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Criminal Justice and Human Rights at Goldsmiths, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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Open days

7Dec
Goldsmiths, University of London - Postgraduate Open Day
Postgraduate

Course summary

This cutting-edge LLM places you in the unique position to develop advanced knowledge and expertise in two specialist fields, criminal justice and international human rights. It will empower you to pursue legal practice in the UK and internationally, opening diverse career paths in the criminal justice and human rights sector, or advancing you to the position where you will choose to undertake a PhD in criminal justice or human rights or their interactions. Why study LLM Criminal Justice and International Human Rights at Goldsmiths:

  • This pioneering LLM introduces you to the history, theory and practice of international human rights law, while highlighting abuses of human rights in the criminal process and suggesting reforms.
  • You’ll get a 360-degree view of the criminal process, and a multidimensional perspective which explores organic synergies between domestic, transnational and international criminal justice systems.
  • You’ll be able to choose interdisciplinary modules from the Department of Psychology and Department of Politics and International Relations. These will broaden your view of advanced criminal justice and human rights topics, and include Artificial Intelligence and the criminal justice system, political philosophy, psychological theories of the origins of offending, and many more.
  • You’ll learn by doing, for example in the Criminal Evidence module, where you examine in chief and cross-examine witnesses in fictional criminal trials, before experienced barristers and Judges e.g. at the Old Bailey (the central criminal court) in London.
  • You’ll learn from important legal thinkers, internationally leading barristers, judges and politicians. Our Law faculty and Visiting Professors include pioneering human rights and criminal justice experts such as Professor Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos, a leading authority on criminal process and human rights perspectives in Anglo-- American and Continental European law; the director of leading human rights NGO Liberty, Martha Spurrier; the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Kirsty Brimelow KC; the founder of Reprieve, Clive Stafford-Smith, and Gresham Professor of Law, Leslie Thomas KC.
  • We’re focussed on employability, and you’ll have the opportunity to gain practical experience through taking criminal justice placements and clinics modules (for credit). Our Careers Service is here to support you every step of the way.
  • You’ll collaborate with renowned legal scholars, eminent legal practitioners and NGOs working in the field of Criminal Justice and International Human Rights, including foremost NGOs such as Fair Trials, Big Brother Watch, Reprieve as well as Liberty that leads on our pioneering 'Criminal Justice and Human Rights: NGO Advocacy, Litigation and Practice' module.
Study 21st century Law, and Law in context As well as compulsory modules that provide you with a foundational knowledge of criminal justice and human rights theory and practice, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of specialist criminal justice and human rights modules delivered by the Department of Law. Our curriculum has been built for the 21st-century landscape of Law, including subjects that range from AI and disruptive technologies to Art law and feminist approaches to human rights, NGO Advocacy in a polarised world and climate justice. Active learning Our students learn the law in action while helping local communities and developing crucial professional skills. Our leading researchers You'll have unique access to influential legal thinkers who have undertaken high-level legal and policy work in government departments, international courts, prestigious research centres, boutique law firms and some of the top NGOs and human rights organisations in the UK. Harvard Law School course We are the first department outside the United States to offer free access to Harvard Law School’s pioneering Zero-L course.

Modules

Students will study compulsory modules to the value of 60 credits, and complete a compulsory dissertation for 60 credits (120 credits total). You'll then be able to choose a further 60 credits of optional modules. Compulsory modules Advanced Criminal Law and Criminal Justice: Domestic, Comparative and International 30 credits International Human Rights Law: Theory and Practice 15 credits International Human Rights: Advanced Themes and Contemporary Debates 15 credits Criminal Justice and International Human Rights Dissertation 60 credits Department of Law optional modules Students can then choose optional modules to the value of 60 credits. These 60 credits can be up exclusively the Department of Law modules, or you may choose up to 30 credits from either of the following Interdisciplinary module lists below, which includes options from the Department of Politics and International Relations and Department of Psychology Counter-Terrorism, Human Rights and the Family 15 credits Human Rights and Criminal Justice: NGO Advocacy, Litigation, and Practice 15 credits Queer and Feminist Approaches to Law 15 credits Environmental Challenges, Social Justice and Human Rights 15 credits Law and Policy Clinic: Criminal Justice 15 credits Criminal Justice Placement 15 credits Law and Policy Clinic: Human Rights 15 credits Human Rights Placement 15 credits Students can choose 15-30 credits from the lists below (in which case they can only choose 30-45 credits from the Department of Law list of modules above). Department of Law interdisciplinary modules AI, Disruptive Technologies and the Law 15 credits Art Law 15 credits Criminal Evidence (with Advanced Mooting and Advocacy) 15 credits Department of Politics and International Relations, and Department of Psychology interdisciplinary modules Politics of Human Rights 15 credits Technology, Mobility, and Justice 15 credits Memory and Justice in Post-Conflict Societies 30 credits Psychology, Crime and Law 15 credits Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

Applicants will normally have a degree in Law, a related social science discipline (such as Criminology, Politics and International Relations, Sociology, Anthropology, Media & Communications, Economics or Psychology) or a humanities degree (such as English, History, Philosophy or Art). We also accept applications from people with professional, transferrable experience working in: NGOs Charities Criminal justice and human rights organisations Journalism The civil service or other governmental positions Students will normally be expected to have an upper second-class honours degree or its equivalent. There is some flexibility where applicants demonstrate exceptional commitment or abilities to study for the degree because of their possession of other qualifications, or because they have relevant experiences that would qualify them for the programme. If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For details of fees and funding please visit https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ or the programme page on our website.
Criminal Justice and Human Rights at Goldsmiths, University of London - UCAS