Human Rights Majors and Minors

Atlanta, GA

Agnes Scott

Location: Atlanta, GA
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights

Human rights have become a central and widely recognized standard for assessing a just and good society, judging good government, protecting vulnerable groups both at home and abroad and identifying standards for upholding human dignity. The human rights minor provides an academic space for addressing these concerns and for asking difficult moral and political questions. It incorporates a variety of disciplines, including literature, history, philosophy, political science, religion, sociology, anthropology and women’s studies. 
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Tempe, AZ

Arizona State University

Type of program: M.A. in Social Justice and Human Rights or Ph.D. in Justice Studies

M.A. in Social Justice and Human Rights: The MA in social justice and human rights addresses urgent social issues related to human security, labor, migration, children, family, education and the environment. The coursework in this theoretically and methodologically rigorous program examines social issues in contexts defined by multiple and intersecting forms of social identity and disadvantage, including gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality and nationality. The program requires an internship to be completed domestically or internationally, where students typically work alongside other advocates for social justice to help refugees, migrants, workers, and survivors of violence or human trafficking. 
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Ph.D. in Justice Studies: Join us in the Justice Studies PhD program at the nation’s first School of Social Transformation. Our diverse community of scholars unites students and faculty across academic boundaries to strategically create social change that is democratic, inclusive and just. Our inclusive doctoral program in justice studies prepares future scholars and change agents to address complex social problems and become tomorrow’s leaders. We take a unique approach to the study of justice by examining the intersecting forms of injustice, engaging multiple visions of justice -­ knowing that no one solution works for all – ­ and transforming communities by empowering those silenced by inequality. 
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Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Bard College

Location: Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Type of program: B.A. in Human Rights

The Human Rights Project is an exploratory research and action initiative at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Through teaching, public programs, research, and engagement with communities in the region and globally, the Project aims at once to foster critical discussions of human rights theory and practice, and to engage with practitioners on the leading edges of human rights research. Founded in 1999, the Project developed the first interdisciplinary undergraduate degree (B.A.) program in Human Rights in the United States in 2003. 
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New York, NY

Barnard College

Location: New York, NY
Type of program: B.A. in Human Rights

With the proliferation of human rights institutions over the past half century and the centrality of human rights in current debate topics, human rights standards have become crucial touchstones of contemporary ethics and politics. The program in human rights seeks to provide the basic insights and skills needed for young women to become cogent, life-long advocates for human rights. This interdisciplinary program is designed to be pursued alongside a major in one of the departments with a disciplinary or area studies focus. 
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Ottowa, Ontario, CA

Carleton University

Location: Ontario, Canada
Type of program: B.A. in Human Rights

The Human Rights major provides students with an overview of historical and contemporary human rights issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. The program is structured around five key thematic areas: 1) a critical analysis of the concepts and principles underlying human rights traditions; 2) a study of the laws and institutions that support and implement human rights frameworks; 3) an analysis of political repression from a human rights perspective; 4) an examination of social marginalization and the role of human rights in the protection of marginalized groups; and 5) an exploration of the relationship between human rights and social justice. 
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New York, NY

Columbia University

Type of Program: Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP)

Founded in 1989, the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) is a unique and successful model of human rights capacity building. HRAP capitalizes on its affiliation with Columbia University and its location in New York City to provide grassroots leaders the tools, knowledge, access, and networks to promote the realization of human rights and strengthen their respective organizations. HRAP’s comprehensive program of advocacy, networking, skills-building, and academic coursework provides advocates the opportunity to hone practical skills, develop a deeper understanding of human rights, and foster mutually beneficial relationships with organizations and individuals in their respective fields. 
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New York, NY

CUNY Hunter College

Location: New York, NY
Type of program: Certificate or Minor in Human Rights

Hunter’s Human Rights Program aims to give students the tools they need to address human rights problems intelligently and constructively, whether as advocates, scholars, researchers or informed citizens. By learning about human rights law, theory and practice, students in the program will understand how human rights norms and aspirations can shape public policy, international relations, and corporate behavior. They will learn about issues such as accountability, humanitarian intervention, freedom of expression, and the rights of immigrants. They will be introduced to the structure of human rights enforcement mechanisms, assessing the way in which international treaties and multilateral institutions influence the behavior of national governments. 
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Willimantic, CT

Eastern Connecticut State University

Location: Willimantic, CT
Type of program: Minor in Peace and Human Rights

The Peace and Human Rights Studies minor is a fifteen credit interdisciplinary program compatible with any undergraduate major. The program draws on all disciplines which have peace and human rights components including anthropology, art, business, history, literature, philosophy, political science, sociology and woman’s studies. Students are encouraged to think critically and to broadly explore issues of fundamental significance in today’s world relating to peace and human rights. 
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Fairfax, VA

George Mason University

Type of program: B.A. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution

The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution pulls content and courses from across the social science disciplines. Courses include an emphasis on asking the right questions to analyze conflict effectively and designing real world interventions that will work. Research and theory are paired with hands on skill development, preparing students for careers across a spectrum of possibilities. 
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Haverford, PA

Haverford College

Location: Haverford, PA
Type of program: Concentration in Peace, Justice and Human Rights

The interdisciplinary concentration in Peace, Justice and Human Rights offers students the opportunity to study the history, philosophy and critiques of the rights tradition, examine themes of human rights and justice in their local and international contexts, and apply philosophical, social scientific and ethical reasoning to real-world problems. Three core courses are combined with three elective courses focused on a particular theoretical problem, geographical region, or comparative study, to expand or enhance the focus students pursue in their majors. Students will also learn to communicate about their studies across disciplinary boundaries, and will be encouraged to develop creative new perspectives on entrenched problems. 
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University Heights, OH

John Carroll University

Location: University Heights, OH
Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights

The John Carroll University Program in Peace, Justice and Human Rights will combine undergraduate research and study with experiential and service learning in order to help students gain both theoretical and empirical understanding of the challenges and possibilities of peace-building and conflict resolution. Drawing on Catholic social teaching that sees peace as inseparable from justice and the extension of human rights as a fundamental ethical obligation, the Program also emphasizes the importance of political pluralism, cultural and religious diversity, ecological balance, and nonviolent conflict resolution and transformation. Its fundamental goal is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and creativity to seek justice and promote peace. 
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New York, NY

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Location: New York, NY
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights

The Human Rights Studies minor will introduce students to some of the key conceptual, ethical and methodological approaches to the study and practice of human rights. In particular, it will address key concepts, principles and norms, such as human dignity, non-discrimination, equality, due process, empowerment, human security, human development, and accountability; it will expose students to diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches to the study and practice of human rights from a domestic as well as an international perspective; it will familiarize students with the evolution of international human rights norms both in theory and practice, the latter through the study of pivotal events in the history of human rights, such as the anti-slave trade campaign, the Civil Rights Movement, the Campaign Against Apartheid, and, more recently the campaign to establish the International Criminal Court and the launching of the Millennium Development Goals. 
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Newton, MA

Lasell University

Location: Newton, MA
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights

The Human Rights minor consists of 6 courses, including a Practicum Component for 3 credits. To fulfill the Practicum Component requirement, a student must take 3 Service-Learning or Social Justice Activism linked credits or complete a 3-credit internship. An internship in the major area of study that is focused on Service Learning or Social Justice Activism may be used to fulfill the Practicum Component requirement, or a student may arrange to complete an Internship focused on Service-Learning or Social Justice Activism that is independent of the major, with the approval of the coordinator of the Human Rights minor in the Justice Studies Department. 
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Saint Paul, MN

Macalester College

Location: Saint Paul, MN
Type of program: Concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism

Macalester’s concentration program provides students with a basic understanding of the international norms of human rights and humanitarianism, the history and purpose of the primary intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the philosophical, historical and intellectual background of the field. The Program in Human Rights and Humanitarianism also regularly sponsors student-faculty luncheons and dinners for concentrators, along with an annual spring workshop on pursuing careers in human rights and humanitarianism. 
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Melbourne, Australia

Monash University

Location: Melbourne, Australia
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights and Major in Human Rights

In the era of globalization, one of the most important concepts in international affairs is human rights. The major in Human rights is interdisciplinary, examining the history and the nature of human rights and addressing basic issues such as: What are human rights? Are human rights culturally relative? How can human rights be justified? You will examine how these issues relate to pressing practical problems, for instance, how an understanding of human rights helps to address issues such as global poverty, unequal access to medicine, refugees, terrorism, warfare, children’s rights, humanitarian intervention, torture, surveillance, and more. 
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University Park, PA

Pennsylvania State University

Location: University Park, PA
Type of program: B.A. in Global and International Studies with a Pathway in Human Rights

Global and International Studies is devoted to understanding human cultures and societies as bounded by “One World”.  This major emphasizes developing a global perspective through scholarly study, research, international communication and experience abroad. The human rights option examines the history, development, enforcement, and violations of concepts of the basic rights of humanity.  Whether through questions of torture, freedom of conscience, trafficking of women and children, agreements about prisoners of war, human rights constantly need redefining and rethinking if they are to be broad enough to cover everyone on our planet and specific enough to have a real effect on human behavior. 
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Mahwah, NJ

Ramapo College

Location: Mahwah, NJ
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights and Genocide Studies

The program will emphasize the study of human rights and genocide as academic and practical pursuits and will aim to prepare students for graduate school, as well as career opportunities in international organizations, government, non-profits, multinational corporations, and the media. It will be firmly anchored in the belief that establishing legal frameworks in erecting viable international support systems represent the best hope that humankind has in preventing genocide, torture, religious persecution, and other assaults upon human dignity and rights. 
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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University

Type of program: Minor in World Development Studies

The field of world development studies looks at the comprehensive transformations that have been brought to human societies across the globe by the spread of the industrial revolution. Approximately one-third of the world’s population enjoys a higher material standard of living due to industrialization, whereas two-thirds are in relative poverty. The likelihood, means, and consequences of closing this gap provide the central foci of world development studies. Since this social transformation affects all aspects of human existence, all of the social science disciplines devote important efforts to understanding it. Though the minor is not intended as a complete career preparation, it certainly serves as an introduction to a growing career field. 
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San Jose, CA

San Jose State University

Type of program: B.S. or Minor in Justice Studies

The undergraduate program in Justice Studies provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages in critical analysis of justice issues. Core classes focus on theory and empirical research that addresses the relationship between law, justice, the justice system, and society. Electives address a number of more specialized and topical justice-related issues. Drawing upon the rigorous undergraduate program in Justice Studies, the minor also provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages in critical analysis of justice issues. 
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Dallas, TX

Southern Methodist University

Type of Program: Embrey Human Rights Program

The Embrey Human Rights Program (EHRP) is an interdisciplinary endeavor dedicated to providing opportunities for promoting, defending, and extending human rights in the DFW area and in the world. EHRP is located in the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. The program is directed by Dr. Rick Halperin, a life-long human rights activist and educator, and is staffed by a team of experienced human rights professionals. As the premier human rights organization in higher education, EHRP seeks to help individuals near and far advance their dreams – dreams of justice, of dignity, of making their lives matter, of never again having to feel desperate and afraid. 
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New Brunswick, CA

St. Thomas University

Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Type of program: B.A. or Minor in Human Rights

The Human Rights Program at St. Thomas is one of the few such programs in all of Canada, and the only one in Atlantic Canada, that allows undergraduate students to obtain a Major in the academic study of Human Rights. In this program, you study Human Rights in a national and international context and do individualized research projects on specific topics in your upper years of study. The program provides knowledge of the philosophy, legal instruments, and political institutions that are the foundation for an education in Human Rights. 
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Pablo Alto, CA

Stanford University

Type of Program: Undergraduate Human Rights Fellowship

In partnership with the Program on Human Rights, a Human Rights Fellowship program has been launched. These fellowships, which are offered only to Stanford undergraduates, are intended to enable students to make a valuable contribution to human rights theory and practice. Offered to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, grants will be given to four undergraduates who will partner with human rights organizations, government agencies, NGOs, or international organizations (either here or abroad). 
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Hartford, CT

Trinity College

Type of program: Center for Human Rights

The Center for Human Rights provides research and educational opportunities for the integration of biblical principles and international human rights laws. The Center provides a forum for students and faculty to explore the nature of God and man, as well as the rights, duties and obligations that flow from that relationship. The Center supports the Human Rights courses taught at Trinity Law School, funds Research Fellowships, and organizes and promotes international and domestic Human Rights programs. 
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Berkeley, CA

University of California, Berkeley

Type of program: B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies

The ISF houses a research-driven program of liberal education. It is a problem-based program, not a discipline. It offers motivated students the unique opportunity to develop an individualized cross-disciplinary Research Program that includes a Course of Study and a Senior Thesis. The Course of Study is made up of courses taken in the social sciences, the humanities, and/or the professional schools and colleges, alongside the required courses in ISF. 
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Davis, CA

University of California, Davis

Location: Davis, CA
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights

What are Human Rights? Where do they come from? How are they violated and how can they be protected? How can we stop genocide or human trafficking? Is access to health and education a human right? At UC Davis, the Interdisciplinary Minor in Human Rights is a joint project of the Department of History, and the Religious Studies and Hemispheric and Latin American Studies Programs. It was created to help students answer these kinds of questions. 
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Irvine, CA

University of California, Irvine

Location: Irvine, CA
Type of program: UCI Human Rights Program

Helps foster a human rights orientation to graduate research conducted in a range of disciplines. By aggregating information about human rights research and activities throughout the system on a central website, it will showcase the sum of faculty and student endeavors and facilitate collaboration. It will also enrich the campus and community awareness of human rights issues by bringing prominent activists and scholars to give lectures and colloquia. 
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San Diego, CA

University of California, San Diego

Location: San Diego, CA
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights

Students will engage openly with the history and the implementation of human rights, explore its origins and trajectory, the passions it arouses, and the range of its influences and effects. The development and multiple meanings of human rights, its institutional advocates and adversaries, the attendant moral dilemmas are all recognized today as topics of profound interest and objects of study. 
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Chicago, IL

University of Chicago

Type of program: Minor in History

Students specializing in all disciplines are welcome to minor in history. Majors in global studies, political science, public policies, economics, and philosophy find that a history minor provides a historical understanding of social, cultural, political and economic issues. You may choose to take courses in a variety of fields, time periods, and thematic topics, with the aim of developing a broad understanding of historical change across time and space, or you may choose to focus on a specifically defined field of interest. 
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Storrs-Mansfield, CT

University of Connecticut

Type of program: Graduate Certificate in Human Rights or School of Law – Certificate in Human Rights or School of Law – LL.M. in Human Rights and Social Justice

The Human Rights Institute’s Graduate Certificate in Human Rights program offers graduate students the opportunity to develop a competency in human rights theory and practice, by taking courses taught by expert faculty from across UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Law, and School of Social Work. 
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School of Law – Certificate in Human Rights: The Graduate Certificate in Human Rights, operated in conjunction with the UConn Human Rights Institute and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), enables J.D. students and CLAS graduate students to pursue a concentration in the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of international human rights.
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School of Law – LL.M. in Human Rights and Social Justice: The Graduate Certificate in Human Rights, operated in conjunction with the UConn Human Rights Institute and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), enables J.D. students and CLAS graduate students to pursue a concentration in the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of international human rights. In keeping with the growing trend in the business, non-profit and public policy worlds to blend international and domestic human rights, the program will provide students with the opportunity for in-depth study of the international human rights and U.S. civil rights movements. 
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Dayton, OH

University of Dayton

Type of program: Human Rights Center

The University of Dayton Human Rights Center creates positive change through research, education and dialogue. As a leader in the global human rights community, we search for transformative solutions to systemic patterns of injustice that will bring about real change in the lives of poor people. We are committed to addressing the gap between theory and practice, between scholars and practitioners. Advocates need information to be able to develop evidence-based strategies that bring about real change. We provide this research as we build on the legacy of the University’s innovative Human Rights Studies Program and Catholic social tradition. 
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Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa

Type of program: Center for Human Rights

Affiliated with the University of Iowa’s College of Law, the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR) has as its mission the promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad through distinguished multidisciplinary leadership in human rights research, education, and public service to The University of Iowa, its surrounding communities, the State of Iowa, and beyond. To this end, it attends to all categories of human rights, including “first generation” civil and political rights, but gives special attention to “second generation” economic, social, and cultural rights and “third generation” community or group rights. 
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Augusta, ME

University of Maine at Augusta

Location: Augusta, ME
Type of program: Minor in Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Studies

An interdisciplinary program which integrates scholarship and practice, the HGHRS minor encourages students to examine genocide and human rights within their historical and cultural contexts, to understand the causes of genocide, and to consider how to create an environment of tolerance in their world. A collaborative initiative, the program draws upon the resources of other academic institutions, the community and human rights groups, state and local government, and most especially, the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. 
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Boston, MA

University of Massachusetts, Boston

Location: Boston, MA
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights

The Human Rights Minor at UMass Boston is an interdisciplinary program of study open to students from all disciplines. Housed in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the minor emerged from the student-faculty-community collaboration of the Human Rights Working Group, which seeks to foster and sustain a human rights community on campus and beyond. Throughout the minor, we will consider the influence of culture, cross-cultural interaction, colonial perspectives and our own global and gender perspectives on creating human rights consciousness locally and globally. 
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Minneapolis, MN

University of Minnesota

Type of program: Master of Public Affairs

The Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree program is geared toward mid-career professionals who want to advance their skills in public and nonprofit leadership, management, and policy analysis at the local, state, national, or global level. Designed to stimulate personal and professional growth through concentrated work with dedicated peers, the MPA allows students to design a program that works best for them and their goals. 
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Lincoln, NE

University of Nebraska

Location: Lincoln, NE
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

The Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs is an interdisciplinary program with an international focus. This minor is for students with an interest in international human rights, the development of the idea and practice of human rights over time, and in the political and philosophical tensions that arise between the protection of human rights and other goals, like the idea of respecting cultural diversity, maintaining a national identity, or protecting the security of citizens. 
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Charlotte, NC

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Location: Charlotte, NC
Type of program: Minor in Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Studies

Through the Dept. of Global, International & Area Studies (GIAS), we offer a minor in Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies (HGHR). The interdisciplinary minor in Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies consists of at least 18 hours, including a 3-hour introductory course and 15 hours divided among Subjects in Holocaust Studies and Subjects in Genocide and Human Rights Studies. A student must have at least two courses from each subject area. Please see an advisor for more information. 
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Los Angeles, CA

University of Southern California

Type of program: Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

The Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership is a three year degree program designed for working professionals who aspire to be educational leaders. Students strengthen their skills for leading groups in high-performing schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and connecting relevant research with practice. Candidates for this program must have earned a master’s degree and have at least three to five years of work experience in a related field. 
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Hattiesburg, MS

University of Southern Mississippi

Type of program: Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties

The Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties at the University of Southern Mississippi is founded to advance the principle of “liberty and justice for all,” both here and abroad. The Center is committed to excellence in education and in preparing its students to translate classroom knowledge into action in a variety of careers in the public and private sectors. The Center’s faculty is devoted to providing an academic home for an interdisciplinary minor in human rights and civil liberties. 
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Seattle, WA

University of Washington

Type of program: Center for Human Rights

The University of Washington Center for Human Rights is committed to interdisciplinary excellence in the education of undergraduate and graduate students in the field of human rights; promoting human rights as a core area of faculty and graduate research; and engaging productively with local, regional, national, and international organizations and policymakers to advance respect for human rights. Everything the program does is conducted through partnership with organizations on the front lines of global human rights struggles. The Center places the resources of the university at the service of real-world social change, and we evaluate our success in terms of practical accomplishments for justice. 
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Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA

University of Winnipeg

Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Type of program: B.A. in Human Rights and Global Studies

At The University of Winnipeg, our strong international focus and innovative thinking are longstanding priorities for teaching and development. We’re the only university in Western Canada to offer a Degree in Human Rights and Global Studies, which provides a formal structure for students interested in issues of social justice, global citizenship, and human rights. Through our Global College, we encourage students, faculty, scholars, and dignitaries from around the globe to share diverse perspectives and engage in lectures and workshops that focus on issues affecting our planet. 
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Utica, NY

Utica College

Location: Utica, NY
Type of program: Minor in Human Rights Advocacy

The minor in human rights advocacy is designed to provide an in-depth examination of human rights issues in history and contemporary events. The minor will also focus on the processes and institutions available for dealing with human rights violations. It is an appropriate minor for students in any major who have a concern for human rights and wish to use the knowledge and skills developed in their major to deal with these issues and/or develop career opportunities. 
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Webster Groves, MO

Webster University

Type of program: M.A. in International Human Rights

The Master of Arts (MA) in International Human Rights program takes an interdisciplinary approach to human rights in practice, utilizing the contributions of diverse disciplines such as international public policy, international law, global business, and international organizations to give students a broad conception of human rights practice for careers in these disciplines. The MA in International Human Rights is offered at select international campuses only, based on program availability. 
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Ontario, CA

Wilfrid Laurier University

Location: Ontario, Canada
Type of program: B.A. in Human Rights and Human Diversity

This major addresses the human rights revolution in Canada and around the world. It prepares students for careers and further study by equipping them with an understanding of human rights (their origins, the laws and institutions designed to protect them, the range of rights, and controversial issues), human diversity (the forces and processes that are diversifying societies, policies that have been put in place to manage and accommodate diversity, as well as issues and opportunities that are accompanying diversity) and transferable skills that employers are seeking. 
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Toronto, Ontario, CA

York University

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Type of program: Human Rights and Equity Studies

Students in Human Rights and Equity Studies explore the ethical principles of human rights as well as the roots and impact of human rights violations and efforts at redress. Problems of physical, social and economic security, cultural autonomy, and political rights and freedom of expression are examined. Students wishing to pursue graduate study can combine Human Rights and Equity Studies with a second major in a discipline. 
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