abroad. Those who pursue an internship will have living costs of approximately £1600 per month for internships in Geneva, approximately £1600 per month for internships in New York, and £1000 per month for internships in Rome – with variable costs for alternative internships.
We recommend you consult websites for cost of living in different locations if you are planning to pursue the UN internship. Those who pursue local Scottish or UK based projects or the academic dissertation also need to think about the cost of living in those locations. Go to the Which? website to see an estimated breakdown of student costs, helping you to work out your budget.
Research overview
Course Directors Dr Damian Etone, Professor Rowan Cruft and Professor Katie Boyle are widely-published in the areas of human rights and diplomacy.
Professor Cruft’s monograph, Human Rights, Ownership, and the Individual, was published in 2019 by Oxford University Press. It offers an account of the philosophical foundations of human rights, defending their conception as rights rather than mere values, goals or duties. He is also co-editor of OUP’s 2015 volume, Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights.
Dr Etone’s recent monograph, The Human Rights Council: The Impact of the Universal Periodic Review in Africa was published in 2020 by Routledge, assessing and defending the universal periodic review process as an important addition to the international human rights monitoring framework. He also reports on international criminal law cases for OUP’s International Criminal Law Series.
Dr Boyle’s monograph on Economic and Social Rights: Justiciability and Principles of Adjudication was published with Routledge in 2020. She has published widely on economic, social and cultural rights, incorporation, justiciability and models of constitutionalisation including in the International Journal of Human Rights.
Her research has been adopted by national human rights institutions and has featured in UN Committee level proceedings. Katie recently published a report with the Scottish Human Rights Commission on Models of Incorporation and Justiciability for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. She qualified as a solicitor with the Government Legal Service and was appointed to advise the First Minister on the FM Advisory Group on Human Rights Leadership in 2018.
