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Master of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) Degree Requirements

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​​​​Required courses are subject to change. For more​ information, please view the latest Academic Regulations or contact the Office of the Registrar: registrar@vermontlaw.edu.​

We are no longer accepting applications for the Master of Environmental Law and Policy. For those interested in the environmental and climate policy, please learn more about the new Master of Climate and Environmental Policy (MCEP).


​30 cred​its​

Required Courses

All of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
​REQ7186 Legislation and Regulation Survey 3
​ENV5115 Environmental Law 3
ENV5122 Communications, Advocacy, and Leadership 3​

​​​

In addition to the above, each student must satisfactorily complete at least three of the following five core courses:​​​​

 

Core Courses: Natural Resources Law

May choose one ​​of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
ENV5235 Natural Resources Law 3​

 

Core Courses: Environmental Science

May choose one of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
ENV5112 Science for Environmental Law​ 3
ENV5430 Ecology 3

Core Courses: Environmental Economics and Markets

May choose one of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
ENV5220 Environmental Economics and Markets​​ 3
ENV5229 Environmental Issues in Business Transactions​​ 3

Core Courses: Environmental Ethics

May choose one of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
DIV7628 Indian Tribes as Government Stewards of the Environment​​ 2
ENV5305 Environmental Ethics Seminar​​ 2
ENV5310 Environmental Health Law 2
ENV5375 Global Energy Justice 2​
ENV5383 Food System Justice and Sustainability 2
ENV5385 Global Food Security​​ 2
ENV5406 Animal Rights Jurisprudence​​ 2
ENV5408 Law of Animals in Agriculture​​ 2
ENV5422 Animal Welfare Law 2
ENV5446 Environmental Justice​​ 2
ENV5478 Global Food Security and Social Justice 3
ENV5521 Earth Law​​ 2
JUR7330 Moral Philosophy for Professionals​​ 2
JUR7333 Animal Law and Ethics 3

Core Courses: Dispute Resolution

May choose one of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
ADR6410 Alternative Dispute Resolution​​ 3
ADR6415 Environmental Dispute Resolution​​ 3
ADR6405 Arbitration​​ 2
ADR6412 Mediation​​ 2
ADR6413 Mediation​​ Advocacy 2
ADR6420 Negotiation​​ 2
ADR6450 Advanced Dispute Resolution Writing Seminar​​ 2
INT7450 International Investment Arbitration​​ 2​


Remaining electives may be chosen from the courses and experiential options listed above and from the following list of approved courses.

​​ ​

​Elective Courses​​

Course Code Course Title Credits
ADR6405 Arbitration​​ 2
ADR6410 Alternative Dispute Resolution​​ 3
ADR6412 Mediation​​ 2
ADR6415 Environmental Dispute Resolution​​ 3
ADR6420 Negotiation​​ 2
ADR6450 Advanced Dispute Resolution Writing Seminar​​ 2
​BUS6262 Social Enterprise Law​​ 2
BUS6305 Non-Profit Organizations​​ 3
BUS6350 Non-Profit Management​​ 2
CLI9302 Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (JD or LLM students only) 6
CLI9326 Advanced Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (JD or LLM only) 6
CLI9405 Dispute Resolution Clinic I​​ 4
CLI9427 Energy Clinic 4
CLI9428 Food and Agriculture Clinic 4
CLI9437 Avanced Energy Clinic 4
DIV7620 Native Americans and the Law​​ 3
DIV7628 Indian Tribes as Government Stewards of the Environment​​ 2
ENV5105 Administrative Law​​ 3
ENV5108 Introduction to Agriculture and Food Law and Policy 3
ENV5112 Science for Environmental Law​​ 3
ENV5115 Environmental Law​​ 3
ENV5125 Land Use Regulation​​ 3
ENV5205 Air Pollution​​ Law and Policy 3
ENV5209 The Law of Toxics and Hazardous Substances 3
ENV5210 CERCLA Liability and Cleanup 3
ENV5212 Climate Change and the Law​​ 3
ENV5214 Climate Change Mitigation​​ 3
ENV5218 International Climate Change Law (COP)​​ 3
ENV5220 Environmental Economics and Markets​​ 3
ENV5223 Environmental Governance in the Developing World 2
ENV5226 Energy Law and Policy in a Carbon-Constrained World​​ 3
ENV5228 Energy Regulation, Markets and the Environment 3
ENV5230 Global Energy Law and Policy 2
ENV5235 Natural Resources Law​​ 3
ENV5239 Land Transactions and Finance​​ 3
ENV5245 Water Resources Management 3
ENV5246 Water Quality​​ 3
ENV5250 Watershed Management​​ and Protection 3
ENV5303 Advanced Energy Writing Seminar​​ 2
ENV5304 Comparative Environmental Law Research 2
ENV5305 Environmental Ethics​​ 2
ENV5310 Environmental Health Law​​ 2
ENV5335 Extinction and Climate Change​​ 2
ENV5336 Climate Change, Extinction and Adaptation 2
ENV5342 Legal Adaptations to Global Warming 2
ENV5343 Climate Change Adaptation in Human Systems 2
ENV5344 Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy 2
ENV5346 New Frontiers in Environmental Policies 2
ENV5349 Regulating the Marine Environment​​ 2
ENV5350 Risk Assessment 2
ENV5356 Scientific Controversies​​ 2
ENV5365 Climate Change: the Power of Taxes​​ 2
ENV5375 Global Energy Justice 2
ENV5380 Food Regulation and Policy​​ 3
ENV5381 Local Farm and Food Law in Practice  
ENV5383 Food Justice and Sustainability  
ENV5401 Agriculture and the Environment 3
ENV5405 Ecosystem Conservation Strategies​​ 2
ENV5406 Animal Rights Jurisprudence​​ 2
ENV5408 The Law of Animals in Agriculture 2
ENV5410 The Farm Bill 2
ENV5411 Federal Regulation of Food and Agriculture 2
ENV5362 Representing Farmers and Food Producers 3
ENV5422 Animal Welfare Law 2
ENV5423 Ocean and Coastal Law​​ 3
ENV5430 Ecology​​ 3
ENV5446 Environmental Justice​​ 2
ENV5449 Environmental Litigation Workshop 2
ENV5462 Public Lands Management: Montana Field Study​​ 3
ENV5468 Oil and Gas Production and the Environment​​ 2
ENV5469 Oil and Gas Development and the Environment​​ 3
ENV5474 Land Conservation Law​​ 2
ENV5478 Global Food Security and Social Justice 2
ENV5479 Law and Policy of Local Food Systems 2
ENV5490 End Use Energy Efficiency 2
ENV5500 Environmental Aspects of Business Transactions​​ 2
ENV5510 Essentials of the Electric Grid​​: Engineering 1
ENV5521 Earth Law​​ 2
ENV5540 Public Health and Food and Agriculture Policy 2
ENV5561 Environmental Enforcement and Compliance 2
ENV5564 Peace, War and the Environment 2
GPP7819 Environmental Issues in Business Transactions (JD students only) 2
INT7412 Law of the European Union 2
INT7413 European Union Law Trento 3
INT7421 International Environmental Law​​ and Policy 3
INT7440 Comparative U.S.-China Environmental Law​​ 2
INT7446 International Trade and the Environment​​ 2
INT7450 International Investment Arbitration and the Environment 2
JUR7307 Culture and the Environment​​ 2
JUR7330 Moral Philosophy for Professionals 2
JUR7333 Animal Law and Ethics 3
PUB7510 Legislation​​ 3
PUB7525 Legislative Clinic​​ 6
PUB7585 State and Local Governance and Finance 3
WRI7380 Advanced Environmental Legal Research​​​ 1

Note: This page is offered as a quick, simplified glance of a complex topic. Please consult the Academic Regulations for full and official degree requirements.​