Human Rights, Certificate
Examine how human rights norms take shape, why violations happen and what strategies promote justice. This human rights certificate draws on history, law, political science, sociology and philosophy so you can recognize, analyze and respond to issues at home and around the world.
Quick facts
Locations
Courses
Additional facts
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Certificate description
Human Rights undergraduate certificate description
The certificate program in human rights provides you with interdisciplinary tools and perspectives from history, law, political science, sociology and philosophy that can serve as a framework for thinking broadly and critically about human rights issues. Coursework and experiential learning opportunities prepare you for work protecting human rights, including:
- children's rights
- environmental human rights
- immigrants' rights
- personal integrity rights
- the right to education
- the right to health care
- the right to housing
- the right to water and energy justice
- sexuality rights
- women's rights
- workers' rights
Why earn a human rights undergraduate certificate at ASU?
Many human rights offerings sit inside a single law or political science department. At ASU, this undergraduate certificate deliberately blends history, law, political science, sociology and philosophy, giving you broader tools to unpack complex problems from several angles.
Housed in the School of Social Transformation within The College, this human rights pathway connects to ASU's recognized work in justice studies and the social sciences. That means you can study race, gender, indigeneity, migration and inequality with context that grounds theory in practice.
ASU is known for access and community impact, and human rights study here links to applied research, community partnerships and public engagement. You'll build critical analysis, ethical reasoning, research, writing and advocacy skills valued in nonprofits, government, legal settings and international organizations.
Because this is an undergraduate certificate, you can add a human rights specialization to majors across The College and beyond, from justice studies and global studies to history and communication, often without extending your time to degree.
Additional details
Beyond coursework, you can join a community of peers who care about the same questions you do in student organizations focused on social justice, human rights, pre-law or international affairs.
Campus life includes public lectures, film series, reading groups and conferences on human rights topics. You can also connect with university-wide efforts tied to human rights and community engagement to put your learning into action.
Courses
Course checksheet and curriculum archive
The curriculum checksheet displays this program's required courses and other requirements you must complete for graduation.
Already completed some college courses? Build on your success.
If you earned college credit outside ASU, our transfer tools map out your progress towards a degree and help you plan next steps.
See how your credits may apply (opens in new window)What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Employ the core concepts and methods used in studying human rights in their written work.
- Apply fundamental principles of human rights to research or community engagement.
Employ the core concepts and methods used in studying human rights in their written work.Admission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
First year (opens in new window) | Transfer (opens in new window) | International (opens in new window) | Readmission (opens in new window)
To declare a certificate in human rights, a student must have a minimum of 30 earned credit hours. A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded before the completion of an undergraduate degree. A student who already holds an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.
Explore expanded study opportunities
When you pursue concurrent degrees (also known as a “double major”), you earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. Working with your academic advisor, you can create your own concurrent degree combination. Some combinations are not possible due to high levels of overlap in curriculum.
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students recieve financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Careers this human rights undergraduate certificate prepares you for
Human rights training can lead to a rewarding and meaningful career path as well as a professional degree. The following list of career options is not exhaustive; each offers distinct opportunities, requirements, strategies and tools for social change:
- human rights activism coordinator
- human rights advocacy officer
- human rights campaigner
- human rights educator
- human rights fundraising specialist
- human rights grant writer
- human rights lawyer or legal officer
- human rights policy analyst
- human rights program officer
- human rights researcher or research assistant
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
School of Social Transformation
|
WLSN 5th floor
SSTadvising@asu.edu
480-965-7682
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
