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.

The Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes for the Master of Human Rights Law & Policy are:

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 (8 courses) 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 essay. Many courses of particular interest to students in employment are scheduled in a venue situated in the CBD.

ENROLMENT
The Enrolment Guide for the Master of Human Rights Law & Policy (MHRLP) can be found on the
Enrolment UNSW Law website

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

(1) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate Bachelor degree in law, social sciences or humanities or a Juris Doctor degree from UNSW Australia or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with a minimum of credit average, or

(2) A candidate for the degree shall have been awarded an appropriate Bachelor degree in law, social sciences or humanities or a Juris Doctor degree from UNSW Australia or a qualification considered equivalent from another university or tertiary institution with a minimum of two years' relevant professional experience.


Enrolment and Progression

(1) An application to enrol as a candidate for the degree shall be lodged online on the UNSW website, by the advertised due date.

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

(3) 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:  UNSW Fee Website.

A total of 48 units of credit (8 courses) is required for the Master of Human Rights Law and Policy (MHRLP). The following compulsory and elective Postgraduate Law courses are available for credit towards the degree.

All students enrolled in the MHRLP must satisfactorily complete the compulsory course:

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

All students in the program must take a minimum of 2 of the elective courses from the Research-Based Course List. The requirement to take two courses from the Research-Based Course list can, in the alternative, be satisfied if the student takes the single course LAWS8423 Research Thesis, 12,000 words.

Students may choose to take all of their remaining courses from the approved Law electives listed below or may choose to take up to two courses (12uoc) from non-approved Law electives or non-Law courses offered at UNSW. Students are also permitted to complete ONE course (6uoc) via cross-institutional study at other universities in Australia. These enrolments must be approved by the Program Convenor Chris Michaelsen, (c.michaelsen@unsw.edu.au).

Please Note:
MHRL&P students also have the option to convert the LAWS8423 Research Thesis (6 uoc) course into a 12 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.

Not all courses will be offered in every year. New courses may be added to the following list from time to time.

Postgraduate Law electives approved for the MHRL&P

Research-Based Course List: