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Environmental Law LL.M. Curriculum

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The Master of Laws, LL.M., is a specialized law degree for those who already earned a J.D. and wish to further advance their knowledge of law. The LL.M. with Concentration in Environmental Law requires students from the U.S. and other countries to complete 24 semester credit hours; which includes at least one experiential course, or other pre-approved equivalent course, work, or other experience. Also, as part of the total credit hours, students must complete a “Capstone” project on an approved topic of choice, which can take the form of an academic article of publishable quality, a policy “white paper,” meeting professional standards, or a similar undertaking. U.S. students attending full-time can generally complete the LL.M. program in one academic year (two semesters). Those attending part-time may take up to three years to finish all requirements. 

 

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**Please note: not all courses are offered every academic year.**

Required Core Courses (15 credits total) 
(for Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and other U.S. law students): 

  • LAW L835 Natural Resources Law* (3 credits)
  • LAW L844 Administrative Law OR LAW L847 Legislation and Regulation* (3 credits)
  • LAW L858 Environmental Law* (3 credits)
  • Capstone project (3 credits)
  • One experiential offering, or other pre-approved equivalent offering or experience, including:
    • LAW L900 Approved Academic Environmental Externship (3 credits)
    • LAW L974 Advanced Legal Research: Community-Based Research Lab (3 credits)
    • LAW L976 Environmental Law and Policy Lab (3 credits)
    • LAW L976 S50 Environmental Law and Policy: Florida Keys (3 credits)
    • LAW L977 Environmental Litigation: Theory and Practice (3 credits) 
    • Any other experiential opportunity (including work experience) with approval

*If any of these courses were completed during a J.D. program, other courses from the available offerings may be substituted for these credit hours.

For the remaining credit hours necessary for the LL.M. degree, students may choose from an array of courses from law, environmental, non-law, and non-environmental offerings, (Note: generally, non-environmental and/or non-law courses are capped at six credits that apply toward the degree, unless otherwise pre-approved).

Elective Courses: Environment and Law (9 credits minimum) 
(no more than 6 hours combined non-environmental law and non-law electives allowed)

  • LAW L817 Mediation and Arbitration (3 credits)
  • LAW L819 Construction Industry & Sustainability Seminar (2 credits)
  • LAW L822 Bioethics and the Law (3 credits)
  • LAW L834 Environmental Justice (2 or 3 credits) 
  • LAW L837 Property and Land Use Seminar
  • LAW L838 Oil and Gas Law (3 credits) 
  • LAW L856 State and Local Government Law (2 credits)
  • LAW L864 Admiralty 1 (3 credits)
  • LAW L879 Admiralty Seminar: Marine Pollution OR Intro to International Law of the Sea (1-3 credits)
  • LAW L886 Environmental Law Seminar (2 credits) (may take more than one), including:
    • Law and the Climate Crisis; 
    • Environmental Enforcement and Compliance; 
    • Hot Topics in Environmental Law
  • LAW L896 Professional Seminars (2 credits) (may take more than one), including:
    • Green Building
  • LAW L900 Approved Academic Environmental Externship (3 credits)
  • LAW L911 Introduction to American Indian Law: Overlapping Jurisdictions (3 credits)
  • LAW L913 Disaster Law and Policy (2 credits)
  • LAW L922 Toxic Torts (2 or 3 credits)
  • LAW L929 Energy and the Environment in International Law (2 credits)
  • LAW L974 Advanced Legal Research: Community-Based Research Lab (3 credits)
  • LAW L975 Energy Law and Policy (2 or 3 credits)
  • LAW L976 S50 Environmental Law and Policy: Florida Keys (May Term, 3 credits, in Florida)
  • LAW L976 Environmental Law and Policy Lab (3 credits) 
    • LAW L977 Environmental Litigation: Theory and Practice (3 credits) 

      Non-Law Electives (no more than 6 hours combined non-environmental law and non-law electives allowed)

      Remaining course offerings, including those at main campus, require instructor approval and graduate level work added. Examples include:

      For a fuller list of possible courses, review the topics below in the undergraduate bulletin:

      Environmental courses
      Food Studies courses
      Business, Decision Science and Entrepreneurship
      Political Science courses 
      Sociology courses

      For more information, please contact Marianne Cufone, Director of the Environmental Law Program.