MA in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development

Start of programme: September intake only

Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time

The MA in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development provides a unique specialisation in a rapidly developing area of law. Environmental law has grown rapidly over the past five decades and is now one of the key areas of both domestic and international law. The increasingly vast scope of environmental law is reflected in the umbrella notion of sustainable development that captures the links between traditional environmental issues and broader development concerns. Environmental law thus covers not only traditional nature conservation and pollution control issues but also broader the use and conservation of natural resources. In addition, we emphasise links between environmental regulation and other related fields of law, such as human rights, trade or intellectual property rights.

The SOAS degree offers a distinct mix of modules that covers the main areas of environmental law in their international and national dimensions. This includes modules covering global and international environmental issues, either in their general context (Law, Environmental and Sustainable Development in a Global Context) or focused on specific regimes (Climate Change and Energy Law and Policy), modules focusing more specifically on the resource dimension of environmental law (Law and Natural Resources) and inter-disciplinary modules focused on specific resources (Water Law: Justice and Governance).

Beyond the courses you will take during your time at SOAS, you will also be invited to become student members of the Law, Environment and Development Centre (LEDC). The LEDC is the focal point for environment-related research activities in the School of Law, including a vibrant PhD cohort, an annual seminar series, the publication of the Law, Environment and Development Journal (LEAD Journal), and other activities linked to ongoing research.

For further information about the general structure of the MA in Law programme at SOAS, please visit the General MA in Law (MA in Legal Studies) page.

To facilitate the study of law, all MA students are required to attend a two-week Preliminary Law, Legal Reasoning and Legal Methods in the September before beginning the MA programme.

Students must take modules to a total value of 180, consisting of a dissertation (60 credits) and 120 credits of taught modules.  Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits.

Students who wish to graduate with a specialised MA are required to take at least 60 credits associated with his or her specialised MA, a further 30 credits within the School of Law (General Law Postgraduate Taught Module List), and a final 30 unit which can either be taken within the School of Law or from the Language Open Options or Non-Language Open Options pages with the MA Programme Convenor’s permission. The dissertation topic will be undertaken within the MA specialisation.

Please note: Not all modules listed will be available every year. Please see the individual module page for information.

Specialism Module List (at least 60 credits to be taken)

Non-Law Options

General Law Postgraduate Module List

An additional 30 credits must be taken from the School of Law General Postgraduate Taught Module List or the Specialism Module List above.

Postgraduate Open Option Modules

A final 30 credits must be taken from the SOAS Open Option Module list, or from the General Law Postgraduate Module List above or from the Specialism Module List.

Dissertation

Students must also complete a Dissertation in Law, which should be on a topic relating to their chosen MA specialism.

This is the structure for 2018/19 applicants

Disclaimer

Teaching & Learning

Contact Hours

All Masters programmes consist of 180 credits, made up of taught modules of 30 or 15 credits, taught over 10 or 20 weeks, and a dissertation of 60 credits. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which optional.

As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework, revising for examinations and so on. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one hour lecture and a one hour seminar every week, but this does vary.

More information is on the page for each module.

Knowledge & Understanding

• Students will acquire specialist knowledge of environmental law in an international and comparative perspective.
• This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, knowledge and understanding of the following:
  
  1. the theoretical and practical underpinnings of environmental law internationally;
  2. the context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended;
  3. the role played by law, particularly environmental law in different situations internationally, particularly its role in promoting sustainable development in the global South;
  4. the role and function of legal institutions in managing the environment and natural resources;
  5. the weight and significance of different sources and methodologies.
• Students will develop knowledge of how to locate relevant materials and assess their relevance and/or importance.

Intellectual (thinking) Skills

• Students should develop rigour in analysis and assessment of legal arguments.
• Students should develop the ability to understand, summarise and critically assess differing perspectives on theoretical debates.
• Students should develop independence of thought and the confidence to challenge the accepted wisdom.
• Students should learn to identify issues and formulate questions for further research through independent work.
• Students will be encouraged to bring to bear their own previous experience and knowledge in addressing legal issues in an interdisciplinary manner.

Subject-based Practical Skills

The programme will help students develop the ability to:

• Write clear research essays and dissertations.
• Research in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes and online, and retrieve, sift and select information from a variety of sources.
• Present seminar papers and defend the arguments therein.
• Discuss ideas introduced during seminars.
• Develop essay and dissertation research questions.
• Read legal source materials rapidly and critically.
• Present legal arguments in moots and debates.

Transferable Skills

• Communicate effectively in writing.
• Structure and communicate ideas and arguments effectively both orally and in writing.
• Read and comprehend significant quantities of reading rapidly and effectively and develop critical faculties.
• Find and use a variety of written and digital materials, especially legal materials, in libraries and research institutes.
• Present (non – assessed) material orally.
• Develop teamwork skills.

Tuition Fees

Full details of postgraduate tuition fees can be found on the Registry's Postgraduate Tuition Fees page.

This is a Band 5 tuition fee.

Fees for 2018/19 entrants. The fees below are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year. 

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

• How to Apply
• Online Application
• Request a prospectus
• Got a question - use our enquiry form (opens a new window)
• Funding options
• English language requirements
• Tuition Fees
• Admissions Contacts