Summary: The University of Connecticut School of Law has announced two new master’s degree programs in energy and environmental law and human rights and social justice.
Two new master’s degree programs have been created by the University of Connecticut School of Law, according to a release on the school’s UConn Today website. The two new programs are in human rights and social justice and energy and environmental law.
Students who have already earned their first law degree will be able to specialize in these two fields of law if they so choose.
UConn Law Dean Timothy Fisher said that the new programs will “focus on training the lawyers of tomorrow, cementing our position as a national law school with top-ranked scholars, and contributing to the economic growth of our region and the social health of our communities.”
The new master’s degree programs are part of the law school’s new academic plan. The new plan has identified international and domestic human rights as well as energy and environmental law as two specialities that will be in high demand in the coming years.
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Fisher said that the degree programs were designed to help students who wish to specialize and acquire advanced skills to address difficult issues in these two growing fields.
“In domestic U.S. courts, there has been an upsurge in plaintiffs introducing international human rights standards in cases advocating for improved public education and health care,” Fisher said. “Connecticut businesses increasingly need legal guidance on risk management that includes international and domestic human rights issues. Combining classic civil-political rights with economic and social rights would situate UConn law at the forefront of U.S. law schools in this topical area.”
The law school houses the Center for Energy & Environmental Law, which has ties to the UConn Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering and the Center for Energy Innovation.
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Joseph MacDougald is the professor-in-residence and director of the LL.M. in energy and environmental law. MacDougald said, “Students in our CEEL program take advantage of the vibrant energy and environmental atmosphere in both the Hartford legal community and through our strong cooperation with state government. UConn law students can gain real world expertise at state agencies, federal agencies, law firms, and regulated utilities.”
Fisher did admit that energy law is a growth area in a difficult legal market, saying, “Addressing these challenges requires not just scientific expertise, but legal vision to facilitate technological advances and guide policy transformation.”
Final approval for the new degrees came from the UConn Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee, but still need to be approved by the American Bar Association. Approval from the ABA should come in the spring.
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