Funding Resources
ISHR provides various types of funding support to our students, including admissions, research, internship, and conference stipends, as well as academic prizes and awards. Some types of funding are also matched by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Current and prospective students are encouraged to explore external funding opportunities well in advance of the academic year, as scholarship and fellowship deadlines can sometimes be 6-12 months earlier than the start of an academic term.
The Institute together with GSAS aim to provide substantial tuition scholarships for HRSMA students. Up to a quarter of the incoming M.A. class may receive an admissions fellowship in a given year. Decisions are based on academic merit upon a review of the general admissions application. Prospective students do not need to submit a separate application for funding. Recipients of the admissions fellowship are notified in their admissions decision letter.
Students may also be eligible to apply for the GSAS Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) award and Fulbright opportunities. In addition to these internal awards, students are strongly encouraged to explore external funding opportunities. For more information, please refer to the GSAS External Fellowships page.
For information on the cost of attendance, loans, and student employment, please refer to the Financing Your Education on the GSAS website. Please note that tuition for the HRSMA program is charged according to the Residence Unit model.
Research Funding
Thesis Research Stipend
The thesis research stipend is awarded to select HRSMA students to help offset costs associated with research undertaken for the M.A. thesis. Eligible costs may include travel, lodging, or other expenses that are essential for the student's thesis research. To apply, students should send this application form and supporting documentation to [email protected] with the subject line “HRSMA research stipend.” Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Students can also apply to receive up to $400 in GSAS matching funds and are encouraged to explore other Columbia research funding opportunities, as well as opportunities available through other Columbia University Center's and Institutes.
Human Rights Research Award
The ISHR Human Rights Research Award provides ISHR students with an opportunity to gain valuable research experience, while supporting the work of Columbia faculty engaged in human rights-related research. Students who receive the award are expected to complete approximately 80-120 hours of research assistance during the academic year. The research opportunities selected for each academic year are circulated to students in the Fall semester. ISHR will award one stipend per research opportunity in the amount of $1,750.
Funding for Practical Experience
Internship Stipends
The graduate internship stipend provides support to select HRSMA students to undertake an unpaid internship that is related to their concentration and research interests. To apply, students should send this application form and supporting documentation to [email protected] with the subject line “HRSMA internship stipend.” Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Student Volunteer Program
Through the Student Volunteer Program (SVP), human rights students can apply for eight-week funded summer internships with alumni of the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP). These internships provide students the opportunity to gain field experience and engage in the work of grassroots human rights advocacy efforts while enabling HRAP to support its alumni's advocacy work around the globe.
Miller Human Rights Award
The Miller Human Rights Award will support graduate and undergraduate human rights students who seek to deepen their experience through study abroad or volunteer work. The placement should provide substantive and thoughtful engagement, through a human rights lens, with communities experiencing socio-economic inequities, forms of discrimination, or other types of institutional or societal marginalization. Applicants with placements in the Global South are especially encouraged to apply, although the nature of the work and its potential for addressing a significant need in a marginalized community is prioritized over a specific location/country. Click here to read more and see past winners.
The Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf Peace Prize Award
The Karpf Peace Prize Award was established through a bequest from the estate of Fay Karpf. It recognizes an ISHR student for their work “involving original contributions to the subject of the promotion of universal peace, goodwill, tolerance, and understanding among the peoples of the earth.” M.A. and undergraduate students currently enrolled in an ISHR degree program are eligible to apply. The selection committee will consider projects undertaken during an internship/volunteer or study abroad placement. Selected students produce a substantive piece of writing during the course of their placement and commit to sharing their work with the ISHR community upon completion of the project. Only returning students are eligible to apply. Click here to view submission requirements and learn how to apply. Award recipients will receive a stipend in the amount of $5,000.
Professional Development Funding
Conference Stipend
Students who are invited to present their research at academic conferences may apply for the HRSMA conference travel stipend. Students may also be eligible to receive an award from the GSAS Conference Matching Travel Fund or a GSAC travel grant. Students must first submit a completed conference application to the Institute.
Academic and Professional Development Funding
The Academic and Professional Development Stipend is intended to support active participation in activities aimed at advancing students' research, academic and intellectual development, or professional skills-building in the human rights field. Eligible opportunities could include, among others, training programs, university-NGO partnerships, civil society engagements, roundtables/panels/workshops, and other similar engagements where the student is actively involved or participating in a manner that develops their research, learning, and academic and professional standing. Students can learn more about the stipend and apply with this form. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Essay Contest
The annual Human Rights Essay contest aims to encourage and acknowledge students who have written exceptional academic papers that address issues related to human rights. Papers may be written in any discipline or be interdisciplinary. All submissions are reviewed by our Student and Faculty Review Committees. Students currently enrolled in a Columbia University degree program are eligible to apply. Winners receive a cash prize. Click here to read more about the Essay Contest.
Thesis Competition
Human rights students who are currently writing their thesis – or have recently completed their thesis – are invited to participate in a virtual thesis competition. Selected students deliver compelling, 5-minute presentations about their thesis topics. A panel of faculty judges select one graduate and undergraduate winner. In addition, the audience will vote for their favorite presentation. Winners receive a cash prize.
Get Involved
Students looking to develop leadership skills and experience, to build connections with peers outside the classroom, and to spearhead events and initiatives around campus, are are encouraged to take advantages of the many extracurricular opportunities offered by the Institute. Learn more below.
The Student Review Committee (SRC) consists of Columbia students pursuing studies in human rights and relevant academic fields, and evaluates paper submissions to ISHR's annual Essay Contest. The SRC ranks and nominates the top student submissions to a Faculty Review Committee, tasked with selecting the contest winners. The committee is an excellent opportunity to learn from other students’ work and expand your human rights network. Learn more here.
RightsViews is a human rights blog published by ISHR with readers and contributors from around the world. Contributing to RightsViews provides students with the opportunity to develop their critical thinking and writing skills, get published, and engage with a greater international human rights community.
The Human Rights Graduate Group (HRGG) is Columbia University's only student organization open to human rights practitioners across all Columbia graduate-level programs and schools. HRGG promotes student participation in social, cultural, and academic events and activities for graduate students involved in human rights at Columbia. Group Email: [email protected]
The Student Journal for the Study of Human Rights (SJSHR) is a student-run, open-access peer-reviewed journal that showcases students’ research and academic studies in the field of human rights. An interdisciplinary journal, SJSHR is a publishing platform for Columbia undergraduate and graduate students that creates more space and visibility for student work and serves as an educational tool that deepens critical thinking in the field of human rights studies. For more information, please visit their LinkedIn profile.
Professional Development
ISHR coordinates with alumni, and partners across Columbia and the broader human rights community to offer mentorship support, trainings, and professional development opportunities that complement students' learning in the classroom and prepare them to engage in the field.
The HRMSA Alumni Mentorship Initiative is a mentoring program that pairs current M.A. students with recent graduates. Our mentors are alumni with illustrious careers at US-based and international organizations. Through this initiative, students and alumni build relationships that are mutually beneficial and long lasting. Mentees receive career guidance and develop their networks, and mentors share their professional experience and career insight to help pave the way for future human rights advocates and scholars. If you are interested in being paired with a mentor, please send an email to [email protected].
ISHR's Human Rights Training Series complements students' learning in the classroom through interactive trainings that enhance participants' capacity to engage in human rights and social justice work. Workshops address both practical skills and thematic issues, with topics and activities designed based on the needs and goals expressed by interested participants. More information about our workshops can be found here.
The internship database includes organizations where ISHR students have completed human rights-related internships over the course of their studies at Columbia University. Both paid and unpaid opportunities are included. The database aims to help students identify internship opportunities and learn from the experiences of fellow students and alumni.
GSAS Compass
GSAS Compass is an initiative in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences that offers a variety of career development services tailored to graduate students and recent alumni. Counseling appointments are now available. Please visit the GSAS Compass website for more information on career counseling and professional development workshops .
GSAS Connect
GSAS Connect is an online career-management hub available exclusively to the Graduate School’s master’s and doctoral students and alumni.
Here are some of the ways you can engage with GSAS Connect:
- Schedule a career advising appointment to discuss your career goals, review a résumé or cover letter, prepare for an interview, or discuss building your professional community through networking.
- RSVP to GSAS Compass workshops and events, such as the Job Search 360 series and employer information sessions.
- Explore our Resource Library, a tailored collection of content to help you navigate your job search.
- Search the curated job and internship database for positions for master’s and doctoral students posted by our employer contacts and GSAS alumni.
Click here to get started on GSAS Connect today.
ISHR sends out a weekly newsletter informing students of upcoming professional development opportunities, including job and internship postings, calls for papers, upcoming conferences, and funding opportunities. To receive the newsletter, students can sign up for our listserves.
Additionally, ISHR has a database of human rights organizations that maintain active mailing lists, which is an excellent way to learn about professional development opportunities offered by various human rights organizations.
GSAS also shares news and announcements with current students.