Applications received before November 1, 2026, will be reviewed for consideration before the end of the semester. Relevant courses taken before applying for a certificate count toward certificate requirements.
Eleanor Roosevelt holding a printed version of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1949 / National Archives
Certificate in Human Rights
The Certificate in Human Rights provides a structured path for students interested in deepening their knowledge and understanding of human rights in theory and practice. Students participating in the program will pursue a series of courses that enable them to understand the groundwork of human rights as a legal framework as well as a political and cultural project, both in their local surroundings and on a global level. They will be able to make new connections between the history and theory of human rights and their practical deployment and to raise critical questions necessary in order to ever more fully protect, respect and fulfill the human rights of every individual. In addition to courses on specific human rights themes of interest, from women and children's or economic rights to topics of memory, trauma and justice, students may take advantage of practically oriented offerings which focus on building skills in documentation and advocacy.
Eligibility
Undergraduate students at institutions that do not have formal programs in human rights, as well as those that do, may apply for the certificate.
Requirements
Students must complete five courses in human rights at any institution. These courses include:
- one introductory course in human rights law, politics, advocacy, or practice;
- one course that examines human rights as a transnational or global practice or phenomenon;
- one course taught from a perspective other than that of law or politics;
- two Online Courses or Network Collaborative Courses, or Summer Courses in human rights.
For more information, please contact
Kerry Bystrom, Bard College Berlin
[email protected]