Environmental Law and Policy Concentration

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Aerial view of Horseshoe Bend in the Grand Canyone

Master of Legal Studies 

Learn about the Online MLS with a concentration in environmental law and policy.

Few fields are as diverse or engaging as that of environmental law, compliance and policy. Together with the outstanding environmental science, economics and policy departments at the University of Arizona, the College of Law can provide rich and rigorous training to those interested in matters of environmental law. Areas include pollution law, water law, natural resources law, energy law, and ecosystem management.

Students may wish to obtain the MLS to work in a private firm environmental compliance department, for a government agency in permitting, environmental assessment or compliance, or for an overseas multinational corporation that will inevitably engage with environmental regulation at the domestic or international levels.

* Indicates courses offered in person and/or online

Required Core Courses (18 UNITS)

  • LAW 501* - Procedure (3 units)
  • LAW 502A* - American Common Law System I (3 units)
  • LAW 502B* - American Common Law System II (3 units)
  • LAW 504* - American Public Law System (3 units)
  • LAW 507* - Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research (3 units)
  • LAW 554* - Environmental Law (3 units)

Elective Course Requirements (9-10 UNITS)

Complete at least 9 units in substantive courses relevant to Environmental Law and Policy from among the following courses, any additional course that may be listed on the website for the Program in Environmental Law, Science and Policy, or any additional course that is approved in advance by the program director.

Although not all courses are offered every semester, a list of possible electives can be found on the course schedules pages.

  • LAW 519* - The Ethics & Economics of Environmental Policy
  • LAW 545 - Applied Environmental Law
  • LAW 559* - Public International Environmental Law
  • LAW 603J - Sustainability and Environmental Policy  
  • LAW 625B - American Legal History (The Colorado River)  
  • LAW 627 - Oil and Gas Law  
  • LAW 640* - Mining and Public Land Law 
  • LAW 641 - Water Law 
  • LAW 643D* - Native American Natural Resources  
  • LAW 696I* - International Environmental Law 
  • LAW 697S / AREC 697S - Economics, Law, Environment and Governance Workshop 
  • AREC 576 / LAW 576 - Natural Resources Law and Economics 
  • ECON 578 / LAW 578 - Energy, the Environment and Business Strategy 
  • PA 581 / LAW 581 - Environmental Policy 
  • HWRS 596B / LAW 596B - Arizona Water Policy  
  • GEOG 596I / LAW 596I - Comparative and International Water Policy  
  • GEOG 596L / LAW 596L - Law, Geography and Property  
  • PLG 560 / LAW 560 - Land Use Law 

Additional Electives (3-4 UNITS)

Students may complete a minimum of 3 units of graduate-level study from outside the College of Law in coursework that is relevant to environmental law. If a student wishes to take a graduate-level course that is not listed below, he or she should obtain prior approval from the program director.

  • AREC 575 - Economic Evaluation of Water and Environmental Policy 
  • ARL  541A - Natural Resource Management in Native Communities
  • GEOS 578 - Global Change  
  • GEOG 580 - Power, Politics and Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon  
  • HWRS 515 - Water Resources Policy  
  • HWRS 520 - Water Resources Management, Planning, and Rights: A Policy Approach 
  • MNE 697P* - The Emerging Framework for Development of Mineral Resources
  • PLG 559 - Land Use and Growth Controls  
  • RNR 585 -  The Economics & Social Connections to Natural Resources
  • RNR 580 - Natural Resources Policy and Law  

last edited 4/2/21