MSc Human Rights and Politics

In today’s turbulent world, human rights are under threat in many regions – with populist nationalism and discrimination against minority groups on the rise.

This programme explores how political and social factors influence the development and implementation of human rights globally. You’ll examine the challenges and problems affecting human rights institutions, movements and practices.

Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, political theory and philosophy, you’ll delve into themes such as identity politics, political liberalism, authoritarian populism and movements against racism.

The curriculum includes a core course on the contemporary politics of human rights. You’ll also have the chance to choose optional courses on sociology, anthropology, development, gender, politics and international relations.

As a student, you’ll join a vibrant community of academics and researchers and be encouraged to participate in research activities and events. LSE Human Rights, a transdisciplinary hub for cutting-edge, critical research, teaching and scholarship on human rights, is based within the Department of Sociology and runs regular masterclasses and seminars exclusively for our MSc students, as well as public events involving world-leading human rights academics and practitioners.

This degree is ideal if you’re interested in the politics of international human rights but don’t wish to pursue a legal career in this area. Once you graduate, you’ll be well-prepared for a high-level career in human rights advocacy, politics or international development within NGOs, government or academia.

• Baxi, Upendra (2012), The Future of Human Rights (Third Edition), Oxford India.
• Boersma, David (2011), Philosophy of human rights: theory and practice, Westview.
• Brysk, Alison (2018), The Future of Human Rights, Polity Press.
• Burke, Roland (2013), Decolonisation and the Evolution of International Human Rights, University of Pennsylvania Press.
• Clapham, Andrew (2015), Human rights: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press
• Donnelly, Jack (2013), Universal human rights in theory and practice, Cornell University Press.
• Deng, Francis, An-Na’im, Abdullahi, Ghai, Yash and Baxi, Upendra (2009), Human Rights, Southern Voices, Cambridge University Press.
• Fields, Karen and Fields, Barbara (2012), Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life, Verso.
• Freeman, Michael (2017), Human Rights (Key Concepts), 3rd Edition, Polity Press.
• Moses, Dirk, Duranti, Marco and Burke, Roland eds. (2020), Decolonization, Self-Determination, and the Rise of Global Human Rights Politics, Cambridge University Press.

You'll take a compulsory course on the contemporary politics of human rights, and will have the opportunity to choose courses from a range of available options. You'll also complete a dissertation on an approved topic.

The Department of Sociology conducts world-class research and teaching on some of the most challenging social and ethical issues facing society today.

Founded in 1904, our academics have contributed to shaping research and thinking in the field nationally and internationally.

We are committed to research and scholarship that is socially and politically relevant. The department’s research is organised into five clusters: economic sociology; politics and human rights; social inequalities; knowledge, culture and technology; and urban sociology. We engage in major debates at the intersection of economics, politics and society on issues such as migration, urban ecology and climate change.

With a thriving research community, we play an active role in several research centres and institutes, including LSE Cities, LSE Human Rights and the LSE International Inequalities Institute. Our research has a global impact, informing decision-making and policy for numerous governments, NGOs and international organisations.

Our research expertise is reflected in our teaching curriculum. The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with 500 students engaged in learning and research at any one time.

We’re a lively department, with a regular programme of events involving workshops, conferences and collaborations with internal and external partners. We’re also home to the British Journal of Sociology, the UK’s leading publication in the field.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Department of Sociology

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

For this programme, the tuition fee is different for home and overseas students depending on their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Summative assessment may be conducted during the course or by final examination at the end of the course. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

This programme provides an excellent foundation for a variety of academic and non-academic careers, including:

• Politics and government
• foreign policy
• human rights and related campaigning organisations
• international and domestic human rights NGOs
• development
• civil liberties
• welfare
• work in specialised human rights agencies.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.