Study location	First semester: Venice, Italy - Second semester: Partner institution
Type	Postgraduate, full-time
Nominal duration	full-time (60 ECTS)
Study language	English
Awards	EMA (Joint diploma in Human Rights and Democratisation)

Tuition fee	€6,450 one-time
Application fee	€50 one-time

Entry qualification	at least a 3-year Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) obtained before the start of the Programme The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English / French / Italian / Spanish. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English Accepted proof of proficiency: FCE or CAE, IELTS 6+ or TOEFL 79+

Other requirements

At least 2 reference(s) should be provided. Letters of reference can be submitted by the referees through this form or can be uploaded by the applicant in pdf format. A motivation letter must be added to your application. If selected, please note that you will have to provide the EMA Secretariat with the originals of your university degree and transcripts. Applicants completing the degree entry requirements after the application deadline are requested to provide a current transcript. In order to be admitted to the programme, applicants have to provide documentation that certifies that they completed their studies prior to the beginning of the new academic year (31 August 2025).

More information	emahumanrights.org

Overview

The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA) is organised by the Global Campus of Human Rights, a worldwide network of universities seeking to advance human rights and democracy education. It was created with the support of the European Union and 43 participating universities from all EU member states, plus the UK and Switzerland. The programme is a one-year course that provides a practice and policy-oriented approach to learning that combines legal, political, historical, anthropological, and philosophical perspectives of Human Rights and Democratisation with skill building activities and a field trip exercise. Students are taught by leading academics representing EMA participating universities, experts and representatives of international organisations and NGOs while studying in a multicultural environment. The curriculum prepares participants for working in national, international, governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as research institutions dealing with human rights and democratisation.

Programme structure

The academic year of the European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA) is divided into the following components:

- First Semester – September to January in Venice, Italy (worth 50% of the total mark, equivalent to 30 ECTS credits);
- Second Semester – February to July in one of the 43 participating universities located throughout the European Union plus the UK and Switzerland (worth 15% of the total mark, equivalent to 9 ECTS credits);
- Thesis – research and thesis submission at one of the participating universities, graduation in September/October in Venice, Italy (worth 35% of the total mark, equivalent to 21 ECTS credits).

After successfully passing exams and completing a master’s thesis, students are awarded the Diploma of the “European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation,” which is worth 60 ECTS credits. The diploma is jointly conferred by those universities of the GC/EMA network that have ratified the Joint Degree Agreement (the so-called Inner Circle Universities).

Graduates receive one of two versions of the joint diploma, which is based on the ECTS credits, or an equivalent thereof, they held at the time of admission (either 180 or 240), which in turn are required for admission to postgraduate programmes in the Inner Circle Universities, according to the relevant national or other applicable legal framework:

- University of Graz, University of Padua, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice issue the EMA diploma to students enrolled in EMA with 180 ECTS;

- University of Graz, Ruhr-University Bochum, University of Hamburg, University of Padua, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, University of Ljubljana, University of Deusto, Bilbao issue the diploma to students enrolled in EMA with 240 ECTS.

The national equivalent value attributed to the EMA Joint Programme varies among the Inner Circle Universities as follows:

- for the Italian universities (Padua, and Ca’ Foscari University Venice), the EMA Degree corresponds to a “Master Universitario di primo livello” (see DM 270/2004);
- for Ruhr-University Bochum, the EMA Degree corresponds to a Master’s title as envisaged by par. 66, Hochschulgesetz (HG) 16.9.2014;
- for the University of Deusto-Bilbao, the EMA Degree corresponds to a “Título de Máster” recognised by the Real Decreto 1393/2007 de 29 de octubre;
- for the University of Graz, the EMA Degree corresponds to the title recognised by the UG 2002 (BGB1 n. 120/2002);
- for Hamburg University, the EMA Degree corresponds to a “Master of Peace and Security Studies” (MPS) as foreseen by the § 1 Abs. 2 der Neufassung der Prüfungsordnung für den Masterstudiengang “Peace and Security Studies – (M.A.)” vom 16. April 2014;
- for the University of Ljubljana, the EMA Degree corresponds to »magistrski št. druge st., mag. člov. prav. in demo. according to the Odločba Sveta NAKVIS št. 6034-46/2015/15.

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