Overview
The Master's Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation in the Caucasus, often referred to as Global Campus Caucasus, offers a distinctive academic pathway for students committed to advancing human rights and democratic development across the Eastern Partnership region and beyond. Coordinated by Yerevan State University's Centre for European Studies, the programme is delivered in close partnership with four other universities: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in Ukraine, the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Moldova State University, and Tbilisi State University in Georgia.
This regional collaboration is not incidental; it reflects the programme's membership in the Global Campus of Human Rights, a network of more than 100 universities worldwide dedicated to training the next generation of human rights defenders. Co-funded by the European Union, the one-year Master's degree is taught entirely in English and structured around 60 ECTS credits, combining legal, political, and broader multidisciplinary perspectives on human rights and democratisation. For students from the region and beyond who are serious about building a career in human rights work, policy, or research, the programme offers both rigorous academic training and direct connection to an established international network.
Scholarship Details
Each year, the programme makes available up to 25 full and partial scholarships, open to both resident and non-resident students. These scholarships are structured to address the full range of costs associated with postgraduate study: full tuition fee coverage for those receiving a full award, partial tuition support for other scholarship recipients, coverage of travel expenses to and from the host institution, and monthly living stipends for the duration of the one-year programme.
Importantly, the programme also maintains self-funded, no-scholarship places for students who wish to enroll but do not receive one of the available awards. This dual structure means that admission to the programme and receipt of a scholarship are, to some degree, separate outcomes: a strong applicant might be admitted to the programme even without securing scholarship funding, giving prospective students an alternative path to participation if needed.
Because the specific value and structure of individual scholarships can vary depending on whether a student receives full or partial support, prospective applicants should treat the scholarship component as a competitive add-on to admission itself, and should prepare financially for the possibility that they may need to self-fund at least part of their year of study if a full award is not secured.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility for the Global Campus Caucasus programme is anchored primarily in citizenship. The programme is open to citizens of the Eastern Partnership region, specifically Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Belarus, as well as citizens of Central Asian countries and Russia. A limited number of additional places may also be available to applicants from outside this defined region, though the primary focus of the programme remains squarely on these areas.
On the academic side, applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree of at least 180 to 240 ECTS credits, or an equivalent qualification from a recognised higher education institution. Final-year undergraduate students are not excluded from applying; they may submit an application accompanied by a letter or certificate confirming their expected graduation, along with a transcript of grades to date, allowing students still completing their final year of undergraduate study to apply in parallel with finishing their degree.
Language requirements center on English, given that the programme is taught entirely in that language. Applicants need excellent English communication skills to succeed in the programme's coursework and discussions. Russian language ability is explicitly noted as an asset, reflecting the practical realities of the region the programme serves, though it is not a strict requirement.
Beyond formal qualifications, the programme looks for applicants who can demonstrate a genuine professional and/or research interest in human rights and democratisation issues. This suggests that admissions decisions weigh not just academic credentials, but also the applicant's demonstrated engagement with the subject matter, whether through prior study, professional experience, volunteer work, or other relevant activity connected to human rights or democratic development.
Fields of Study & Programs
As an interdisciplinary programme, Global Campus Caucasus draws together human rights, democratisation studies, law, and political science into a single, integrated curriculum rather than treating these as entirely separate tracks. This structure reflects a recognition that meaningful human rights work and democratic development rarely fit neatly within a single traditional discipline, but instead require students who can draw on legal frameworks, political analysis, and broader multidisciplinary thinking simultaneously.
Students in the programme can expect to engage with legal approaches to human rights protection and enforcement, political science perspectives on democratisation processes and governance, and a range of multidisciplinary methods for analyzing and addressing human rights challenges in practice. This combination is particularly well suited to students aiming for careers that span policy work, legal advocacy, civil society engagement, academic research, or international organization roles connected to human rights and democratic governance, especially within or connected to the Eastern Partnership, Central Asian, and Russian contexts the programme is designed to serve.
Participating Universities
The programme's structure as a genuine multi-university partnership is one of its most distinctive features. Yerevan State University's Centre for European Studies, based in Armenia, serves as the coordinating institution, while Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv brings a strong Ukrainian academic perspective to the partnership. The American University of Central Asia, based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, extends the programme's reach into Central Asia, while Moldova State University and Tbilisi State University in Georgia round out the network, each contributing their own regional expertise and academic strengths.
This structure means that, depending on how the programme is organized in a given year, students may have exposure to faculty, perspectives, and academic traditions from across this five-university network, rather than experiencing a single, self-contained national curriculum. Each partner institution brings its own connection to the region's particular human rights and democratisation challenges, giving students a genuinely comparative, region-wide perspective that a single-university programme could not easily replicate.
Being part of the broader Global Campus of Human Rights network of more than 100 universities worldwide further connects Global Campus Caucasus students to a much larger international community of human rights scholars and practitioners, offering potential networking and collaboration opportunities well beyond the immediate five-university partnership.
How to Apply
Applications to the Global Campus Caucasus programme follow an annual admission cycle, though the specific timing of application rounds can shift from year to year. For the 2026/27 intake, for example, applications were accepted across two distinct rounds: an initial round running from 1 to 26 June 2026 with interviews held from 1 to 3 July 2026, and a second round running from 6 July to 17 August 2026 with interviews held from 24 to 26 August 2026. Both of these rounds for the 2026/27 intake are now closed.
Based on this annual pattern, the next call for applications, covering the 2027/28 intake, is expected to open around June 2027, though prospective applicants should not treat this as a guaranteed exact date. Interested students are strongly encouraged to monitor the official admission page at regionalmaster.net for the precise opening of the next application window, or to reach out directly to the Centre for European Studies at Yerevan State University for up-to-date information on requirements and the application form for the upcoming cycle.
Once a new application round opens, prospective students should be ready to submit a Bachelor's degree certificate or transcript, or, for final-year students, a letter confirming expected graduation along with a transcript of grades earned so far. Given the programme's emphasis on demonstrated interest in human rights and democratisation, applicants should also be prepared to articulate this interest clearly, whether through a personal statement, examples of relevant prior experience, or both, depending on what the specific application round requires.
Shortlisted candidates from the two most recent rounds were invited to interviews shortly after each round's submission window closed, suggesting that applicants for future cycles should expect a similarly compressed timeline between application submission and interview, and should be prepared to interview on relatively short notice once a decision on shortlisting is made.
Deadlines & Important Dates
The programme follows an annual admission cycle rather than a single fixed yearly deadline, with the specific opening and closing dates for each round varying somewhat from year to year. For the 2026/27 intake, two rounds were held: Round 1 from 1 to 26 June 2026 with interviews from 1 to 3 July 2026, and Round 2 from 6 July to 17 August 2026 with interviews from 24 to 26 August 2026. Both rounds have now closed.
Looking ahead, the next call for applications, for the 2027/28 intake, is expected to open around June 2027, broadly mirroring the timing of the prior cycle, though prospective applicants should confirm the exact dates once the official call is published rather than assuming an identical calendar. Given how quickly each round's window can close, roughly three to six weeks depending on the round, prospective applicants are well advised to prepare their documents well in advance of the expected opening, so they can submit promptly once the call is officially announced.
Life as a Scholar
Students admitted to Global Campus Caucasus spend their one-year Master's programme immersed in a genuinely regional academic community, engaging with peers, faculty, and coursework connected to human rights and democratisation issues that are often directly relevant to current events and ongoing challenges in the Eastern Partnership region, Central Asia, and Russia. Because the programme draws students specifically from this region, along with a limited number from elsewhere, the cohort is likely to bring a rich diversity of lived experience directly connected to the subject matter being studied.
Being coordinated through Yerevan State University's Centre for European Studies, with delivery connected to partner universities across Ukraine, Central Asia, Moldova, and Georgia, students may have opportunities to engage with the programme's wider partner network beyond a single physical campus, depending on how the specific year's programme is structured. As part of the broader Global Campus of Human Rights network, students also gain access to an international community of human rights scholars and practitioners spanning more than 100 partner universities worldwide, offering potential connections well beyond the immediate regional partnership.
For scholarship recipients, monthly living stipends and covered travel expenses are intended to allow focused engagement with the demanding, one-year curriculum without significant financial distraction, while students in self-funded places should plan accordingly for the costs of a full year of postgraduate study in the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 2026/27 intake still accepting applications? No, both application rounds for the 2026/27 intake have closed. The next call, for 2027/28, is expected around June 2027.
Who is eligible to apply? Primarily citizens of Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, Central Asia, and Russia, with a limited number of places for applicants from outside this region.
How long is the programme? One year, comprising 60 ECTS credits.
Are scholarships guaranteed for all admitted students? No. Up to 25 full and partial scholarships are available, and self-funded places exist for students who are admitted but do not receive an award.
What language is the programme taught in? Entirely in English; Russian language skills are considered an asset but not a strict requirement.
Can final-year Bachelor's students apply? Yes, with a letter or certificate confirming expected graduation, along with a transcript of grades earned so far.
Final Thoughts
Global Campus Caucasus offers a genuinely regional, EU-co-funded pathway into human rights and democratisation studies for students from the Eastern Partnership region, Central Asia, and Russia, backed by the credibility and international connections of the broader Global Campus of Human Rights network. Because the next application call is not expected to open until around June 2027, interested students have a valuable window of time now to strengthen their academic profile, deepen their demonstrated interest in human rights work, and prepare the documentation they will need once the call is officially announced.
