Human Rights at St. Thomas University School of Law
St. Thomas University School of Law is a law school committed to human rights and social justice—committed to teaching, training, and empowering the next generation of human rights advocates and decision makers through our globally unique LL.M. Program; and, committed to original research in the field through our J.S.D. Program in Intercultural Human Rights. Through programs like our Human Trafficking Academy, we address the cutting edge of global issues of concern and train students to solve these problems responsibly. Through projects such as the Human Rights Institute we dedicate ourselves to helping those in need in our own community. Locally and globally, we are devoted to shining a light on current human rights issues through our annual conferences and symposia, our Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, ranked No. 9 in the world, and our International Moot Court Program. We challenge you to join us and together walk the path towards a world public order of human dignity.
Message from the Director
Human dignity is inviolable.
These words are easily spoken – and so tough to make a reality. Violations abound – be they in the form of the cruelest atrocities, be they in the callousness of everyday interactions. Ideals and laws, however well-intentioned, do not enforce themselves. They need the conveyor-belt of human action. Human rights laws, in particular, remain dry parchment unless they are promoted, created and applied by selfless warriors for the respect of others, most importantly, the vulnerable and the oppressed. These advocates urgently require the proper arms to succeed – the intellectual arsenal necessary to win the fight of hearts and minds.
St. Thomas University School of Law offers its unique contribution to this struggle in its distinctive Master of Laws (LL.M.) and Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) Programs in Intercultural Human Rights. St. Thomas' Catholic identity makes it an apt place to work in the vineyard for social justice. The international orientation and commitment to diversity makes St. Thomas a proper meeting-ground for diverse cultures, backgrounds and beliefs. Beyond the specter of cultures clashing, erupting in violence, this program tries to overcome discord and hatred by bringing antagonists together, striving, in intercultural dialogue, to search for a common ground of values that would allow every person on this planet to reach for her ultimate potential.
To this end, role-models of decision-making in the field are flown in from all over the globe – leaving their desks at top-flight universities such as Yale, Oxford, Georgetown, Milan, or the United Nations, European, Inter-American and African human rights bodies to teach the essentials of human rights law in their field of expertise. The students and the faculty engage in a rich and fruitful dialogue that will forever change their lives.
Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program in Intercultural Human Rights
Do you have an interest in intercultural human rights? Then, without a doubt, this program is for you. Whether you are a lawyer, a government official, a teacher, a human rights activist, or a business person, this unique LL.M. program surpasses expectations because of its structure, content, eminent faculty, and staff.
The LL.M. program at St. Thomas University School of Law is designed to offer indepth instruction on the critical issue of our time: the protection of human dignity across political, social, economic and cultural lines. All persons with a commitment to this goal are encouraged to pursue this advanced degree in one of the most dynamic fields of international law: intercultural human rights.
The program is designed to allow students to develop the ability to evaluate the major theories, concepts and practices in international human rights law and policy, as well as to conduct effective research and advocacy in the field in a practical and interactive way.
Students will graduate from the LL.M. Program in Intercultural Human Rights after the successful completion of 24 academic credits, which includes all required and elective courses. Honors graduates of the LL.M. program are eligible to apply for admission into the highly selective J.S.D. Program in Intercultural Human Rights.
Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) Program in Intercultural Human Rights
The J.S.D. Program in Intercultural Human Rights provides a premier opportunity for new and experienced scholars to make a lasting contribution to the dynamic and action-oriented field of human rights. J.S.D. candidates conduct research on a pressing issue of their choice, analyze it in a comprehensive, interdisciplinary way, and offer solutions to the problem at hand.
This doctoral program is an intensive research-based academic endeavor that seeks to contribute an innovative perspective, knowledge, academic insight and guidance in the field of human rights.
J.S.D. candidates will graduate after submitting a publishable manuscript of no less than 75,000 words on a chosen dissertation topic, passing an oral defense, and publication of their thesis. All candidates are expected to complete the program requirements during a minimum period of two (2) years, and a maximum of five (5) years.
The best theses may be published in the series entitled Studies in Intercultural Human Rights at the top-of-the-line publishing house, BRILL/Martinus Nijhoff in the Netherlands.
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.