History of the Programme

The MA Human Rights by distance learning was launched in 2018 in collaboration with the University of London Worldwide, a specialist in distance learning education. Under the direction of the Human Rights Consortium, University of London, the MA Human Rights utilises our long-standing expertise in practice-based human rights education. The programme also includes a Post-graduate Diploma or Post-graduate Certificate in human rights by distance learning.

In 1995, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies established its MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights. The MA was developed in collaboration with staff at Amnesty International to provide scholarly and practical training for future human rights defenders. It was one of the first globally to offer inter-disciplinary human rights graduate studies.

In 2009, the Human Rights Consortium, housed within the Institute, was established to facilitate and promote inter-disciplinary research in human rights. Its activities bring together inter-disciplinary expertise from the research and practice communities to provide national and international collaboration for the support, promotion and dissemination of academic and policy work in human rights.

From 2024/25, we have merged our programmes to deliver world-leading human rights education in post-graduate studies fully online and no longer on campus. The Institute of Commonwealth Studies continues to offer a PhD in human rights on campus and by distance learning.