Stephen Phillips

Name: Stephen Phillips
From: Australia

Why I chose this programme: After several years working as a social worker and caseworker in various human rights organisations it was becoming clear to me that I needed a better knowledge of international human rights law to more fully understand the broader context in which I was working. I was also toying with the idea of doing post-graduate research, so I was looking for a programme that would give me a taste of what that might be like. The Master’s Degree Programme in International Human Rights Law at Åbo Akademi University appealed to me because it gave a balance between coursework and research, and also because it was open to people without a strictly legal background.

The studies: I remember the first few months as being very full on as I tried to get my head around studying somewhat familiar topics from a legal perspective for the first time, but I was studying with a friendly and supportive group of people so that made settling in much easier. I liked how as the programme progressed we were encouraged to pursue our own research interests, and that even as undergraduate students the staff at the Institute for Human Rights welcomed us and treated us as colleagues from the very beginning. This welcoming environment made it much easier to approach people with questions and problems as they arose, and played a big part in my decision to continue to PhD studies at Åbo Akademi University.

Additional comments: I think a real strength of the programme is that it caters for various needs, whether as a platform for further research, as it became for me, as a step towards a career in international human rights law, or as a way of developing and consolidating knowledge and skills that can be used in other related fields.