MAS LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights 2025
This innovative and intellectually challenging full-time degree in international humanitarian law and human rights focuses primarily on rules applicable to armed conflicts and their interaction, and promotes both academic excellence and independent critical thinking.
Information
Period
September 2025 - August 202660 ECTS credits
Full time programme
Language
EnglishFormat
On-site – switch over to online-learning if requiredContribution to the SDGs
Objectives
- Provide advanced, comprehensive and practical training in international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international public law, international refugee law 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
This Master of Advanced Studies is designed for law students seeking to deepen their expertise in the intersection of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and conflict-related legal issues, with a focus on armed conflicts.
Programme
The LLM programme is structured around the following components:
- Core courses
- Optional courses
- Internship
- Moot court competition, pleadings and other professionalizing activities
- Extra curricular activities
- LLM Paper
Director(s)
Prof. Paola GAETA, Professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Director at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint center of the Faculty of Law, University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute
Coordinator(s)
Lotte WALSTRA, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
Diploma delivered jointly by
University of Geneva, IHEID
This one-year full-time LLM – Master of Advanced Studies (60 ECTS) - in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights is one of the most innovative and intellectually challenging programmes in armed conflict offered today.
With a focus on armed conflicts, this Master in Advanced Studies is designed for law students seeking to deepen their expertise in the intersection of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and conflict-related legal issues. It combines rigorous theoretical frameworks with practical training, equipping students with the skills to navigate complex legal challenges in both conflict and post-conflict settings.
The programme allows students to tailor their studies according to their particular interests, with core courses providing a firm grounding in public international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international refugee law and international criminal law, and optional courses allowing students to explore cutting-edge issues.
With a focus on armed conflicts, this Master in Advanced Studies is designed for law students seeking to deepen their expertise in the intersection of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and conflict-related legal issues. It combines rigorous theoretical frameworks with practical training, equipping students with the skills to navigate complex legal challenges in both conflict and post-conflict settings.
The programme allows students to tailor their studies according to their particular interests, with core courses providing a firm grounding in public international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international refugee law and international criminal law, and optional courses allowing students to explore cutting-edge issues.
Assessment
Exams, papers, presentations, group work and end of year research paper
Pedagogical method
- Core courses
- Optional courses
- Writing of a LLM paper
- Internships with leading Geneva-based humanitarian and human rights organizations
- Moot court, pleadings and professionalizing activities
Admission criteria
Candidates must have:
- A full degree in law (received by June at the latest) of 4 years minimum enabling the applicant to sit the bar exam in the relevant country
- 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 (level C1). 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
I like that this programme actually allows you to significantly expand your theoretical knowledge (the level of deepening exceeded all my expectations!), and train in the application of law, solving complex legal problems and looking for answers to controversial questions. I am especially pleased that we are learning from real-world cases because this not only increases my professional competencies but also significantly broadens my horizons. - Anastasiya Dziubanava 2023-2024
Contribution to the SDGs