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HUMAN RIGHTS UCL vs LSE

Hello, all!

I am an international student from the US pursuing my masters degree in Human Rights this September. I have offers from both UCL (MA Human Rights) and LSE (MSc Human Rights) - and am wondering which university holds the better reputation for this program and overall for social sciences, as I may choose to continue onto a PhD in international relations or a related field. I have been struggling with this decision for a while, and cannot seem to reach a conclusion!

I know that UCL tends to be ranked more highly overall in leagues tables, but how realistic is this knowing that LSE is a specialized university? And do these rankings hold true for graduate programs as well?
International reputation is key, as I am hoping to end up in either London or New York working for an IO/NGO (like the UN or Amnesty) or at a university.

Other questions:
-Is there a difference between the prestige of an MA and an MSc?
-UCL's program is only 10 years old. Is this necessarily a disadvantage?
-UCL's program has a greater number of required courses, especially in terms of research methodology. Would this be preferable in the eyes of employers?

I am very grateful for ANY advice you may have!

Reply 1

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by ellelucks

The differences between the two are so minimal in real terms that future issues like your personal skills, communication, experience, presentation etc etc are going to be way more significant. No employer is going to chose one candidate over another just because they have one or other of those degrees. Neither is it going to make any difference to your PhD options.

More broadly LSE might suit better if you were going to take a more quantitative, economics based PhD. UCL has the much stronger legal reputation.

On your specific questions, No, No and No. Though depending on your circumstances, Research Council funding for PhDs often requires your Masters to have had the right number and type of research methods courses. That might be a consideration for some people.

They are only a few hundred yards away in London, so difference in location isn't really an issue. It seems that which ever has the stronger PhD supervisors/academics for your PhD preferences might be the deciding feature.