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Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law

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Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law

JD candidates at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law may structure their courses of study to attain the Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law as part of their law degrees. Authorized by the New York State Department of Education and offered to both practicing attorneys and current students, this certificate signifies proficiency in the fundamentals of environmental law and provides a basic grounding for practice in the field.

With more than 40 elective courses, the Pace | Haub Environmental Law Program offers students one of the widest selections of environmental courses of any law school. Our program has repeatedly achieved national acclaim for its environmental clinic, externships, and centers, in which our students may participate for credit towards the Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law. Students pursuing the Certificate may engage in these environmental law clinical and externship programs. They also benefit from the campus presence of candidates—many from other countries—for the Master of Laws (LLM) degree in Environmental Law and the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree in Environmental Law, who enrich the classroom with their experience and diverse perspectives.

Course Overview

All candidates must complete at least 16 environmental course credits with an average GPA of 3.00 (B) or better, and no grade below a C in those courses. Read below to learn more about the following course requirements:

To attain an Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law, credits must include:
Candidates must also take at least one of the following:
The remaining environmental law courses may be selected from the numerous environmental law electives and for-credit experiential learning opportunities offered. Note that only 3 credits from each clinic/externship may be applied towards the Certificate requirements.
Candidates must complete at least one of the following for-credit environmental experiential learning opportunities:
- Clinic - Environmental Litigation LAW 767A/767B
- Clinic - Food and Farm Business Law LAW 993A/993B
- Externship: Environmental LAW 821
- United Nations Environmental Diplomacy Practicum & Seminar LAW 602
- Externship: Environmental in Washington, D.C. LAW 895
- Externship at Land Use Law Center
- Externship at Pace Energy and Climate Center
- 2-Credit Guided Externship with the Land Use Law Center / Pace Energy and Climate Center (contingent on work completed)
- Externship: Legal Services Law 829 (contingent on environmental placement)
- Externship: Corporate LAW 786 (contingent on ESG/Sustainable Business Law work being completed)
- Externship: Social Justice Advocacy 609 (contingent on environmental placement)
- Semester in Practice LAW 992 LAW 805B (contingent on environmental placement)
Candidates must complete one significant research paper on an environmental law topic, broadly defined.
It must be in the form of a research paper, scholarly article, legal memorandum, or law review note. The written product must be at least 15 double-spaced pages, demonstrate an appropriate level of legal research and analysis, be well-organized and well-written, and contain ample citation to legal authority.
Other products may be accepted with prior approval by the Executive Director or Associate Director of the Environmental Law Programs. A student may use their ULWR to satisfy this requirement if it is written on an environmental topic.