Social Justice (Human Rights)
Overview
| This page was first published on 13 November 2025 and was last amended on 12 January 2026. View details of the changes below. |
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Human rights is a critical field within the study of social justice, as it explores both the roots of human rights violations and possible responses to them. Students in this stream come to understand how human rights issues arise by understanding their structural basis, and, through wide-ranging case studies and innovative teaching, they examine possible responses, including tools and analysis relevant to the international system (like the UN and international advocacy organisations), regional bodies (like ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum), and national and local bodies (like the Australian Human Rights Commission and grassroots organisations).
The Social Justice program comprises a full master’s degree as well as shorter courses, allowing students the flexibility to enter or exit at any level, subject to meeting the relevant criteria:
- Graduate Certificate in Social Justice (24 credit points, no stream);
- Graduate Diploma in Social Justice (48 credit points, including a stream); and
- Master of Social Justice (72 credit points, including a stream and capstone).
In addition to Human Rights, the Graduate Diploma and Master’s are available in the following streams:
Students complete units of study in the following categories, as appropriate to their level of study:
- Core: provides students the opportunity to study together in the same classes and gain the same conceptual grounding, relating to all three stream topics and also environmental justice. It is recommended that students take these units early (first and second semesters) in their course.
- Stream core: covers conceptual material and empirical examinations, as well as considerations of possible effective responses.
- Stream selective: related units, including those from other stream cores, that allow students to draw links between various social justice dynamics.
- Elective (optional): choice of units in Gender and Cultural Studies, International Politics, Political Economy, and Sociology and Criminology.
- Capstone: application of the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the master’s to a choice of:
- (i) independent research project: students pursue a specific topic of interest to them, assisted by an academic supervisor.
- (ii) vocational placement: one or two units in which students can deepen insights into the social justice work environment or undertake a vocational placement, or both. While gaining a vocational placement is not guaranteed, we make every effort to place students.
- (iii) supervised dissertation: provides a pathway to higher degree by research (e.g., PhD) studies. This option is only available to high-achieving students with a strong research proposal.
Admission criteria and course requirements
Please refer to the course resolutions for admission criteria and course requirements.
The requirements of the Human Rights stream are listed in the unit of study table.
Contacts and further information
School of Social and Political Sciences
Program Director: Associate Professor Susan Banki
Phone: +61 2 9351 4279
Email: msj.coordinator@sydney.edu.au
Post-publication amendments
| Date | Original publication | Post-publication amendment |
|---|---|---|
| 12/01/2026 | Human Rights overview section published as: [...] Human rights is a critical field within the study of social justice, as it explores both the roots of human rights violations and possible responses to them. Students in this stream come to understand how human rights issues arise by understanding their structural basis, and, through wide-ranging case studies and innovative teaching, they examine possible responses, including tools and analysis relevant to the international system (like the UN and international advocacy organisations), regional bodies (like ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum), and national and local bodies (like the Australian Human Rights Commission and grassroots organisations). Students undertake a capstone in which they intern at a local or overseas organisation relevant to human rights, or complete a research-based, supervised dissertation or independent research project relevant to human rights. |
Human Rights overview section amended to: [...] Human rights is a critical field within the study of social justice, as it explores both the roots of human rights violations and possible responses to them. Students in this stream come to understand how human rights issues arise by understanding their structural basis, and, through wide-ranging case studies and innovative teaching, they examine possible responses, including tools and analysis relevant to the international system (like the UN and international advocacy organisations), regional bodies (like ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum), and national and local bodies (like the Australian Human Rights Commission and grassroots organisations). The Social Justice program comprises a full master’s degree as well as shorter courses, allowing students the flexibility to enter or exit at any level, subject to meeting the relevant criteria:
In addition to Human Rights, the Graduate Diploma and Master’s are available in the following streams:
Students complete units of study in the following categories, as appropriate to their level of study:
[...] |
| 12/01/2026 | Admission criteria and course requirements section published as: [...] Please refer to the course resolutions for information on the admission criteria for the Master of Social Justice and Graduate Diploma of Social Justice. The requirements of the Human Rights stream are available in the unit of study table. The Master of Social Justice and Graduate Diploma of Social Justice are also available in the following streams:
|
Admission criteria and course requirements section amended to: [...] Please refer to the course resolutions for admission criteria and course requirements. The requirements of the Human Rights stream are listed in the unit of study table. [...] |
| 12/01/2026 | Contacts and further information section published as: [...] Website: School of Social and Political Sciences |
Contacts and further information section amended to: [...] School of Social and Political Sciences |
