Oct 31, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Human Rights, B.A.


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

www.smu.edu/humanrights

Professor of Practice Rick Halperin, Director

The SMU Human Rights Program offers an interdisciplinary program introducing students to the study of universally recognized civil, political, economic, social and cultural human rights. The program offers human rights majors lecture programs, internships, independent research projects, and the opportunity to participate in educational travel programs to study human rights issues worldwide.

The human rights major consists of 30 credit hours of coursework related to human rights and at least 11 credit hours in any one world language. Students may also demonstrate proficiency in a world language through testing or other approved means. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the study of human rights, students are required to take a second major or a minor in a related field. No more than 6 credit hours taken for the human rights major can be counted towards any other major or minor. Students must also select three elective courses from the approved elective list below (or they may substitute other courses as approved by the director).

SMU Degree Requirements

An SMU undergraduate degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and must include completion of the University’s Common Curriculum , one major and a combination of electives and/or other majors or minors. Completion of certain majors requires more than 120 hours to finish the degree. The credit hours within this curriculum are distributed as follows:

Requirements for the Major


Core Courses (12 Credit Hours)


Human Rights Tracks (9 Credit Hours)


Three courses from either track, from at least two departments and with at least six credit hours at the 3000 level and above.

Public Policy and Human Rights Track


Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours)


Three courses from at least two departments, if not taken for the Gender and Human Rights Track or the Public Policy and Human Rights Track above, with at least 3 credit hours at the 3000 level and above.

World Language (11 Credit Hours)


  • A single world language. Students may also demonstrate proficiency in a world language through testing or other approved means.

Total for the Major Only: 41 Credit Hours


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences