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Why McGeorge Has One of the Best Environmental Law School Programs

The McGeorge School of Law, the best environmental law school program in California, provides opportunities for students to take on leadership roles in a challenging global economy. Climate change, plastic pollution, and poor environmental governance are challenging the state of our environment. McGeorge’s MSL in Water and Environmental Law gives students a real-world education with the hands-on experience to help them contribute to policies that positively impact the environment. 

McGeorge is the best environmental law school for several reasons.

Our Faculty – Leading Environmental Law Experts

The environmental law faculty are experts in water and environmental law, and they impart real-world knowledge and practical skills in their outstanding teaching. The professors have years of hands-on experience in the areas they teach. Here are a few examples of the caliber of professor you’ll learn from at McGeorge.

Best Environmental Law SchoolProfessor Rachel Salcido is both the founder and Co-Director of the law school’s Water and Environmental Law Concentration, where she helps students garner interest in environmental law and connects students with careers in the field. She believes there are myriad opportunities today for students interested in engaging in environmental law — including work on climate change, water, and environmental justice. She co-authored the textbook Global Issues in Environmental Law with Professor Stephen McCaffrey, which examines international and transnational pollution control, remediation, and species protection issues. 

 

Best Environmental Law SchoolAnother professor with extensive experience in water law is Professor Stephen McCaffrey. A Distinguished Professor of Law, he is one of the world’s foremost authorities on international water law and teaches International Water Resources Law. In 2018, Professor McCaffrey received the Distinguished Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy. He won the award for his lifetime of service in developing international environmental law and for his work on the International Law Commission. He was named the Stockholm Water Laureate in 2017. 

 

 

Professor Jennifer HarderProfessor Jennifer Harder teaches Water Resources Law and Environmental Practice and is Co-Director of McGeorge’s Water & Environmental Law concentration. Before joining McGeorge, Professor Harder represented clients at the State Water Resources Control Board and represented local governments and private entities on water, environmental, and public agency issues for ten years. She uses this background to help develop the online graduate programming as McGeorge’s Faculty Director for Online Learning. Professor Harder received the Hether C. McFarlane Teaching Innovation Award in 2018.

 


Professor Kim Delfino teaches Environmental Law in McGeorge’s Water & Environmental Law program. She is the founder and president of Earth Advocacy, a firm that provides policy and advocacy guidance to nonprofits and foundations. Prior to her work with Earth Advocacy, Professor Delfino was the California program director for Defenders of Wildlife and a member of the California Water Commission. Her policy expertise lies in state and federal endangered species, land use planning, water, and other natural resource laws.

 

Professor Nicole Kuenzi teaches the administrative law course in McGeorge’s graduate Water & Environmental Law Program and is an expert on agency practice and on California water law. She is a hearing officer in California’s Administrative Hearings Office. The office is housed within the California State Water Resources Control Board, which is the agency charged with safeguarding the state’s water resources for all Californians. 

At McGeorge, students gain a practical understanding of water allocation and its use in contemporary society and critically examine the social policies that govern water management. The online MSL for Water and Environmental Law program is one of the few that emphasizes water resources law.

McGeorge’s Online MSL Program

The Master of Science in Law for Water and Environmental Law is a specialized online master’s degree program accessible to working professionals. The program is part-time, fully online, with asynchronous coursework so students can study on their schedule. They gain practical skills based on a real-world curriculum. Even though the program is online, students can engage with faculty and peers using tools and technology that support an interconnected online environment.

With the MSL in Water and Environmental Law, you’ll have an advantage over the competition with specialized knowledge that will enhance your potential for career advancement. You will benefit from the network of faculty, experts, alumni, and other water and environmental law students. In addition, you could write a publishable research paper that would increase your credibility when combined with the MSL and could be a gateway to Ph.D. work.

The law is at the center of the majority of water and environmental issues. So, any environmental career would be enhanced with the MSL degree. The degree would enable you to understand and engage with the law and policy aspects of your field. 

Our MSL coursework will allow you to understand the local, state, and federal statutes and regulations, including the process of drafting, judicial review, and implementation. The curriculum focuses equally on practical skills as well as legal theory. For example, you’ll learn about state and federal frameworks for water rights, pollution control, species protection, climate change, and environmental justice.  You will also learn how to identify specific water rights, develop specific proposals for ensuring equity in natural resources distribution, comment on regulations, respond to comments, and compiling administrative records. You will have the opportunity to learn how environmental legal professionals communicate and negotiate, and develop leadership skills that will help you achieve your goals and make a difference. 

Water and Environmental Law Fundamentals

The Water and Environmental Law concentration provides critical knowledge and skills in today’s complex regulatory environment. The master course of study facilitates interdisciplinary excellence within government, non-profit, and private enterprise.

The topics covered in the coursework for the online MSL are some of the most critical environmental issues the world is facing. For example, some of the legal principles covered in Water Resources Law include surface and groundwater rights, drought management, federal-state relationships, reasonable use and waste, the public trust doctrine, instream flows, tribal rights, federal reserved rights, and water storage projects. Students learn to identify specific water rights and assess water supply sustainability in a community of their choice. 

In the Environmental Law course, particular attention is given to common law doctrines and public rights and remedies, as well as federal and state control programs for air pollution, water pollution, solid waste management, and climate change. There’s a focus on fish and wildlife resources and planning within federal, state, and local agencies. Students receive training in core areas of environmental law, and explore real-world opportunities for engaging on these issues. 

Online MSL in Water and Environmental Law For a Changing Legal Environment

Specific topics in the Water and Environmental Justice course include the human right to water, local, state, and federal governance of drinking water, water finance and affordability, private pollution and energy production, rural communities of color and infrastructure, agricultural pollution, and grassroots advocacy. Students have the opportunity to evaluate specific drinking water systems and recommend real-world solutions. 

These are just a few of the compelling course offerings available to McGeorge MSL students. Our distinguished faculty and academic team design the courses for the online MSL in Water and Environmental Law to ensure that students are prepared for the rapidly changing legal environment. Our courses focus on developing the knowledge and professional skills needed in today’s water and environmental law field.

McGeorge’s faculty and staff are invested in student success and create a supportive and empathetic environment. But they don’t just teach – they challenge their students with new ideas and push them academically.

Tara Beltran (MSL ’18) was considering pursuing a master’s degree while managing a habitat program at a California public agency. Many of the MBA programs that she found lacked the foundational work in water and environmental law that she knew she needed for advancement. Tara determined that McGeorge was the best environmental law school and the Master of Science in Law was the best program to advance her career. “McGeorge’s program is absolutely relevant to my work,” Tara said, “and it definitely gave me what I needed.” “It pushed me professionally from having just a job to building a career.”

Tara praises her courses and the faculty at McGeorge, noting that “the professors are engaging and are experts in the field.”

In-Depth Research Courses Are Stepping Stones for Your Career

Another reason that McGeorge is the best environmental law school is the extensive knowledge that students gain in the MSL in water and environmental law program. The research courses allow students to deeply explore a specific topic, learning the nuances of theory and practice, setting them apart as experts and preparing them to tackle complex issues in the real world.

  • Directed Research in Water and Environmental Law: In this course, students engage in a comprehensive individual research project under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. The work product may take the form of a scholarly paper, empirical study, analysis of topical readings, or another creative format that demonstrates in-depth legal research and original analysis.

 

  • Master’s Thesis in Water and Environmental Law:  In the Master Thesis course, students write a thesis under the guidance of a full-time faculty member acting as supervisor. The thesis should present an original idea, demonstrate mastery of research skills appropriate to the field, and be analytical and/or critical instead of merely descriptive. The final product should exemplify high-quality academic writing consistent with the professional goals of the student.

 

Positions With Growth Potential

The online MSL program prepares students for a range of jobs in the water and environmental law field where legal knowledge is an advantage, but a law degree is not required. Just a few examples of the wide range of careers that are enhanced by these studies include:

  • Land Use Planners
  • Engineers
  • Environmental Consultants
  • Public Information Officers
  • Lobbyists
  • Public Agency and Legislative Staff
  • Policy Advisor
  • Environmental Policy Specialist
  • Environmental Advocates 

 Advantages to Learning Water and Environmental Law at McGeorge 

The Master of Science of Law for Water and Environmental Law offers an online course of study, which provides convenience for students. The program integrates state-of-the-art teaching and learning principles in online education, and our graduates testify to the value of the online courses. Online students have access to many academic resources and services at McGeorge such as, for example, library privileges and career counseling. In addition, all online students are welcome to participate in McGeorge water and environmental law activities, whether virtual or on-campus. 

McGeorge MSL students have opportunities to:

  • Attend job fairs, fields trips, lectures, and events in the McGeorge Water Law and Environmental Law Societies
  • Participate in premier water and environmental law graduate externships 
  • Obtain scholarships to help offset program costs and reduce loans  
  • Publish and network in McGeorge’s California Water Law Journal
  • Attend the California Water Law Symposium and other professional events
  • Attend online courses that provide practical, interdisciplinary learning and schedule flexibility
  • Participate in faculty-supervised independent and group research projects 

McGeorge also hosts monthly webinars with experts in law, water and environmental policy, faculty, and legal professionals. We encourage students to join and participate in the Q&A after the webinar.

Recognition in Legal Education

llm in Water & Environmental LawMcGeorge gains recognition for being a leader in legal education by the National Jurist, with the LLM in Water and Environmental Law making the Honor Roll for 2021-2022. The National Jurist is one of the leading news sources in the field of legal education. The magazine is published four times a year and lists the best national law schools based on diversity, value, practical training, and other factors.

The McGeorge School of Law provides the professional expertise necessary to acquire advanced knowledge of the U.S. legal system. If you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree but prefer not to become an attorney and practice law, an MSL from McGeorge provides you with the master’s-level depth of knowledge about law and policy that will help you accomplish your goals.

Students build marketable expertise with the guidance of expert faculty chosen for outstanding teaching as well as depth of knowledge in government law, water resources, or environmental law. Courses emphasize real-world knowledge and the development of practical skills. The programs are convenient and are specifically designed for working professionals or students who need flexibility due to career, family, or other obligations, and who want to further their education and advance their career. For more information, contact us at graduatelaw@pacific.edu or 916.739.7019.

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