Law

Master of Arts in Human Rights

The Master of Arts in Human Rights at the University of Nairobi is a postgraduate programme that provides advanced study of human rights theory, law, and practice. The programme prepares graduates for careers in human rights advocacy, policy development, research, governance, and social justice across governmental and non-governmental sectors.

The curriculum covers human rights theory, international human rights law, humanitarian law, human rights and development, gender and human rights, human rights in Africa, research methods, and specialised clusters in either human rights and governance or human rights and development. Students develop analytical skills for evaluating human rights frameworks, conducting rights-based research, and advocating for social justice.

Admission requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in any field from a recognised university. Applicants with a Lower Second Class Honours degree with additional relevant training or evidence of research or work experience may also be considered. Holders of a postgraduate diploma who satisfy minimum bachelor's degree requirements are also eligible. The programme is offered over a minimum of four semesters (two years).

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE) and delivered through the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Nairobi, Kenya's oldest and largest public university. The programme offers two options: coursework with a research project, or coursework with a thesis.

Career prospects include roles in human rights advocacy, policy analysis, research, governance, international organisations, civil society, legal aid, and academia. Graduates work in national human rights institutions, international NGOs, UN agencies, government ministries, research organisations, and universities requiring human rights expertise.

The programme addresses Kenya's constitutional commitment to human rights and the growing demand for qualified human rights professionals in the East African region. With the expansion of human rights frameworks, devolved governance, and civil society engagement, demand for advanced human rights education continues to grow across governmental, non-governmental, and international sectors.

Skills Required

Human rights theory and analysis
International human rights law
Human rights research methodology
Policy analysis and development
Human rights advocacy and campaigning
Humanitarian law and practice
Gender and human rights analysis
Human rights monitoring and reporting
Governance and democratic accountability
Academic writing and publication

Key Subjects

Human Rights Theory
International Human Rights Law
Humanitarian Law
Human Rights and Development
Gender and Human Rights
Human Rights in Africa
Research Methods in Human Rights
Governance and Human Rights
Human Rights Advocacy
Transitional Justice

Certifications

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) Affiliation
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Membership
Amnesty International Membership
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) Observer Status

Specializations

Human Rights and Governance

Focuses on the intersection of human rights and governance, including democratic accountability, constitutionalism, and institutional human rights frameworks.

Human Rights and Development

Examines the relationship between human rights and development, including rights-based approaches to development, social justice, and economic rights.

International Human Rights Law

Covers international and regional human rights instruments, mechanisms, and enforcement, including UN and African human rights systems.

Gender and Human Rights

Focuses on gender-based rights, women's rights, gender equality, and the intersection of gender with other human rights issues.

Humanitarian Law and Conflict

Examines international humanitarian law, rights in conflict situations, transitional justice, and post-conflict human rights challenges.

Human Rights in Africa

Studies the African human rights system, including the African Charter, regional mechanisms, and human rights challenges in the African context.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 220,500
Job market: Moderate

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Human Rights Theory
International Human Rights Law
Humanitarian Law
Human Rights and Development
Gender and Human Rights
Human Rights in Africa
Research Methods in Human Rights
Governance and Human Rights
Human Rights Advocacy
Transitional Justice

Modules

11 in the programme

Human Rights Theory
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Philosophical foundations of human rights, including historical development, key theorists, and contemporary debates in human rights theory.
International Human Rights Law
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
International human rights instruments, mechanisms, and enforcement, including UN human rights system and treaty bodies.
Research Methods in Human Rights
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Research methodology for human rights research, including qualitative and quantitative methods, field research, and academic writing.
Human Rights in Africa
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
African human rights system, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, regional mechanisms, and human rights challenges in Africa.
Humanitarian Law and Conflict
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
International humanitarian law, rights in armed conflict, protection of civilians, and transitional justice mechanisms.
Gender and Human Rights
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Gender-based rights, women's rights, gender equality frameworks, and the intersection of gender with other human rights issues.
Human Rights and Development
Year 1Semester 23 creditsElective
Rights-based approaches to development, economic and social rights, and the relationship between human rights and development processes.
Governance and Human Rights
Year 1Semester 23 creditsElective
Intersection of human rights and governance, including democratic accountability, constitutionalism, and institutional human rights frameworks.
Human Rights Advocacy and Monitoring
Year 2Semester 33 creditsElective
Practical skills in human rights advocacy, monitoring, documentation, and reporting, including strategic litigation and campaign strategies.
Transitional Justice
Year 2Semester 33 creditsElective
Transitional justice mechanisms, including truth commissions, reparations, accountability, and post-conflict human rights reconstruction.
Thesis / Research Project
Year 2Semester 412 creditsCore
Independent research thesis or project on a human rights topic, conducted under faculty supervision and assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Human Rights and Governance
Focuses on the intersection of human rights and governance, including democratic accountability, constitutionalism, and institutional human rights frameworks.
Human Rights and Development
Examines the relationship between human rights and development, including rights-based approaches to development, social justice, and economic rights.
International Human Rights Law
Covers international and regional human rights instruments, mechanisms, and enforcement, including UN and African human rights systems.
Gender and Human Rights
Focuses on gender-based rights, women's rights, gender equality, and the intersection of gender with other human rights issues.
Humanitarian Law and Conflict
Examines international humanitarian law, rights in conflict situations, transitional justice, and post-conflict human rights challenges.
Human Rights in Africa
Studies the African human rights system, including the African Charter, regional mechanisms, and human rights challenges in the African context.

A day as a student

A typical day combines theoretical study with practical human rights analysis. Mornings involve lectures on human rights theory, international human rights law, or humanitarian law, followed by seminar discussions on contemporary human rights issues. Afternoons include research methodology sessions, case study analysis, or advocacy workshops. Students engage with human rights instruments, case law, and reports from national and international human rights bodies. The programme benefits from UoN's location in Nairobi, a hub for international organisations and NGOs. Independent reading, policy analysis papers, and thesis or project research occupy significant time, with access to the university library and online human rights databases.

The trade offs

In its favour

Interdisciplinary programme covering theory, law, development, and governance aspects of human rights.
Offered at Kenya's premier university with access to Nairobi's international organisations and NGOs.
Two study options (project or thesis) accommodate different career goals and research interests.
Strong career prospects in Kenya's growing human rights, governance, and civil society sectors.

Against it

Only offered at one institution, limiting choice for prospective students.
Programme cost of KES 441,000 total may be a barrier for some students without funding.
Human rights careers, while impactful, may not be as financially lucrative as other professional fields.
Programme is housed in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, which may limit legal and practical law components.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 12 law courses

Public221k to 221k

221k at University of Nairobi221k at University of Nairobi

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN MA Human Rights KES 441,000/2yr=220,500/yr (philosophy.uonbi.ac.ke). Private unverified.

HELB offers postgraduate loans for Kenyan students. The OHCHR provides human rights fellowships and study grants for human rights education. UoN may offer institutional graduate scholarships based on merit. International human rights organisations may provide internship and research opportunities.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
OHCHR Human Rights Fellowships
UoN Graduate Scholarships

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan citizens pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities. Applicants must meet HELB eligibility criteria.
OHCHR Human Rights Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 400,000
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides fellowships and study grants for human rights education, particularly for developing country nationals.
UoN Graduate Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 220,500Kenyan
The University of Nairobi may offer institutional graduate scholarships based on academic merit. Contact the School of Graduate Studies for details.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Holders of a postgraduate diploma who satisfy minimum bachelor's degree qualification requirements are also eligible. The programme is open to graduates from all disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of human rights. The programme is offered full-time and part-time over a minimum of four semesters (two years) at the University of Nairobi, with intakes in September.

How you are assessed

4 components

Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
Ongoing assessment through research papers, policy briefs, case analyses, seminar presentations, and human rights monitoring exercises throughout each semester.
End-of-Semester Examination
Examination60% of the mark
Written examination conducted at the end of each semester for each course unit.
Thesis / Research Project
Project100% of the mark
Independent research thesis or project on a human rights topic, assessed through written submission and oral defence.
Seminar Presentation
Practical20% of the mark
Assessment of research presentation skills through seminar presentations on human rights topics to peers and faculty.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE), Kenya's statutory body for university quality assurance. The University of Nairobi is a CUE-accredited public university.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Statutory accreditation required for all university programmes in Kenya. The University of Nairobi is a CUE-accredited public university.
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)
Professional alignment
Kenyan constitutional commission promoting human rights. Graduates may engage with KNCHR for professional development and human rights practice.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

5 roles

Human Rights Officer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 280,000
Monitors, reports on, and advocates for human rights in national human rights institutions, international organisations, and NGOs.
Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 300,000
Analyses and develops policies incorporating human rights frameworks for government, think tanks, and international organisations.
Programme Officer (NGO)
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 250,000
Manages and implements human rights programmes for civil society organisations, including monitoring, advocacy, and capacity building.
Research Officer
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 240,000
Conducts human rights research for research institutions, commissions, and international organisations, producing reports and policy briefs.
University Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 250,000
Teaches human rights, philosophy, or political science at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, conducts research, and supervises student projects.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers in human rights advocacy, policy analysis, research, governance, international organisations, civil society, legal aid, and academia across national and international institutions.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

NVivo
Research softwarePrimary
Qualitative data analysis software for analysing human rights research data, interviews, and qualitative policy research.
EndNote
Reference managementPrimary
Reference management software for organising citations and bibliographies in human rights research and thesis preparation.
SPSS
Statistical software
Statistical analysis software for quantitative human rights research and data analysis.
JSTOR
Research database
Digital library providing access to academic journals and books for human rights, law, and political science research.
RefWorld
Human rights database
UNHCR database providing human rights documents, country of origin information, and legal resources for human rights research.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Human rights is only about law.
The programme is interdisciplinary, covering philosophy, politics, development, gender, and governance, not only legal frameworks.
Human rights graduates can only work in NGOs.
Graduates work in government, international organisations, national human rights institutions, academia, policy research, and private sector compliance roles.
Human rights is a Western concept imposed on Africa.
The programme includes African human rights frameworks, including the African Charter, and examines human rights within African philosophical and cultural contexts.
There is no career demand for human rights in Kenya.
Kenya's constitutional reforms, devolved governance, and active civil society create ongoing demand for qualified human rights professionals.
Human rights advocacy is confrontational and adversarial.
Human rights work involves diverse approaches including research, policy dialogue, capacity building, monitoring, and strategic litigation, not only confrontation.
A human rights degree is not practical.
The programme develops practical skills in research, advocacy, policy analysis, monitoring, and reporting that are directly applicable in professional contexts.