The Refugee Law Initiative is the only academic centre in the UK to concentrate specifically on international refugee law. As a national focal point for leading and promoting research in this field, the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) works to integrate the shared interests of refugee law scholars and practitioners, stimulate collaboration between academics and non-academics, and achieve policy impact at the national and international level.

MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies

The Refugee Law Initiative launched its MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies in 2014. Our MA is the first-ever postgraduate course on refugees to be offered by distance learning.

The programme has quickly become one of the largest programmes on forced migration in the world and is designed for those who wish to develop their careers in a range of professional contexts in the refugee, human rights or humanitarian fields. This includes those currently working for, or wishing to work for, international agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Red Cross movement, as well as governmental bodies and nongovernmental organisations. For more information and how to apply, please click on the link on the left.

Distance Learning PhD

The School of Advanced Study (where the Refugee Law Initiative is based) is the UK's national research hub in the humanities and offers a world-class research environment to our research students. From autumn 2017, the School of Advanced Study will offer students with an appropriate topic and level of local resource the opportunity to undertake a PhD by distance learning.

Short Courses

The Refugee Law Initiative delivers its Short Courses on 'The International Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons' and 'European Asylum Law and Policy' on an annual basis. They are designed to provide academically challenging training in a research-active environment to refugee and human rights practitioners in London; post-graduate education and research training in the field of refugee law, to the highest academic standards; and, facilitate collaboration among refugee law scholars and practitioners. For more information, please click on the link on the left.

Student life

Course locations