MA Human Rights - Law/Political Science Pathway (Standard Route) / Course details

This MA Human Rights course is ideal if you want to study the political, legal and ethical challenges raised by widespread human rights violations globally.

The course provides you with an advanced, critical, interdisciplinary and systematic understanding of human rights issues within a global context. It’s designed to give you insight into developments in international politics, political theory and law, so you can better understand the complex global environment in which human rights claims are made.

The central focus of the course addresses pressing human rights questions through compulsory course units and a wide range of optional choices. Mandatory units include Research Design and Skills, Human Rights in World Politics and a 60-credit dissertation.

Optional course units reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the course, covering highly debated questions from the ethics of killing, gender inequalities and security across international contexts.

This course is ideal if you are interested in a career in government, NGOs, international organisations, education, journalism or any role where advanced knowledge of human rights and the ability to communicate it effectively is essential.

Research or Standard Route?

The key difference between our MA Human Rights (Research Route) and our MA Human Rights (Standard Route) is the amount and focus of mandatory course units you will take, and how much flexibility you have in choosing options.

On the Research Route, in addition to your dissertation, you will take a larger set of mandatory, research-intensive course units (e.g., research design and methods), with fewer optional course units. This route is tailored for students intending to progress to PhD-level study.

On the Standard Route, in addition to your dissertation, you will take a smaller set of mandatory course units (covering core human rights theory, law/policy and research skills) and have more optional course units across law and political science. This route is geared toward careers in NGOs, government, policy, law, journalism, international organisations such as the United Nations, as well as providing a foundation for further academic research.

This course is eligible for the 1+3 studentship offered by the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council (ESRC) North West Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP), offering a unique, fully-funded route into postgraduate research. If your application is successful, you’ll be able to seamlessly transition from master's-level study to a PhD. Find out more on our 1+3 ESRC NWSSDTP webpage.

Highly ranked

Study at a university placed in the Top 10 in the UK for both Politics and Law (Times Higher Education/ QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025), reflecting academic excellence and global recognition.

Influential department

Join one of the UK’s largest and most respected Politics departments, home to major research initiatives like the British Election Study, shaping national and international understanding of democratic trends.

Learn from experts

Learn from legal and political scholars actively engaged in global policy and real-world legal cases, with professional links to the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and top international law schools.

Justice Hub

Get involved with the Justice Hub, a dynamic space where students, academics, and legal professionals collaborate on pressing social justice issues such as wrongful convictions, access to justice, and human rights advocacy.

The Law/Political Science Pathway of MA Human Rights is taught by an interdisciplinary team using a variety of delivery methods:

• interactive lectures;
• seminars
• student-led presentations and debate;
• group work;
• individual research.

Part-time students

Part-time students complete the full-time course over two years. There are no evening or weekend course units available on the part-time course.

Course units are assessed in a variety of ways, including:

• presentations;
• tutorials;
• extended essays;
• exams.

As a School of Social Sciences student, you will be supported by first-class resources.  

As well as access to networked study areas and one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the country, The University of Manchester Library .