Motivation Letter and Admission Interview Requirements for International Law and Human Rights
Motivation letter
The motivation letter is a part of the online application form. Guidelines and evaluation criteria for the motivation letter are also included in the online application form.
Please write a brief motivation letter (in English, 5000-7000 characters with spaces) based on the following points:
- How is your previous education and/or work experience linked to the topics covered in the master’s programme of International Law and Human Rights?
- Why are you interested in applying for this particular master’s programme? How do you plan to apply the knowledge and skills that you will acquire from the programme for your future career?
- Which of the fields of international law and human rights you consider most appealing and thought provoking?
- Which of the fields of international law and human rights you would like to study more closely at the University of Tartu? What would be a potential topic for your master’s thesis? (Please note that the topic mentioned here is not at all binding, you can easily change it during the studies)
Evaluation criteria:
- fit between the applicant's background (prior education and/or work experience) and the programme (25 %)
- motivation and goals for the future (25 %)
- formulation of the potential master’s thesis topic and the way it is linked to the programme (25%)
- clarity, argumentation skills and fluency of written English (25 %)
The maximum score for the motivation letter is 100 points and the result is positive only if the applicant gains 51 points or more. Only those applicants who score 66 points or higher (out of 100) as a combined score from both the motivation letter and average grade of the previous study level, will be considered for admission.
Admission Interview
Applicants who received a positive score (at least 51 points) for the motivation letter will be invited to take part in admission interview.
Admission interviews take place on:
April 14, 2021
April 15, 2021
April 16, 2021
The School of Law preserves the right to make changes in these dates.
The interview is designed to determine the applicant's readiness for continuous learning, professional development, and aptitude to work in the field of International Law and Human Rights.
The applicant will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Acquaintance with the field of International Law and Human Rights
- Readiness for continous learning and professional developement
- Communication skills, argumentation and analysis
The duration of the interview is 20 minutes and it is conducted in English either via Skype or in person. The interviews will be scheduled in cooperation with qualifying candidates when the motivation letters have been evaluated.
Admission Interview via Skype
The University of Tartu uses the Skype free software to conduct the video call. For information about the use of Skype, see https://support.skype.com/en/. The interviewee/applicant must create a Skype account for themselves.
For the interview via Skype the applicant needs the following:
A computer or smart device with the Skype software installed in it. In addition, the computer or smart device must have a web camera, earphones and microphone (built-in or separate). As the applicant must be visually identified at the interview, the use of the web camera is mandatory, not recommended.
The internet connection with a speed of at least 1 Mb/s (upload/download) is recommended for the video call.
At the Skype interview:
The applicant must present an identity document.
The applicant has to confirm that the room where they stay is free from other persons or background noise.
The applicant must take into account that they are not allowed to save the interview and confirm that they are not doing so.