Environmental Law Certificate Requirements

As part of the school's commitment to providing high-quality environmental legal education, the Environmental Law Certificate Program was established. Completing this certificate will provide students with broad and deep exposure to environmental and natural resources law, preparing them for practice in those areas.  It will also provide a signal to employers of a student’s commitment to and background in environmental and natural resources law.

Environmental Law Certificate Requirements

The certificate is awarded upon successful completion of two foundation courses - Environmental Law and Administrative Law; a substantial research paper on an environmental or natural resources topic; and 11 units of elective environmental law classes as described below.

Environmental courses taken at other law schools or within other UC Davis departments may be applied toward the 11 unit requirement if approved in advance by the environmental program faculty, and by the Senior Assistant Dean of Student Affairs in accordance with Regulation 1.6 [Courses in Other Law Schools] or Regulation 1.7 [Courses in Other Parts of the University].

Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in graded certificate classes.

Independent Study and Externships

Up to two elective units may be earned toward the certificate for an independent study paper written under the supervision of one of the environmental program faculty. Up to two elective units may also be earned toward the certificate through an environmental externship, and up to four electives units through the water justice clinic. The total number of elective units earned through the clinic, or an externship may not exceed four.

Writing Requirement

Students must write a writing-requirement-quality paper, approved by one of the environmental program faculty on an environmental or natural resources law topic through a seminar, an independent study, or law review. The paper should develop and defend a thesis and demonstrate original thought and analysis; case notes typically will not satisfy this requirement. Students are encouraged to consult early with faculty on paper topics and must submit a proposed topic to the supervising faculty member by September of their third year of law school and submit a draft of the paper by December of their third year. Specific deadlines should be established with your environmental law faculty advisor.

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