The Master of Human Rights Law & Policy provides an opportunity for the specialised study of human rights law and policy at the postgraduate level and equips diverse graduates to be able to take up the cause of human rights advocacy from within the broad perspective of Law.

The program is designed for professionals across a wide range of disciplines who are seeking detailed knowledge about human rights law and policy. Professionals who will particularly benefit are those working in the public sector, in non-government organisations and in international relations. The program will appeal to students wanting to learn about human rights law and policy in greater depth and to international students who do not have access to such a program in their home universities. The MHRL&P will not itself lead to a professional qualification for legal practice but will enable a student to acquire expertise in human rights law and the policy context in which it operates.

Please contact the Faculty of Law for information regarding the Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes.

The Master of Human Rights Law & Policy may be taken full time in two semesters or part time in a minimum of three semesters. A total of 48 units of credit are required for the award of the degree of MHRL&P, of which at least 36 units of credit must be from Postgraduate Law courses. Postgraduate Law courses are taught in a variety of formats during the University's formal academic semesters, including summer. While some are taught for two hours per week over a teaching semester, other classes are arranged more intensively to permit students to focus fully on a research project. Many courses of particular interest to students in employment are scheduled in a venue situated in the CBD.

1. The degree of Master of Human Rights Law & Policy may be awarded by the Council to a candidate who has satisfactorily completed a program of advanced study in law.

Qualifications

2. (1) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate degree of Bachelor from the University of New South Wales or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with performance at a credit level or at a level otherwise acceptable to the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education.

(2) In exceptional cases an applicant who submits evidence of such other academic and professional qualifications as may be approved by the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education may be permitted to enrol for the degree. Where applicants have extensive work experience in the area of human rights, the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education may exercise their discretion to take work experience into consideration for admission to the program.

(3) When the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education are not satisfied with the qualifications submitted by an applicant they may require the applicant, before being permitted to enrol, to undergo such examination or carry out such work as they may prescribe.

Enrolment and Progression

3. (1) An application to enrol as a candidate for the degree shall be lodged with the Registrar by the advertised due date. Please note: Late applications for 2009 will be accepted subject to availability of places.

(2) Entry to the program will generally be available in Semester 1 or Semester 2.

(3) A candidate for the degree shall be required to undertake such formal courses and pass such assessment as is prescribed.

(4) The progress of a candidate shall be reviewed at least once annually by the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education and as a result of its review the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education may cancel enrolment or take such other action as it considers appropriate.

(5) No candidate shall be awarded the degree until the lapse of two academic semesters from the date of enrolment in the case of a full-time candidate or three semesters in the case of a part-time candidate. The maximum period of candidature shall be three academic semesters from the date of enrolment for a full-time candidate and six semesters for a part-time candidate. In special cases an extension of these times may be granted by the Program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

A total of 48 units of credit is required for the MHRL&P. The following compulsory and elective Postgraduate Law courses are available for credit towards the degree. All students enrolled in the MHRL&P must satisfactorily complete the compulsory course:

Students whose undergraduate degree is from a discipline other than Law must also satisfactorily complete:

Students may choose to take all of their remaining courses from the postgraduate Law electives listed below or may choose to take up to two courses (12uoc) from postgraduate non-Law courses offered at UNSW and approved by the program Director/s or the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education. Not all courses will be offered in every year. New courses may be added to the following list from time to time. A student may seek authorisation from the program Director/s or the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education to undertake a Postgraduate Law course not listed below.

Please Note: MHRL&P students can complete a maximum of 16 uoc in Research Thesis courses.

MHRL&P students also have the option to convert the LAWS 4423 (8 uoc) course into a 16 uoc Research Thesis option extending over two semesters; subject to the approval of the Supervisor/s, the program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education. Students interested in pursuing this option will have to complete any additional assessment tasks as prescribed by the Supervisor/s, the program Director/s and the Coordinator of Postgraduate Education.