JD/MELP in Environmental Law with Vermont Law School
Lawyers can play a critical policy and advocacy role as environmental leaders in government, nonprofits, corporations and private practice addressing crucial issues such as sustainable development, pollution control, climate change, energy policy, biodiversity and environmental justice. Northeastern University School of Law has partnered with Vermont Law School — a national leader in environmental law — to offer its law students the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) in the same three-year period it would take to earn just the JD.
Curriculum
The carefully sequenced JD/MELP three-year curriculum allows some courses at each school to count for credit in both programs. JD/MELP students take the regular course of law study at Northeastern during their first year. MELP classes at Vermont Law School will generally occur during the summer following the student’s second year. Students complete four co-op work experiences before they graduate, one of which counts as a MELP internship. Students can also pursue independent research projects.
Examples of Northeastern Courses in the Program
• Administrative Law
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Environmental Law
• Land Use
• Legal Interviewing and Counseling
• Natural Resources Law
• Negotiation
Examples of Vermont Courses in the Program
• Advanced Energy Writing Seminar
• Bankruptcy and Environmental Law
• Ecology and Environmental Sciences
• Energy Law and Policy in a Carbon-Constrained World
• Environmental and Constitutional Law
• Environmental Issues in Business Transactions
• Extinction and Climate Change
• Federal Natural Resource Law
• International Environmental Law and Policy
• Land Transactions and Finance
• Native Americans and the Law
• Water Resources Law
• Watershed Management and Protection
Examples of Co-ops in the Environmental Law Field
• US Department of Justice, Environmental Enforcement Section, Washington, DC
• Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Environmental Crimes Strike Force, Boston
• Conservation Law Foundation, Boston
• Communities for a Better Environment, Oakland (Calif.)
• Earth Justice, Seattle
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Boston
• New Mexico Environmental Law Center, Santa F
• Alternatives for Community Environment, Boston
• New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York, NY
• US Department of the Interior, Oakland, CA
• US Environmental Protection Agency, Boston
Admission
To be admitted to the dual-degree program, students must be admitted to both Northeastern University School of Law and Vermont Law School. Students should apply online to Northeastern through LSAC or by downloading a paper application from the school’s website. The application for the MELP program at Vermont Law School is available at www.vermontlaw.edu.
The JD/MELP dual-degree program also accepts applications during a student’s first or second year of law school at Northeastern or from students transferring to Northeastern. Admission to Northeastern University School of Law does not guarantee admission to the Vermont Law School MELP program. Both applications must be at each institution by March 1 for those applying to the dual-degree prior to entering Northeastern.
Admission to Northeastern University School of Law does not guarantee admission to the Vermont Law School MELP program. Both applications must be at each institution by March 1 for those applying to the dual-degree prior to entering Northeastern.
