LLM in Animal Law Degree Requirements

​​​​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.​

An overview of this degree, including other details, can be found here.

​​​REQUIREMENTS OF THE LLM IN ANIMAL LAW DEGREE​​​​

• A minimum of 30 credits, including all required courses
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3 for successful completion of the degree
• Students have up to 5 years from the date of matriculation to complete the LLM
• Students may start the LLM residentially in the fall or summer semesters, or online in any one of our six term start dates

REQUIRED COURSES All of the following courses:
Course Code	Course Title	Credits
LLM9606	LLM Graduate Seminar	3
ENV5105	Administrative Law	3
ENV5307	Animals and the Law	3
The Director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute (ALPI) may waive Administrative Law and/or Animals and the Law upon showing that the candidate has completed an equivalent course of study.

ANIMAL LAW AND POLICY ELECTIVES You must take a minimum of six (6) credits from the following list:
Course Code	Course Title	Credits
ANM5437	Animal Ethics	3
JUR7333	Animal Law and Ethics	3
ANM5425	Animal Law in Practice	2
ANM5431	Animal Protection Policy	3
ENV5406	Animal Rights Jurisprudence	2
ENV5422	Animal Welfare Law	2
ENV5412	Biodiversity Protection	2
ENV5336	Climate Change, Extinction & Adaptation	3
ENV5480	Environmental Crimes	2
CLI9321	Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic	4-12
ENV5411	Federal Regulation of Food and Agriculture	3
ANM5435	International Animal Law	3
ENV5108	Introduction to Food and Agriculture Law and Policy	3
ENV5235	Natural Resources Law	2
ENV5423	Ocean and Coastal Law	3
ANM5433	Science of Animal Law and Policy	3
ENV5410	The Farm Bill	2
ENV5408	The Law of Animals in Agriculture	3
ENV5901	Undercover Investigations of Animal Operations	3

PROJECT/WRITING You must take a minimum of two (2) credits from the following list:
Description		Credits
LLM Thesis or Research Project on an animal law topic		2-6
LLM Externship		4-10
Teaching Practicum		4-6
Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic		4-12
Another VLGS clinic working on an animal law matter		4-12

THESIS, TEACHING PROJECT, OR RESEARCH PROJECT
You have the option of writing a thesis, which must be a substantial piece of written work of publishable quality. To write a thesis, you must submit a 10-15–page thesis proposal to be approved by your faculty supervisor and the Director of the Environmental Law Center or the Director’s designee.
You also have the option of completing a teaching practicum or a research project. A 5-page project proposal must be approved by your faculty supervisor and the Director of the Environmental Law Center or the Director’s designee.

ELECTIVES
Your remaining LLM credits may be additional credits from the above lists, or other environmental electives from an approved list of courses in the Academic Regulations.