The Water & Environmental Law concentration in the online MSL program offers a comprehensive study to develop crucial knowledge and skills in today’s regulatory landscape. Crafted by a distinguished faculty, the courses foster interdisciplinary excellence and prepare students for the evolving legal environment.

The part-time, fully online, asynchronous courses feature online learning practices, featuring discussion boards, interactive assignments, and more.

– 26 units over approximately two years

– Typical enrollment: two 3-unit courses each semester

– Fall/ spring semesters are 15 weeks long. Summer courses run on a four-week semester. 

– One hour per week interaction with students and professors, and an additional two hours per week per course unit.

– Flexible scheduling accommodates other commitments. Optional live sessions for some courses.

Below is a sample course schedule:

First Semester Required Courses:

Introduction to Legal Analysis – 2 units

Analytical Skills – 4 units

Second Semester Required Courses:

The Executive Brand & Administrative State – 3 units

Legislatures & Lawmaking  – 3 units

Third Semester:

Environmental Law – 3 units

Elective  – 3 units

Fourth Semester:

Water Resources Law  – 3 units

Elective  – 3 units

Summer Session:

Leadership in Organizations – 1 unit

Persuasive Public Speaking – 1 unit

Introduction to Legal Analysis

This course provides students with an overview of the American legal system, including the sources and development of law as well as the dispute resolution process. The course further focuses on developing an understanding of how lawyers read and analyze cases, statutes, and legal documents and provides an introduction to legal reasoning. A primer on legal research with a focus on locating and evaluating the weight of legal sources is also included.

Analytical Skills (Contracts)

This graduate course offers a practical introduction to a foundational area of law, such as contracts and the legal method. Students learn best practices for studying law and develop foundational legal analytical skills so that they can read and understand case law, statutes, and regulations. These analytical skills include IRAC rule-based methodology as a structure for legal analysis, case briefing, outlining, and test-taking. Students also practice negotiating and drafting agreements.

Legislatures & Lawmaking

This online asynchronous course explores legislative institutions and lawmaking processes in state and federal government, as well as basic principles of judicial review of legislative action. It provides opportunities to develop practical skills such as drafting statutory language, preparing and assessing bill analyses, commenting on legislation, and participating in the legislative process.

The Executive Branch & The Administrative State

This online course explores regulatory institutions and processes at the state and federal levels, focusing on the relationship between the executive branch, the legislature, and the courts. It provides opportunities to develop practical skills such as drafting regulations and participating in the regulatory process, including commenting on agency action and responding to comments. The focus is on understanding the policy’s role and methods for marshalling and assessing technical information.

Environmental Law

 This course is a survey of legal principles and policies relating to protection and enhancement of the physical environment. Particular attention is given to common law doctrines and public rights and remedies; federal and state control programs for the fields of air pollution, water pollution, noise, solid waste management, fish and wildlife resources; and planning for federal, state and local administrative agencies.

Water Resources Law

This course introduces the legal principles that control water allocation for human and environmental purposes, taught via online exercises such as lectures, readings, videos, discussion, and research. Legal principles covered include: categories of surface and groundwater rights, management approaches, allocation for environmental purposes, federal-state relationships, tribal and reserved rights, reasonable use, waste, and the public trust doctrine. Students gain practical understanding of water allocation and use in contemporary society, as well as critically examine the social policies that govern water management.

Leadership in Organizations

This online asynchronous course explores skills necessary for professional competency and excellence in twenty-first-century organizations. It emphasizes working in and with public agencies. Topics covered may include organizational teams, cross-cultural dynamics, professional work products and communications, and professional ethics. Focus is given to case studies and practical exercises.

Persuasive Public Speaking

This online course introduces students to the many aspects of persuasive public speaking, including content, word choice, and delivery. Students study the persuasion theory through reference to historical and social science sources. Students develop public speaking confidence by practicing their skills and receiving constructive feedback. This course is substantially asynchronous; students meet synchronously online for 12.5 hours over five days, specific dates/times in the syllabus.

Water & Environmental Justice

This course will explore challenges and opportunities in meeting the goal of providing a healthy environment and safe, affordable, accessible, and reliable water supplies to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, economic status, national origin, and education level. Specific topics may include, among others, the human right to water, disparate impacts from facility siting, toxic exposure, climate justice, food security, access to nature, participation in environmental governance, and capacity building in disadvantaged communities.

International Water Resources Law

This seminar focuses on the theoretical bases and practical application of the law governing international freshwater resources. Students study the principal cases and controversies in the field and analyze the most significant global and regional instruments.

Government Law & Policymaking

 This online asynchronous course introduces students to the lawyer’s role in developing, modifying, implementing, advocating, and influencing public policy, including: legislation, regulations, executive orders, court orders, and other policy edicts at the national, state, and local levels. Students learn how to do policy analysis; learn the essential organization and procedures of the various policymaking venues; are able to consider and weigh strategic implications associated with the various venues and processes; conduct research using a variety of sources unique to policymaking in other federal and state settings; learn and develop skills for advocacy, negotiation and compromise in a policymaking setting; and practice applying course knowledge and skills to important public policy matters of the day. Students complete a project on an actual and current public policy problem.

Election Law

This online asynchronous course will cover the main doctrinal concepts necessary to the practice of election law and offer practical assignments common to political law attorneys. Coverage includes constitutional law and principles, campaign finance law, election administration, and the Voting Rights Act, among other topics.

Lobbying & Politics

This course explores how power and influence operate in state legislatures. The first part of the course examines the processes and pressures a legislator typically encounters before casting a vote in the Legislature, including campaigns for local and state office, fundraising, the influence of political parties and partisan leadership, grassroots supporters, and local-based interests. The second part of the course develops theories of legislative persuasion, including a blend of traditional advocacy skills and political strategy.

Negotiations

This course examines the theoretical, ethical, and practical skills essential to effectively advocating legal dispute negotiations. Students learn negotiation skills through lectures, discussions, video simulations, and extensive interactive exercises and role-plays. Students are introduced to negotiation tools and techniques that enhance negotiation success. This course helps students identify strengths and weaknesses in their negotiating style. This course is primarily asynchronous; students negotiate synchronously online several times during the semester, detailed in the syllabus.

Directed Research in Water and Environmental Law

This course provides the opportunity for students to 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 other creative format that demonstrates in-depth legal research and original analysis.

Master’s Thesis in Water and Environmental Law

This course provides an opportunity for students to write a thesis under the guidance of a full-time faculty member acting as supervisor. The thesis should present an original idea or ideas, demonstrate mastery of research skills appropriate to the field, and be analytical and/or critical, as opposed to merely descriptive. The final product should exemplify high quality academic writing consistent with the professional goals of the student, taking into account the supervisor’s and the student’s vision of the desired target audience for the product.

Contract Drafting

In this course, students will learn the drafting process’s fundamental contract concepts. They will learn how to draft contracts that effectively deliver the parties’ expectations and manage their risks intentionally, as well as their remedies.

Business Organizations

In this course, students will learn about the laws governing business organizations, their formation, and strategic concerns related to various ownership structures.

Employment Law

In this course, students will learn employment law topics, including testing, privacy, FLSA, benefits, rights to compensation, workplace emotional injuries, termination, and employer risk management strategies.

State and Federal Taxation

In this course, students will learn about the fundamentals of personal, business, and trust and estate income tax law and compliance, including basis, tax consequences of property sales, alternative minimum tax, passive activity and at-risk rules, charitable contributions and deductions, tax reduction techniques, and the tax implications of special circumstances.

Survey of Intellectual Property Law

In this course, students will learn about the laws and policy rationales related to intellectual property law, with a focus on patents, copyrights, and trademarks.