Law

MAS LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights 2023

This one-year full-time postgraduate degree is one of the most innovative and intellectually challenging programmes in international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights offered in Europe today.

Information

Period

September 2023 - August 2024
60 ECTS credits
264 Teaching hours
Full time programme

Language

English

Format

On-site

Contact

Geneva Academy
+41 (0)22 908 44 88
masters-inquiries(at)geneva-academy.ch

Location

Genève

Registration

Registration deadline

24 February 2023
Application start: 28 November 2022

Fees:

CHF 18'000.-

Contribution to the SDGs

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development

Objectives

  • Provide advanced, comprehensive and practical training in IHL, international human rights law (IHRL) and international criminal law, as well as the interplay between them
  • Provide a solid exposure to practical work via internships with leading actors and participation in moot courts and public pleadings

Audience

Law school graduate with a solid academic record:
Candidate must hold a full degree in law or have a significant amount of training in public international law and courses related to the programme (e.g. IHL, IHRL and international criminal law)
Professional experience in a field related to the programme is preferable

Programme

LLM Presentation 

The programme is structured around the following seven components:

  • Core courses
  • Optional courses
  • Internships
  • Moot Courts
  • Military Briefings
  • LL.M Paper
  • Study Trip

Director(s)

Prof. Gloria GAGGIOLI, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva and Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint Centre of the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva

Coordinator(s)

Lotte WALSTRA, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

Diploma delivered jointly by

University of Geneva, IHEID
This one-year postgraduate degree course provides advanced, comprehensive and practical training in international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL), as well as the interplay between them. Students gain access to a world-renowned faculty, benefit from direct connections with leading actors in the field like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and share ideas with other participants from an array of different legal backgrounds and perspectives. The programme allows students to tailor their studies according to their particular interests. Core courses provide a firm grounding in public international law, IHL, IHRL, international refugee law and international criminal law. Optional courses allow students to deepen their expertise in a particular issue such as the protection of children in armed conflict and post-conflict, counter-terrorism, armed non-state actors, transitional justice, the rules governing the conduct of hostilities or the work of international courts and tribunals.

Pedagogical method

  • Core courses
  • Optional courses
  • Writing of a paper
  • Internships with leading Geneva-based humanitarian and human rights organizations
  • Moot courts

Admission criteria

Candidates must have:

  • A full degree in law (received by June at the latest) enabling the applicant to sit the bar exam in the relevant country; or another degree if the applicant has a significant amount of training in public international law and courses related to our programme (e.g. international human rights law, international humanitarian law, international criminal law)
  • A strong academic record
  • A demonstrable interest in the subject matter of the programme (e.g. professional experience, internships, summer school, conferences attended, publications, etc.)
  • A sound command of English. You must be able to show, via a recognized test, that your English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete your course at the Geneva Academy. This requirement does not apply if (1) your mother tongue is English; (2) you have taken an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s degree; (3) you have at least two years’ professional or academic experience in an English-speaking environment
  • A passive knowledge of French is an asset as students might have to attend conferences and class presentations in French

Contribution to the SDGs

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development