Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights - Scholarships

Host Institution(s):

Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland

Level/Field(s) of study:

• LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
• Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law

Application instructions:

INFORMATION

• September 2025 - August 2026
• Study Mode Full-time
• Application start: 4 November 2024
• Application end: 13 February 2025
• Application end (with scholarship): 9 January 2025

Scholarship requests must be submitted with the candidate’s application. When applying, candidates must choose between two tracks: application with scholarship (partial or full) or application without scholarship. If candidates apply to both tracks, their application will be considered under the non-scholarship track. Successful applicants who choose only the non-scholarship track cannot subsequently be considered for a scholarship. 

It is important to visit the official website to access the application form and for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

THE LLM IN INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN A NUTSHELL

WHAT

The LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (LLM) is:

• An intensive one-year course aimed at educating around 40 highly qualified and open-minded students in the field of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) in armed conflict
• An in-depth study of the following areas: international law, IHL, IHRL in armed conflict, international refugee law and international criminal law (ICL)
• A focus on topical and emerging issues like the Islamic law of armed conflict, or cultural and identity claims in light of international legal concepts
• A prestigious faculty composed of leading academics and renowned experts and practitioners who are abreast of the latest developments and debates
• An ongoing focus on practice via exchanges with practitioners and military actors, work on concrete case scenarios, participation in public pleadings and the possibility for several students to carry out internships and participate in two moot courts
• A study trip to familiarize with field work
• An international, multicultural and diverse student body with a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, experiences and motivations
• Two annual awards that recognize exceptional academic work
• Access to our events which provide a critical and scholarly forum for experts and practitioners to discuss and debate topical issues in IHL, IHRL and ICL
• An LLM degree conferred by two prestigious academic institutions
• The foundation for a successful career in inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations dealing with IHL, human rights, ICL refugees or migration, as well as public administration, international tribunals or academic institutions

WHY

10 reasons for choosing the LLM at the Geneva Academy:

• A leading institution in the field of IHL and IHRL
• The opportunity to gain solid and unique expertise in IHL, IHRL in armed conflict, international refugee law and ICL and the interplay between them
• A programme that forms high-level professionals qualified to work as academics, staff members or field workers for inter-governmental, governmental, and non-governmental organizations
• Familiarity with a wide range of contemporary contexts and challenges
• The combination of theory and practice
• A personal teaching style that encourages interaction between students and lecturers
• Specialized supervised research for the master’s thesis
• Career counselling and advice by one of our parent institution, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
  
• Ties with leading actors in the humanitarian and human rights fields
• A unique human experience during which all those involved (students, faculty and resident staff) develop long-term bonds

HOW

• 60 ECTS Credits
• Core courses that provide a firm grounding in public international law, IHL, IHRL in armed conflict, international refugee law, ICL and the interplay between them (42 ECTS Credits)
• Weekly tutorials that allow students to revise and discuss concepts and issues addressed in the core courses
• Optional courses that allow students to deepen their expertise in a particular issue such as counter-terrorism, armed non-state actors, transitional justice, the rules governing the conduct of hostilities or the work of international courts and tribunals (12 ECTS Credits)
• The possibility to carry out internships with leading humanitarian and human rights actors (6 Credits)
• Participation in public pleadings and in the prestigious Jean-Pictet Competition (6 Credits)
• The writing of a master’s paper (6 ECTS Credits)
• A study trip
• A graduation ceremony

PRESENTATION

Our LLM (60 ECTS) is one of the most innovative and intellectually challenging programmes in international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights in armed conflict offered in Europe today. It focuses primarily on all rules applicable to armed conflicts, and their interaction and promotes both academic excellence and independent critical thinking.

It is structured around the following seven components:

• CORE COURSES: Core courses are mandatory and provide a solid legal basis and understanding of public international law, IHL, international human rights law in armed conflict, international refugee law and international criminal law.
• OPTIONAL COURSES: Optional courses allow our students to deepen their expertise in a particular issue such as armed non state actors in international law, the conduct of hostilities, enforced disappearances or the Islamic law of armed conflict. Places in the optional courses are limited to 20 in order to guarantee the quality of exchanges and discussions.
• INTERNSHIPS: Our LLM students have the opportunity, during Spring Semester, to acquire first-hand professional experience via internships with Geneva-based humanitarian and human rights actors.
• MOOT COURT AND PUBLIC PLEADINGS: As part of the curriculum, our LLM students can participate in the prestigious Jean-Pictet Competition on IHL as well as in public pleadings on specific conflict situations.
• MILITARY BRIEFINGS: This unique series of events relating to military institutions and the law aims to improve our students’ knowledge of military actors and operations, and build bridges between the military and civilian worlds.
• LLM PAPER: Our LLM promotes academic excellence and independent critical thinking. One of its core outputs is an LLM paper on a specific issue addressed by the programme and written under the guidance of a faculty member.
• STUDY TRIP: In Spring Semester, LLM students go on a study trip to learn about leading institutions and organizations active in the field of IHL and human rights.