The Certificate Program of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice is open to Boston College graduate students enrolled in a degree granting program in any of the university’s graduate schools.

Requirements

The Certificate requires that the student has:

1. Followed a curriculum within his or her graduate studies that emphasizes human rights and international justice issues, including at least three human rights related courses within own discipline.
2. Widened his or her interdisciplinary understanding of these issues by completing at least one course designated by the Center in an academic department or discipline that is not his or her own.
3. Completed the Center’s Interdisciplinary Seminar in Human Rights and International Justice.
4. Written a research paper under the Center’s auspices or completed a practicum supervised by the Center. This is an independent study with Center affiliated faculty.

Programs of Study

Below are sample Programs of Study for students enrolled in some specific graduate programs and a generic program of study to be completed by all others.

• Law
• Political Science
• Social Science (including graduate programs in the Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, the Graduate School of Social Work, and Lynch School of Education).
• Theology
• All Other Disciplines

Approved Courses

Click here for a list of Center approved Certificate courses.

Application

Each student will need his or her Program of Study approved by the Center Directors prior to admission to the Certificate Program. To apply to the program, first submit the application form and program of study (see above) to the Assistant Director at timothy.karcz@bc.edu.  After being accepted to the program and after having formulated an independent study proposal with an identified faculty supervisor, you will submit the independent study form to the Assistant Director.

Certificate Program applications are considered on a rolling basis, however preference for enrollment in selected certificate courses is given for students already accepted into the program.  For these purposes, the application deadline for consideration before summer/fall semester registration is March 25 and the deadline before spring semester registration is October 28.

Also, if you are enrolled in a one year Masters program, please submit your application early in the Fall semester.

Prospective Certificate Program students are encouraged to discuss the program with CHRIJ Assistant Director, Tim Karcz, before submitting an application to the program.  Contact timothy.karcz@bc.edu, or stop by his office in Maloney Hall, 312R during regular work hours to set up a meeting.