Other Information Information About this Department Degree Requirements Apply Online Visit the Department's Website

(Click here for the Certificate on Human Rights administered by the Interdepartmental Committee on Human Rights)

Associate Dean for M.A. Programs: Darice Birge
109A Low Memorial Library

212-854-5972

Program Coordinator: Kristin Balicki
109A Low Memorial Library

212-854-4932

Degree Requirements

Human Rights Studies students must complete 30 credit points, including the thesis. Of the 30 points, 27 must be at the graduate level (4000 or higher). Students are required to take three specific introductory courses; two elective introductory courses; and four courses focusing on one area of human rights: economics and development, race and ethnicity, health, religion, or women/gender.

Degree requirements are as follows:

HRTS G4020 Introduction to Human Rights (three points)

HRTS G4800 Human Rights and International Law (three points)

HRTS G4820 Human Rights and International Organizations (three points)

Two general human rights courses (six points) chosen in consultation with the Program Coordinator

Four courses (twelve points) in one of the following areas of concentration: economics and development, race and ethnicity, health, religion, or women/gender

A thesis (three points) completed in the final term

Internships, practica, and independent study courses do not count towards the degree.

No more than three courses in the Law School may count towards the degree.

Transfer Credit
No courses taken outside Columbia are accepted for transfer credit toward the Human Rights Studies degree.

Foreign Language
There is no foreign language requirement and foreign language courses cannot be used to fulfill requirements for the Human Rights Studies degree.

General Degree Requirements and Regulations for All L.S.M.A. Students

The LSMA program consists of eight separate programs of study administered directly by the Dean's office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. These programs are interdisciplinary and cross-departmental. Students approach the particular culture, geographical region, or historical period that is the subject of their program by drawing on all three of the traditional liberal arts-the humanities, social sciences, and arts. Students take specific required courses in addition to requirements chosen for their concentration (if applicable) from course offerings in several participating departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as well as, to a lesser extent, the Law School, School of International and Public Affairs, and Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Within the requirements of each program, students are encouraged to define their own territory of intellectual inquiry.

Each term students choose courses in consultation with the LSMA Program Coordinator from the pre-approved course list created by the LSMA office and from the university-wide Directory of Classes.

The Liberal Studies program offers RSRH G4001 Scholarly Research and Writing for students who have been away from academia for an extended amount of time and students who wish to hone their academic research and writing skills in preparation for study at the PhD level. This course is not required, but many students find it useful at the beginning of their course of study. It introduces Liberal Studies Master's students to theoretical approaches and to resources in print and electronic formats that are fundamental to advanced humanities research. The course also reviews academic writing skills necessary to produce scholarly papers. Class meetings include weekly writing tutorials and lectures by the library staff on reference tools and services.

Full-time and Part-time Study
Full-time students take 12 credit points (normally four courses) or more in the spring and fall terms. Part-time students may take from three points (one course) to 11 points per term. Part-time students, especially those who have been away from the academic environment for some time, may prefer to begin with one course in their first semester and increase the amount of course work per term when they have become acclimated to graduate-level study. All students have five years to complete the degree, but most full-time students complete the degree in two years or less.

Thesis
At the end of their program of study, students complete a final thesis. The thesis is a scholarly work of length and substance-40 to 80 pages excluding the bibliography-requiring research that draws together the ideas developed in the course of a student's interdisciplinary studies.

Students write their thesis either as an independent study course under the supervision of a faculty member or as part of RSRH G4990 Liberal Studies Research Seminar, in which case the thesis is written as part of a structured research and writing course.

Additional information and regulations pertaining to the thesis can be found on the website of the LSMA program.

RSRH G4990 Liberal Studies Research Seminar
This course is designed for Liberal Studies students writing their thesis. The seminar provides a structured opportunity to do research and write in stages, to review and discuss one's work, and to receive constructive advice on writing. Students must submit the proposal for their final thesis to the LSMA office prior to the start of the semester in order to be registered in the course. The course meets only in the spring.

Academic Standards
Liberal Studies students must maintain an average of B (GPA: 3.0) or better to remain in good academic standing. All courses must be taken for a letter grade, except RSRH G4001, which is taken pass/fail. Courses taken for R credit do not count toward the degree. Academic records are reviewed each term to determine whether candidates are making satisfactory progress. Those who do not maintain a satisfactory average may be asked to discontinue their studies.

Financial Aid
There are a limited number of partial scholarships available for LSMA students.

One Point Scholarship
All admitted LSMA students are eligible for this scholarship worth one point of tuition credit. This scholarship is awarded annually on the basis of need and merit. The application is submitted to the LSMA office; the deadline is July 15.

Fifty-Percent Tuition Reduction Scholarship (Primary and Secondary School Teachers)
This scholarship is available to enrolled LSMA students who are full-time contracted primary or secondary school teachers in active service. It is worth 50% of a student's total tuition for the year or semester in which it is awarded. The application is submitted to the LSMA office; the deadline is July 15 for the fall term or full academic year and January 15 for the spring term.
For more information on grants and loans, please contact the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Financial Aid Office at 212-854-3808.