MSSP CERTIFICATE PROGRAMSGlobal Human Rights Certificate

The University of Pennsylvania Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Studies in Global Human Rights is designed to provide enriched perspectives on human rights. Through this certificate, students will gain a working knowledge of the core international human rights documents, treaties, and mechanisms.

By taking a cross-disciplinary approach, students are challenged to look at similar topics or questions from different approaches. Access to varied coursework gives students the opportunity to shape this certificate around their own specific interests within human rights.

This Certificate accords with the United Nations Second Phase of the World Program for Human Rights Education (WPHRE) that began in 2010 and focuses on institutions of higher education.

This interdisciplinary certificate is open to students in graduate programs across Penn’s campus. Students do not need to apply to this certificate program. Instead, students fill out a Completion Form when they have finished the course requirements in order to document their completion of the certificate.

Detailed information about current certificate requirements, including required courses, approved courses, policies, and procedures can be found on the Global Human Rights Certificate website.

The certificate requires students to take five courses relating to international human rights. Students can petition to have two MSSP core courses to count towards the Certificate (typically, MSSP 6280: Policy Analysis and the MSSP Theory Elective). Two courses counting towards the Certificate may also count towards the student’s MSSP electives. Students must take one course beyond the ten required MSSP courses to complete the certificate.

Students should, after consulting their academic advisor, complete the fifth course for the Certificate in Global Human Rights in the Spring semester (taking 5.5 CU instead of 4.5 CU) OR take the fifth course for the Certificate in Global Human Rights during the summer. Taking a course during the summer may limit students’ internship options to the Philadelphia area. Students pay the SP2 per-course tuition rate and must take the course before graduating from the MSSP program.