LLM in Sustainability and Human Rights
Aglantzia, Cyprus
LLM
DURATION
3 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 15 May 2026, 12:00 pm (Cyprus local time)
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
About: The LLM in Sustainability and Human Rights at the University of Cyprus is an English-taught programme covering environmental law in Europe, mobility of persons in the EU, business and human rights, and gender issues. It ends with a supervised dissertation and offers an optional internship and training.
Career Outcomes: The LLM opens career opportunities in legal practice, government, corporate compliance, policy development, NGOs, and academic research or PhD study. It attracts Cypriot, expatriate and international students from Europe and the Middle East. Internships and coursework build expertise for roles as legal advisers, policy analysts, compliance officers, advocates, and researchers.
The Master of Laws (LLM) programme on ‘Sustainability and Human Rights’ aims to contribute to the study of one of the fastest-developing legal fields relating to the law fostering sustainability while promoting and ensuring the protection of human rights. It aims to tackle some challenging questions regarding the operation of legal solutions to global and polycentric problems.
How to ensure that the transition to a green and climate-neutral world is also socially just, considering gender and other inequalities and free movement restrictions? What is the intersection between environmental law and human rights? How are gender and other inequalities addressed in international and EU law? How does the EU regulate the migration of third-country nationals? What are the obligations of transnational corporations in respecting and protecting human rights in their global value chain and in ensuring fair and green business practices? What role does the European Union play in ensuring this transition both within and outside European borders?
The Programme covers different aspects of sustainability, broadly understood to cover issues of economic development, social justice and human rights, and environmental protection. To this end, it consists of courses on Environmental Law in Europe, mobility of persons in the European Union, business and human rights, and gender and human rights.
The Programme concludes with a dissertation, involving extensive research into the student’s chosen topic, relating broadly to one of the modules of the programme. Under the guidance of a supervisor, the dissertation module enables independent research that relates directly to the student’s interests and aspirations and provides the opportunity for honing research and writing skills.
Students will also have the option to undertake a voluntary internship with a local organisation working on human rights and/or environmental issues, gaining hands-on experience that directly complements the LLM’s themes.
Courses per Semester
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Key Learning Outcomes
The Programme aims to provide students with the necessary learning and methodological skills which will allow them to respond fully and successfully to the high demands of all legal professions; at the same time, it develops and encourages critical thinking while students become familiar with producing in-depth and quality research in the field of law.
The students are expected to:
- Study and analyse fast-developing and complex legal issues;
- Gain a solid understanding of legal frameworks on environmental law in Europe, mobility of persons in the EU, business and human rights, and gender and human rights;
- Learn how to approach sustainability and human rights in a multi-dimensional manner;
- Develop high-level oral and written communication skills developed through reflective, analytical class discussion and critical analysis of legal scholarship;
- Develop advanced critical research skills
Occupational Profiles of Graduates with Examples
The Programme is offered in English with the aim to attract not only Cypriot lawyers but also expatriates who reside and work in law firms and in the corporate world in Cyprus, as well as international students from around the world. The Programme is expected to attract students from across Europe, including from Erasmus and YUFE partner Universities, as well as from neighbouring countries, particularly in the Middle East.
The transition to sustainability in a just and human-rights-based manner is a game changer and has a significant impact on society and economy worldwide. The need for informed and skilled lawyers familiar with the fast-moving issues relating to sustainability and human rights is acute. The LLM in Sustainability and Human Rights will open up a wide range of career opportunities. It equips lawyers who wish to pursue a career in legal practice, government, the corporate world, policy development, NGOs, and provides an essential step to pursuing a PhD and a career in academia.
Access to Further Studies
Students of the Programme will have the opportunity to undertake periodical intersnships with local organisations active in the areas of environmental sustainability and human rights.
Graduates can be admitted to Doctoral Programs.