Double Degree in Human Rights and Law (University of Waterloo and University of Essex, UK)

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Get a law degree with a specialization in Human Rights and a BA in as little as 5 years!

United College and the University of Waterloo have partnered with the University of Essex (UK) to offer students at UW an exciting opportunity to pursue a BA-LLB double-degree. Students completing this five-year program will graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and an LLB with a Human Rights Law specialization from the University of Essex.

This program offers students a unique opportunity to customize their path to a career in human rights, combining a BA in their own interest area and a minor in Human Rights with a legal education. By studying at Essex, students will have the opportunity to experience university education overseas and attend a University that has a global reputation as a leader in the field of human rights research, practice, and education, and houses one of the oldest academic human rights centres in the world.

In only five years, students will graduate with two degrees and a wealth of knowledge and experience, ready to pursue a career in human rights in Canada or abroad.   

This program has been designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary education that will prepare them for a career in human rights. Such a career could include working for a non-governmental or community-based organization (such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch), for an inter-governmental organization such as the United Nations, or even for the government.

Required Courses
  • HRTS 101, Introduction to Human Rights
  • HRTS 201, Foundations and Critiques of Human Rights (formerly Human Rights Theory I)
  • HRTS 203, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  • HRTS 204, Discrimination, Rights, and Canadian Law (formerly HRTS 102, Human Rights Codes, Commissions, and Policies)
  • More Information

Electives

Complete 2.0 units from any additional HRTS courses or from the list of courses below.

Choose any of the following:

  • BLKST203 - Introduction to Anti-Racist Communication (0.50)
  • CDNST201 - The Indigenous Experience in Canada (0.50)
  • CI250 - Truth - Reconciliation - Story (0.50)
  • CLAS311 - Sex and Gender in the Ancient World (0.50)
  • ENGL309G - The Discourse of Dissent (0.50)
  • GSJ206 - Women and the Law (0.50)
  • HIST221 - Racism and Response in Canadian History (0.50)
  • HIST223 - The Holocaust in History (0.50)
  • HIST232 - A History of Peace Movements (0.50)
  • HIST314 - The American Civil Rights Movement (0.50)
  • HIST321 - Human Rights in Historical Perspective (0.50)
  • HIST322 - Global History of the Detention Camp (0.50)
  • HIST369 - The Politics of Decolonization (0.50)
  • INDG201 - The Indigenous Experience in Canada (0.50)
  • INDG301 - Critical Theories of Indigeneity in a Global Perspective (0.50)
  • INDG305 - Indigenous Rights in Global Context (0.50)
  • LS201 - Women and the Law (0.50)
  • LS273 - Children's Rights in Canada (0.50)
  • LS331 - Human Rights in Historical Perspective (0.50)
  • LS352 - Human Rights (0.50)
  • LS463 - Rights and Public Policy (0.50)
  • LS464 - Justice and Gender (0.50)
  • PACS203 - A History of Peace Movements (0.50)
  • PACS311 - Doing Development: Issues of Justice and Peace (0.50)
  • PACS318 - Peacebuilding in Divided Societies (0.50)
  • PACS324 - Human Rights, Peace, and Business (0.50)
  • PACS325 - Refugees and Forced Migration (0.50)
  • PHIL328 - Human Rights (0.50)
  • PSCI352 - Peacebuilding in Divided Societies (0.50)
  • PSCI365 - The Law and Politics of Free Speech (0.50)
  • PSCI421 - Justice and Gender (0.50)
  • PSCI463 - Rights and Public Policy (0.50)
  • SDS210R - Children's Rights in Canada (0.50)
  • SDS449R - Prejudice and Discrimination (0.50)
  • SOC388 - Refugees and Forced Migration (0.50)
  • SPAN400 - Memory, Human Rights, and Reconciliation (0.50)
  • Information about individual courses 

Program schedule and options 

  • The first three years (or four, depending on your choice of major) of your studies will be spent at the University of Waterloo 

  • The next two years of your studies will be spent at the University of Essex completing your LLB

Admission requirements when applying to Essex 

  • Complete the first three years of study in an Honours BA degree program at Waterloo in a major of your choice and a minor in Human Rights
  • Achieve an overall average of at least 77% with no fails or incompletes in any courses
  • Meet the University of Essex English language entry requirements

Schedule 

Pre-Year 1: 

  • Apply to an Honours Arts program at the University of Waterloo 

Year 1, semester 1: 

  • Location: University of Waterloo
  • Complete the Human Rights (HR) 101 course
  • Connect with Anna Purkey, Program Director, to express your interest and learn more about your individual pathway (which courses you need to be taking, which electives will benefit you, and learn more about your minor) 

Year 1-3: 

  • Work with academic advisors to ensure that you will have completed all required courses prior to leaving for Essex 
  • Note: if you choose a major other than Liberal Studies or Legal Studies, you will likely be required to complete 4 years at UW

Year 3: 

Year 4-5: 

  • Complete LLB at the University of Essex 
  • Upon completion, send proof of completion to UW Registrar
  • Graduate with 2 degrees