Overview
Objectives
- Provide advanced, comprehensive and practical training in international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international public law, international refugee law and international criminal law, as well as the interplay between them
- Provide a solid exposure to practical work via internships with leading actors and participation in moot courts and public pleadings
Ìý
Audience
This Master of Advanced Studies is designed for law students seeking to deepen their expertise in the intersection of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and conflict-related legal issues, with a focus on armed conflicts.
Programme
The LLM programmeÌýis structured around the following components:
- Core courses
- Optional courses
- Internship
- Moot court competition, pleadings and other professionalizing activities
- Extra curricular activities
- LLM Paper
Registration
Registration deadline
15 January 2025
Fees:
CHF 18'000.-
Admission criteria
Candidates must have:
- A full degree in law (received by June at the latest) of 4 years minimum enabling the applicant to sit the bar exam in the relevant country
- A strong academic record
- A demonstrable interest in the subject matter of the programme (e.g. professional experience, internships, summer school, conferences attended, publications, etc.)
- A sound command of English (level C1). You must be able to show, via a , that your English is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete your courseÌýat the Geneva Academy. This requirement does not apply if (1) your mother tongue is English; (2) you have taken an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s degree; (3) you have at least two years’ professional or academic experience in an English-speaking environment
Curriculum
Period
September 2025 - August 2026
Credits
60 ECTS credits
This one-year full-time LLM – Master of Advanced Studies (60 ECTS) - in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights is one of the most innovative and intellectually challenging programmes in armed conflict offered today.
With a focus on armed conflicts, this Master in Advanced Studies is designed for law students seeking to deepen their expertise in the intersection of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and conflict-related legal issues. It combines rigorous theoretical frameworks with practical training, equipping students with the skills to navigate complex legal challenges in both conflict and post-conflict settings.
The programme allows students to tailor their studies according to their particular interests, with core courses providing a firm grounding in public international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international refugee law and international criminal law, and optional courses allowing students to explore cutting-edge issues.
With a focus on armed conflicts, this Master in Advanced Studies is designed for law students seeking to deepen their expertise in the intersection of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and conflict-related legal issues. It combines rigorous theoretical frameworks with practical training, equipping students with the skills to navigate complex legal challenges in both conflict and post-conflict settings.
The programme allows students to tailor their studies according to their particular interests, with core courses providing a firm grounding in public international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international refugee law and international criminal law, and optional courses allowing students to explore cutting-edge issues.
Pedagogical method
- Core courses
- Optional courses
- Writing of a LLM paper
- Internships with leading Geneva-based humanitarian and human rights organizations
- Moot court, pleadings and professionalizing activities
Assessment
Exams, papers, presentations, group work and end of year research paper
Partnerships / Collaboration
Diploma delivered jointly by
AV¶ÌÊÓÆµ, IHEID

Director(s)
Prof. Paola GAETA, Professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Director at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a joint center of the Faculty of Law, AV¶ÌÊÓÆµ and the Geneva Graduate Institute
Coordinator(s)
Lotte WALSTRA, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights