Founded in 1949, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) is the only postgraduate academic institution in the UK devoted to the study of the Commonwealth. It offers the highly regarded MA programme in Understanding and Securing Human Rights. The Institute of Commonwealth Studies (a member of the School of Advanced Study), is a national and international centre of excellence for policy-relevant research, research facilitation and teaching. It is the only institution of its kind in the UK nationally funded to facilitate and promote research in the humanities and social sciences.