The Master of Environmental Law at the University of Newcastle is designed to equip legal and non-legal professionals with a deeper knowledge of Environmental Law, through a unique, professionally-focused and interdisciplinary program.

Why study with us?

• Learn from experts from a range of disciplines – learn from distinguished and experienced academics from Australia and overseas in the areas of Law, Environmental and Life Sciences, Business and Architecture and Built Environment.
• United Nations Certification – we are the only legal postgraduate program in Australia that offers you the opportunity to obtain certification by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and/or the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). To obtain co-certification, students must complete specific courses on Government Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development and the UN 2030 Development Agenda.
• Flexible study options – at the University of Newcastle, you can choose to study full-time or part-time to suit your professional and personal needs. Our advanced online learning system gives you the flexibility and support to study anytime.
• Study at NUspace – NUspace, located in Newcastle’s CBD, provides the optimum environment for you to excel in your studies.
• Study overseas – broaden your cross-cultural legal knowledge through international study experiences and international legal internships.

The Master of Environmental Law comprises of 8 courses (80 units) which includes 3 core courses (30 units) and 5 directed courses (50 units). Students may choose courses that they are interested in from a range of areas including:

• Environmental Law
• Law and Economics of Climate Change
• International Environmental Law and Policy
• Sustainable Development and the United Nations 2030 Development Agenda
• Environmental/Natural Resources Law Clinic
• Property Law and Planning Legislation
• Human Rights and Climate Change-Induced Human Displacement
• Disaster Management Policy/Social Considerations
• Government and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Sustainability and Ecosystem Health
• Applied Natural Resources Management
• Contemporary Issues in Water Management
• Business & the Natural Environment
• Social Enterprises and Co-operative Innovation
• Mining Law
• Co-operative Law and Governance

2024 Program Handbook:

Refer to the program handbook for details of the complete program structure, course requirements and availability.

View program handbook

Upon completion of the Master of Environmental Law you will be able to use your specialised knowledge to advance your career and work in various areas including:

• environmental and resources sectors
• public policy
• government sector
• non-government sector
• private sector, e.g. sustainability consulting
• legal practice or advice (for legal professionals only)
• in-house counsel (for legal professionals only)

A Master of Environmental Law does not qualify you to be admitted to practice law in Australia. If you wish to practice law in Australia, our Juris Doctor (JD) and the embedded Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) is designed to equip you with knowledge, clinical experience and the qualifications for admission to legal practice in Australia. JD graduates can apply for entry into the legal profession as solicitors without any further study.

Entry into the Master of Environmental Law Program (80 units) will be available to applications who have: An AQF Level 8 Honors bachelor’s degree in a related field such as law, environmenta

TOEFL paper-based test score of 589; TOEFL internet based score of 94;

IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0;

PTE GSE score of 65;

Cambridge English: Advanced score of 67.