Since 1979, Tulane Law School has taken a lead role in the advancement of environmental legal education and the training of well-prepared environmental lawyers. The LLM in Energy & Environment program was initiated in 1984 and has evolved over time from a program concentrating primarily on oil, gas, and energy issues, to one in which both energy and the environment hold center stage. Tulane seeks to graduate students who understand not only the theory, but also the practice and advocacy of environmental issues.
Tulane is an ideal location for the study of both environmental and energy law. Located in an area of the United States in which these two areas come into frequent conflict, students have the opportunity for exposure to areas of great natural beauty as well as to industrial complexes. Among the resources the Center for Environmental Law and the Center for Energy Law offer students are an outstanding and dedicated faculty, a student-run journal devoted to environmental issues, active and engaged student organizations, and an Institute for Water Resources Law & Policy.
Students in the LLM in Energy & Environment program include recent law graduates, experienced lawyers practicing in local law firms, government agencies and corporations, and attorneys from foreign countries with emerging environmental law systems. Recent years have seen LLM candidates from more than a dozen US states and from at least two dozen countries including Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Germany, India, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey.
The LLM in Energy & Environment requires a total of 24 credits in addition to the general degree requirements for all LLM candidates. Of the 24 credits 16 credits hours include 7 credits in core courses and 9 credits in approved electives. To satisfy the 7 credits in core courses, students must enroll in the 1 credit Energy & Environment LLM Seminar, or an approved seminar or Directed Research with the approval of the Program Director, and must also complete two of the following three core courses: Natural Resources, Pollution Control and Energy Law, Regulation and Policy. A list of additional energy and environmental law electives from the current and past two academic years may be found here. Not all of these courses are offered every year. In appropriate circumstances and with the concurrence of the faculty, other courses may be substituted with the Program Director's approval. Upon the student completing the required 16 credits, students may enroll in additional elective courses to satisfy the 24 credits.
To satisfy the requirements for an MEL, an international LLM student must successfully complete the following required courses:
Energy and Environmental Seminar Course (required) or approved Seminar or Directed Research by Program Director
In addition to fulfilling the degree requirements for all LLM programs, Core Course, students must complete at least 9 credits from the list of MEL electives:
Directed Research (Director Approved Directed Research)
1-3
Not all of these courses are offered every year. In appropriate circumstances and with the concurrence of the faculty, other courses may be substituted for the courses listed with the Program Director's approval.
