Tulane Law launches master's programs in environmental and energy law

On the heels of establishing two world-class centers – in energy law and in environmental law – Tulane Law School is launching two online master’s programs for those working in these growing industries.

The Master of Jurisprudence in Environmental Law and the Master of Jurisprudence in Energy Law each will be fully online and are designed for non-lawyers working in the regulated fields of energy and environmental law, those who are regulators in the industries, and professionals who are part of public interest and advocacy groups.

The two new programs bring to four the total of online programs offered by Tulane Law School. The highly successful Master of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment Law (MJ-LEL) has taught more than 300 students since it launched two years ago. The online Title IX program, which offers six-week certificate courses for human resource professionals tasked with implementing the law, launched last spring and is on its third cohort.

 Interested students can enroll in either or both of these master’s programs.  Both will be supervised by Tulane Law School Professor Joel Friedman, the director of  existing online programs. 

The interconnected fields of energy and environmental law are highly regulated.  It is essential for anyone who either works in a regulated industry, or in a regulatory agency, or in a public interest or advocacy group that focuses on energy and environmental law-related issues, to be fully conversant with this vast and ever-changing body of federal, state, and local statutory and administrative law.  This program is designed to give these employees a fully comprehensive, nonpartisan exposure to this legal content and to how it is most effectively applied to situations confronting the regulated and the regulators. 

In 2018, Tulane launched the Center for Energy Law, leveraging its strengths as a world-class institution to explore energy trends internationally, partner with top industry leaders and prepare the next generation of lawyers in this all-important sector to Louisiana. 

In 2019, it launched the Tulane Center for Environmental Law, to bring under one umbrella 40 years of existing environmental programs and events, as well as creating a launch pad for innovation and new programming at Tulane. It is a link between the law school and those working on environmental policy across the campus, and provides a platform for collaboration and research.

The new masters’ programs will begin taking applications this summer for a start in January of 2021, said Friedman. Each will be 30-credit-hour programs that can be completed in six, 15-week semesters. There are three semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer) in each academic year. 

Accordingly, students can typically expect to graduate  in two years. Friedman also indicated that in light of the significant interplay between energy and environmental law, interested students can choose to register to receive both degrees, with several courses counting towards the 30 credit requirement for both programs. 

As with other online programs, courses will be taught by Tulane’s distinguished faculty and highly experienced practitioners.  The program is designed for career-based professionals who will take courses to enhance experience-based skills through the study of the law, governmental policy, and the legal system related to the two industries.

As with its established online courses, Tulane will recruit students from around the country to provide the most meaningful learning experience possible, Friedman said.