Environmental & Climate Law

Environmental degradation and the climate and biodiversity crises are amongst the most important issues of our time. At their heart are questions of intersectionality and justice. This interdisciplinary programme enables law and non-law graduates to develop core knowledge and skills that will be needed to help address these challenges, whose significance will continue growing in the years ahead. If you undertake this Masters degree from UCD Sutherland School of Law you will be obtaining a qualification from one of the Top 100 Law Schools in the World. You will be taught by world-leading academics allowing you to develop strong analytical skills, and to hone your written and spoken critical insights.



This online Masters programme draws on UCD Sutherland School of Law’s established strength in climate and environmental law and policy, while also benefiting from teaching and research expertise from across the university, including from the Schools of Geography, Economics, Biology & Environmental Science, and Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy.



Note: In keeping with our commitment to environmental responsibility, international students undertaking this programme online will be charged the same fees as Domestic/EU students.

Module Trimester Credits

Stage 1 Core Modules



LAW40120 Foundations of Environmental Law Autumn 10

LAW42230 Natural Resources Law Autumn 10

LAW41090 Climate Change Law and Policy Spring 10

LAW42190 Environmental Moot Court Spring 10

LAW40290 Dissertation Summer 30



Stage 1 Options - A) Min 2 of:

Students can choose either ENVB40310 or ENVB40360 but not both.

ECON42690 The Market for Labor, Land & SDGs Autumn 10

ENVB30130 Ecology & its Application (On-line) Autumn 5

ENVB40310 Peatlands and Environmental Change Autumn 5

ENVB40360 Peatlands & Global Change (On-line) Autumn 5

GEOG40860 Practical Environmental Assessment Autumn 10

LAW40760 NGOs: Law, Governance and Social Change Autumn 10

ENVB40380 Managing the Interface between Science and Policy (On-line) Spring 5

LAW37460 Planning Law Spring 5

LAW42040 Culture, Heritage and Human Rights Spring 10

PLAN40390 Sustainable Cities Spring 10

This programme is intended for applicants with a degree in law or another relevant discipline, including the social and natural sciences. An upper second class honours NFQ Level 8 (GPA 3.08 or international equivalent) is required.



•Exemption may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience or those with a relevant graduate qualification.



English Language Requirements



Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) The test results must be less than 2 years old.



Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the English language requirements, may enter the programme upon successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/



The School encourages all applicants whose first language is not English to attend the pre-sessional English programme offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre, details of which are available at www.ucd.ie/alc.



International applicants should visit the UCD International Office website (www.ucd.ie/international) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.

You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

1 year full-time or 2 years part time online.

Commencing September 2025

The aim of this programme is to equip graduates to work in the fields of climate and environmental law/policy, internationally or in Ireland, as a practising lawyer, legal adviser, policy maker, advocate, researcher, consultant or academic.



Career opportunities exist for example in inter-governmental organisations (e.g. United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe), in government departments and agencies, in local government, in international and domestic non-governmental organisations and think tanks, and in leading planning and environmental consultancies and law firms.



Masters students in UCD Sutherland School of Law can benefit from engaging both with the UCD Careers Network and the Head of Career Development in the School. There are careers events hosted through the academic year and a specific Law Fair every October where Domestic and International Employers come on campus to meet with students. For students based overseas undertaking this programme, they should ensure that they are registered with the UCD Careers Network to engage with online careers events or watch back previous recorded videos.