Built on more than two decades of the Geneva Academy’s experience teaching transitional justice, accountability, and human rights, the LLM–Master of Advanced Studies in International Crimes, Justice and Human Rights is the evolution of the Academy’s respected MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law (offered 2016–2026) — now with an expanded curriculum launching for the 2026–2027 academic year.
It trains legal experts capable of analysing and applying the diverse mechanisms of justice—criminal, reparative, institutional, or hybrid—designed to address international crimes and serious human rights violations.
This one-year, full-time programme (60 ECTS) takes a holistic approach to justice: it situates legal rules and institutions within their political, institutional, and social contexts, encouraging critical reflection and comparative analysis. Combining academic excellence with hands-on experience, it equips students to engage with the realities of international and domestic justice mechanisms, transitional and non-transitional alike.
The LLM-MAS in International Crimes, Justice and Human Rights is a one-year, full-time postgraduate programme (60 ECTS) that offers a comprehensive legal perspective on accountability for international crimes and serious human rights violations, with a particular focus on victims’ rights.
Drawing on more than a decade of experience teaching the MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law, the programme builds on the Geneva Academy’s long-standing expertise in justice processes, accountability mechanisms, and the legal responses to mass atrocities. It examines the multiple dimensions of justice—international, national, transitional, and victim-centered—and explores how the law operates in contexts marked by conflict, repression, institutional collapse, or political transformation.
Students engage with the relationship between human rights and criminal justice, the participation and protection of victims, and the complex intersections between law, politics, and society in situations of conflict, transition, and atrocity. They acquire a robust understanding of accountability processes and the evolving jurisprudence of international and regional courts, human rights bodies, and hybrid or domestic mechanisms.
Taught by leading academics and experienced practitioners, the programme benefits from Geneva’s unique ecosystem of institutions working on justice, accountability, and human rights—such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN investigative and fact-finding mechanisms, international NGOs, and specialized accountability initiatives. This setting provides students with unparalleled access to the institutions and experts shaping global practice in the fields of international crimes and human rights protection.
If your interest lies more in the law governing armed conflict and the protection of those affected by it, see the LLM–MAS in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.
The tuition fee for this programme is CHF 18,000. Information on payment modalities and deadlines is provided to admitted candidates together with the offer of admission. A limited number of scholarships are available each year and awarded on the basis of academic merit and financial need. Scholarships may cover tuition fees, living expenses, or both.
Programme regulations can be found here (currently for the predecessor programme).
The academic year begins in mid-September and runs until mid-September of the following year:
Autumn semester (September–December):
Core and optional courses, supported by tutorials (in core courses) to strengthen conceptual understanding and prepare for assessments.
Winter (January):
Examination period and short break.
Spring semester (February–June):
Continuation of core courses, combined with mandatory professionalising activities.
Summer (July–August):
Completion of the LLM–MAS Final Paper (6 ECTS).
Graduation:
End of October.
Core Courses 2026-27 (42 ECTS)*
- International crimes and criminal justice – introduction to International Criminal Law
- Introduction to Transitional Justice
- Victims and Human Rights in Regional Human Rights Systems
- Law and Politics of Transition
- International Crimes and Criminal Justice – Securing Justice for Victims of International Crimes and Gross Human Rights Violations
- Twelve Core Transitional Justice Dilemmas: Law and Practice
- Module Alternative and Community Based Justice
Optional Courses 2026-27 (2 required – 3 ECTS each, offered in the Autumn semester)
- Displacements and Armed Conflict in International Law
- Guarantees of Non reccurence: justice as prevention
- Identity Claims, Cultural Diversity and Human Rights
- Implementation of International Humanitarian Law
- International Cyber Security Law
- Non-State Armed Groups in Armed Conflicts
- The Law and Politics of International Human Rights Monitoring
- Weapons Law
Faculty – Core Courses – 2026-27 Academic Year
Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Professor at the Law Faculty and the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva
Assistant Professor of Public International Law at Leiden University
Member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan
Hon. Professor University of Essex and Director of Programmes at Global Survivor Fund
Professor of International Criminal Law and Global Justice at the Leiden Law School and Queen’s University Belfast
Independent Expert on Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law
Professor, Northumbria School of Law
Faculty – Optional Courses – 2026-27 Academic Year
Senior Researcher, Centre on conflict, development and peacebuilding at the Geneva Graduate Institute
Senior Researcher, Head of Scientific Projects
Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Research Director of IRSEM, Visiting Professor at Laval University and at Paris-Panthéon-Assas
Key Expert with the EU Facility on Justice in Conflict and Transition
Professor of International Law at the University of Westminster
Visiting Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Professor, International Law
Faculty Associate, Global Governance Centre
LL.M. Programme Director
Professionalising activities are a cornerstone of the programme. During the spring semester, students complete one mandatory professionalising activity, choosing either:
- a curricular internship with one of the Geneva Academy’s partner institutions (over 80 organizations, including the ICRC, OHCHR, UNHCR, and leading NGOs active in humanitarian and human rights protection); or
- participation in the Jean-Pictet Competition, for a limited number of outstanding students selected through an internal process
- participation in the Geneva IHL Lab, a unique opportunity for students to gain practical experience in international humanitarian law and strengthen their skills in open sources research
These activities bridge academic learning with practice, allowing students to develop professional skills, confidence, and networks essential for future careers.
The programme also includes a study trip offering direct exposure to humanitarian or human rights operations in the field.
Graduates of the MAS in International Crimes, Justice and Human Rights are equipped to work in international criminal courts, transitional justice mechanisms, and human rights institutions, as well as in national systems dealing with accountability, reparation, and the protection of victims.
They pursue careers within:
- International organisations and accountability mechanisms, including OHCHR, UN investigative bodies, the ICC, IOM, and UNIDIR;
- NGOs working on justice, peacebuilding, transitional justice, and victims’ rights;
- Ministries of justice and foreign affairs, and other governmental bodies involved in accountability and human rights;
- Regional and hybrid courts, truth commissions, and human rights bodies;
- Academic and policy institutions focusing on conflict, justice, and human right.
Graduates join a strong and diverse alumni community built over more than a decade, bringing together former students from the Geneva Academy’s long-running MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law and those of the current programme. This interconnected network spans international organisations, NGOs, governments, and academic institutions worldwide, creating a vibrant community committed to justice, accountability, and human rights.
Admission will open in November 2026. If you would like to register your interest and receive notification of the application portal opening, please fill in the form below:
Admission is open to candidates holding a full degree in law that allows them to sit the bar examination in their country of origin or residence. Candidates with degrees in other disciplines may also be considered if they demonstrate a strong and motivated interest in the programme’s subject matter, supported by relevant professional experience and university-level courses in international law.
Applications must include all required documents, including two recommendation letters (one academic, one professional), written on letterhead and signed.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis during the admission period, and entry is highly competitive. Early submission is strongly encouraged.
If you wish to prepare in advance you can read our Application Guidelines (2025 version for information only) and refer to to the How to Apply page.
If you have questions about our programmes, please check our Frequently Asked Questions or contact masters-inquiries@geneva-academy.ch
The international environment is one of the unique features that the Academy has. There are so many conferences, chances to attend meetings at the UN. People come from all over the world.
Alumna of the Geneva Academy of IHL and Human Rights