Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law

Bachelor’s degree from accredited university, acceptable GPA, English proficiency test (TOEFL/IELTS), two recommendation letters, personal statement, application fee

Course Requirements
The International Human Rights Law MA degree requires a total of 27 credits hours.

There are four required courses:
LAW 509/5232 – International Law (3 cr.)
LAW 510/5273 – Introduction to International Human Rights Law and Critique (3 cr.)
LAW 527/5298 – Graduate Law Seminar (3 cr.)
one out of the following three courses:
LAW 511/5134 – International Humanitarian Law (3 cr.)
LAW 514/5175 – Human Rights in the Middle East (3 cr.)
LAW 516/5176 – Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (3 cr.)
•
The remaining five courses are electives, two of which have to be law courses.
Department approval is required for electives offered by other departments.

Thesis Requirements
The research requirement for the MA in International Human Rights Law is satisfied by writing a thesis of sufficient depth and length for the topic addressed therein and prepared under the supervision of a faculty member of the department. Students are required to register for the following course while fulfilling their thesis requirement.

LAW 599/5299 – Research Guidance/Thesis (no cr., pass/fail)
Degree Time Framework
Fulfilling the M.A. in International Human Rights Law normally calls for two years of study.

Dual Degree Option in Political Science (B.A.) and International Human Rights Law (M.A.)
The Dual Degree option combines a BA in Political Science and an MA in International Human Rights Law. It is a dual degree, creating a synergy between the existing BA in Political Science and the existing MA in International Human Rights Law.

The dual degree option enables good students to prepare for a postgraduate degree while completing the requirements for the BA in Political Science. The MA degree provides students with the necessary expertise in international human rights law and with the intellectual, analytical and communication tools needed to intervene critically and effectively in the global policy debates confronting their societies as policy makers, academics, activists and international civil servants.

By the end of the sixth semester of the political science BA at AUC, and after successfully completing POLS 4371 , the student has to declare her/his intention to pursue the Dual Degree by submitting a graduate admission application. The student should follow the application procedures for graduate studies. Admission decisions will be made by the Law Department’s Admission Committee. Successful applicants will be admitted pending the fulfillment of two conditions: i) finishing the requirements of their undergraduate degrees with at least B (GPA 3); and ii) obtaining an average of at least a B+ (GPA of at least 3.3) across the three cross-listed ‘Dual Degree’ Law courses. Places are limited.

Students enrolled in the dual degree will receive a political science BA degree certificate upon the completion of their undergraduate course requirements.

Under this structure, dual-degree students will be required to take three 4000-level courses that are cross-listed under LAW and POLS. These three “Dual Degree” cross-listed courses (see below) will count for credit towards both the BA in Political Science and under the MA in International Human Rights Law.

The three ‘Dual Degree’ Law courses to be offered to undergraduates in the Political Science Department are the following: (a)

POLS 471/4371 – Introduction to Public International Law (3 cr.) (b) POLS 475/4375 – Introduction to Egyptian and Islamic Law (3 cr.) and (c) POLS 478/4378 – Introduction to International Human Rights Law (3 cr.)
The curriculum for the MA IHRL requires the completion of nine courses and a thesis, as indicated in the tentative plan below: 3 POLS/LAW undergraduate courses, a choice of 1 of the following three: a graduate regional human rights, an economic social and cultural rights or an international humanitarian law course, 3 graduate elective courses, the Graduate Law Seminar, and the thesis.

Tentative Plan for Full-time Students
SEMESTER VI (POLS undergraduate program)
POLS 471/4371 – Introduction to Public International Law (3 cr.) (counts towards both concentrations in POLS for all students) (and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]

SEMESTER VII (POLS undergraduate program)
POLS 478/4378 – Introduction to International Human Rights Law (3 cr.) (counts towards both BA POLS and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other core courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]

SEMESTER VIII (POLS undergraduate program)
POLS 475/4375 – Introduction to Egyptian and Islamic Law (3 cr.) (counts towards both BA POLS and MA IHRL credits)
[4 POLS courses or other core courses as required to complete POLS BA degree]

SEMESTER IX (MA IHRL program)
LAW 511/5134 – International Humanitarian Law (3 cr.)*

LAW 514/5175 – Human Rights in the Middle East (3 cr.)*

LAW 516/5176 – Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (3 cr.)*

*(1 out of 3 starred courses required)

LAW electives (other 5000 level LAW courses approved by the department).

SEMESTER X (MA IHRL program)
LAW 527/5298 – Graduate Law Seminar (3 cr.)

LAW electives (other 5000 level LAW courses approved by the department).

SEMESTER XI (MA IHRL program)
LAW 599/5299 – Research Guidance/Thesis (no cr., pass/fail)