Environmental Certificate

JD candidates at Pace Law School may structure their courses of study to attain Certificates in Environmental Law as part of their degrees. Authorized by the New York State Department of Education and offered to both practicing attorneys and current students, this 12-credit certificate signifies proficiency in the fundamentals of environmental law and provides a basic grounding for practice in the field.

With more than two dozen elective courses, Pace’s Environmental Law Program offers students one of the widest selections of environmental courses of any U.S. law school and has repeatedly achieved national acclaim for its academics, clinics, and centers. Students pursuing a certificate in Environmental Law at Pace may engage in environmental law clinical and externship programs, and benefit from the campus presence of candidates for the Master of Laws (LLM) degree in Environmental Law and the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree in Environmental Law, many from other countries, who enrich the classroom with their experience.

Requirements

All candidates must complete 12 environmental course credits [including required courses: Environmental Law Skills and Practice (4) and Environmental Survey (3)] with an average grade of B or better and no grade below C. Candidates seeking the certificate must also have maintained an overall GPA of 2.5 or better. Five remaining required course credits may be selected from the more than two dozen environmental law electives and for-credit experiential learning opportunities listed below. 

Required Course(s) (Credits) for entering students:

• Environmental Skills & Practice/Clean Water Act (4)
• Environmental Survey (3)

1. 3 credits from the following four Clinic/Externship/Practicum may apply toward the certificate:
   • Clinic - Environmental Litigation Clinic & Seminar (Total credits: 6)
   • Externship - Washington D.C. Environmental (Total credits: 6)
   • Externship - New York Environmental (Total credits: 4)
   • United Nations Environmental Diplomacy Practicum (Total credits: 4)
2. If 3 credits are taken from any of the above Clinics/Externships/Practicum, then the remaining credits to total 12 must be taken from the list below (highest grades are used to calculate the 3.0 minimum GPA in environmental courses):