BA in Human Rights Law

Course Overview

The BA in Human Rights Law at LSCT is a three-year honours degree within the Law & Social Sciences department, designed for students who want to specialise in human rights work — across the UK legal sector, NGOs, advocacy bodies and international organisations. Taught from our central London base and delivered through on-campus, online and distance-learning routes, the degree is anchored in walking distance of the Royal Courts of Justice, the UK Supreme Court and the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

You move from foundational contract, tort and constitutional law into the substantive rights subjects: the European Convention on Human Rights, the Human Rights Act 1998, immigration and asylum, equality law, civil liberties and the UN treaty framework. From 2026 you will engage with current UK constitutional debate around the ECHR, the Bill of Rights proposals, and the rights dimensions of policing reform after the Casey Review. The BA closes with a substantial casework and dissertation portfolio that prepares you for the SQE, the Bar, NGO casework or postgraduate study.

Key Features

• UK-accredited honours degree aligned with SRA SQE foundation subjects and the Human Rights Lawyers Association practice frameworks.
• Three study modes — on-campus in London, fully online with live moot rooms and judgment seminars, or distance learning with structured deadlines.
• Industry placement in year two with a UK human-rights firm, NGO legal team or Parliamentary committee.
• Distinctive specialism module: Article 8 in UK Family-Life Cases — Deportation, Removal & Best Interests of the Child.
• Live court observation at the UK Supreme Court, Royal Courts of Justice and the First-tier Tribunal.
• Dissertation in your final year on a UK or international human-rights topic with a designated supervisor.

What You Will Learn

The BA in Human Rights Law is structured around the SQE foundation subjects plus a specialist rights stream. You will graduate able to read a Strasbourg judgment, trace doctrine into UK case law, draft a skeleton argument and argue a position in oral moot.

• Constitutional and administrative law — Parliamentary sovereignty, rule of law, judicial review.
• The ECHR system — admissibility, just satisfaction, margin of appreciation.
• The Human Rights Act 1998 — sections 3, 4 and 6 in UK courts.
• Immigration and asylum law — Articles 3 and 8, trafficking, asylum appeals.
• Equality and discrimination — Equality Act 2010, Article 14, protected characteristics.
• Civil liberties — Articles 10 and 11, public-order and protest law.
• International human rights — UN treaty mechanisms, customary international law.
• Legal writing and research — skeleton arguments, opinions, statutory interpretation.

Who This Course Is For

• School leavers aiming for the SQE, the Bar or postgraduate human-rights study.
• International students seeking a UK honours degree taught in English with rights specialism.
• Working paralegals, immigration caseworkers and NGO researchers ready to formalise practice at degree level.
• Career changers from teaching, journalism or the civil service moving into rights-focused legal work.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the BA in Human Rights Law move into substantive UK rights, advocacy and policy roles. Typical first or next roles include:

• Paralegal at a UK human-rights, immigration or asylum law firm
• Caseworker with a UK domestic abuse, trafficking or housing-advice charity
• Researcher at a UK Parliamentary committee, think tank or NGO
• Trainee Solicitor on the SQE route (post-conversion) in human-rights practice
• Policy Officer at a UK NGO, regulator or third-sector advocacy body
• Legal Executive trainee on a CILEx qualification route

The degree is also a strong foundation for the LLM in Human Rights, postgraduate International Law and the Bar route via the Inns of Court.

Entry Requirements

• Three A-levels at grades BBC or above, or an equivalent UK / international qualification (IB 28+, BTEC DMM, Foundation Year pass) — applicants with strong evidence of rights-related work may be considered with a slightly lower academic profile.
• GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
• IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers — legal drafting demands precise English.
• A personal statement; mature applicants (21+) may apply with a portfolio of relevant work and a short interview.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. For human-rights students that means routine UK Supreme Court visits, Inns of Court tours and engagement with the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Apply for BA in Human Rights Law

The BA in Human Rights Law is built to launch your career in the Law & Social Sciences sector. Click Enrol Now to submit your application; admissions reply within one working day with intake dates, SQE-pathway guidance and placement options.