The Ph.D. program in Human Rights and Peace Studies is offered by the Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development (OHRSD), to provide mid career professionals or researchers an opportunity to update their knowledge in the human rights and peace studies field, and to undertake a major research project in this area. The OHRSD is affiliated to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. The Ph.D. program is one of the few interdisciplinary human rights Ph.D.’s in the world, and is recognized as a contemporary and innovative program.

As a leader in human rights education in the region, the OHRSD is committed to promoting research on human rights and peace studies through its degree programs. The OHRSD has been offering a Master in Human Rights for the past nine years. The OHRSD also organizes other professional short course training programs and offers its support for local human rights organizations as well as and the dissemination of research.
Admission Requirements
Candidates with a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree may apply, with the following requirements:
1. Candidates with a master’s degree:
1.1. Graduated with a internationally recognized master’s degree in any major.
1.2. Applicants must have English language proficiency of TOEFL with a score of at least 550 or of IELTS with a score of at least 6.0.
2. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree:
2.1. Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in any major, from an approved university, with a GPA of not less than 3.25.
2.2. Extensive experience of at least 5 years in a field related to human rights or peace studies
2.3. Demonstrated research publications of more than one publication or at least one single author publication in an accredited journal.
2.4. Attachment to a research centre or academic institution
2.5. Applicants must have English language proficiency of TOEFL with a score of at least 550 or of IELTS with a score of at least 6.0.
3. Exceptions to the above items may be made by the Program Committee and the Dean of Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Documents required for an application:
For an application form please email the OHRSD: admin@humanrights-mu.org, grbsc@mahidol.ac.th

The application form must be submitted with the following documents:
• Full academic transcript for Undergraduate degree and Master degree.
• Non native speakers must submit a language test certificate. The selection committee may choose to reject applicants whose TOEFL is below 550 or ILETS is below 6.
• Research Statement. The research statement outlines a potential research project the applicant may undertake for their Ph.D. thesis. This research statement will contain:
a) an outline and overview of the issue which is to be investigated.
b) briefly review the literature or research which has been conducted in this area.
c) detail the research objectives, relevance, and contribution of this intended project – that is, what will be accomplished by undertaking the research.
d) detail the potential research methods intended to undertake this project; that is what field work will be undertaken (if necessary).
The research statement must have a bibliography and demonstrate the applicant’s research and writing skills. It should be about pages (3,000 words).
• Personal Statement. This statement outlines the reasons why the person wishes to apply to this program. You may detail your professional or research interests or previous work or related experience. This statement should be about 1-2 pages.

Cost.
The full cost of the program is approximately $US12,000 (450,000 baht). The cost of the program will depend according to the program structure the student takes.

Program Structure
As the only Ph.D. on human rights and peace in Asia, this program offers a unique opportunity to engage, in depth, with the highly important issues of peace and human rights in the world today. The objective of the program is to produce graduates who have highly capable research skills, a thorough knowledge of the theories and concepts, and are capable of applying this knowledge to the field. The coursework is all seminar based, where student will work closely with many noted practitioners and academics from the Asian region.

Students are required to do two semesters of course work (taking one year) followed by 3-5 semesters of research to complete their Ph.D. thesis.

There are three program structures:

1. Applicants who have completed a Masters degree in a core area (a Masters of human rights, or a Masters of peace studies) have to:
- complete 4 courses; and
- spend at least 18 months undertaking field research for the Ph.D. thesis.

2. Applicants who have a Masters degree (research or coursework) in another area have to:
- complete 6 courses; and
- spend at least 18 months undertaking field research for the Ph.D. thesis.

3. Applicants with an undergraduate degree have to:
- complete 8 courses; and
- spend at least two years undertaking field research for the Ph.D. thesis.

The coursework consists of the following courses:

Semester One
Human Rights Theory
Research Methods
Theories of Peace and Conflict

Semester Two
Conflict and Security
Seminar on Human Rights and Peace Studies
Human Rights Standards

Semesters run from June till October, and November till February.