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Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL) Degree Requirements

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​​​​Credit requirements below are for students starting the degree in Fall 2023 and beyond.*
Students who started prior to Fall 2023 should refer to the Academic Regulations for their catalog year.

*Required courses are subject to change. For more​ information, please view the latest Academic Regulations or contact the Office of the Registrar: registrar@vermontlaw.edu​.
An overview of this degree, including other details, can be found here ».


​​​34 cred​its​

Required Courses

All of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
ENG5226 Energy Law and Policy 3
ENG5228 Energy Regulation, Markets, and the Environment 3
ENG5220 Environmental Economics and Markets 3​
​REQ7186 Legislation and Regulation Survey 3
POL5520 Quantitative Analysis 2

Required Non-credit Modules

Course Code Course Title Credits
EJU5100 Understanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  
POL5100 Public Participation  
POL5200 Professional Identity Formation  
POL5300 Negotiation and Consensus-Building  

Project/Writing Requirement

Students choose one ​​of the following courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
  MERL Externship  
  Independent Research Project (on an energy topic)  
POL5700; POL5701 Thesis Seminar I & II  
CLI9302 Environmental Advocacy Clinic  (JD students only) (on an energy topic)  
CLI9318 Environmental Justice Clinic (on an energy topic)  
CLI9321 Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic (on an energy topic)  
CLI9427 Energy Clinic  
CLI9428 ​Food and Agriculture Clinic (on an energy topic)  
ENV5535 Transnational Environmental Practicum (on an energy topic)  
WRI7301 Advanced Writing Seminar (on an energy topic)  
  Participation in the Institute for Energy and the Environment research associate program  

Energy Electives

At least six (6) credits from the following energy elective courses:
Course Code Course Title Credits
ENG5230 Global Energy Law and Policy 2
ENG5238 Global Sustainability Field Study 1
ENG5344 Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy 3
ENG5375 Global Energy Justice 2
ENG5425 Clean Transportation Law and Policy 2
ENG5468 Oil and Gas Production and the Environment 2
ENG5469 Oil and Gas Development and the Environment 3​
ENG5497 End Use Energy Efficiency 2
ENG5550 Renewable Energy Project Finance and Development 2
ENG5510 Essentials of the Electric Grid - Engineering 1
ENG5511 Essentials of the Electric Grid - Business 1
ENG5512 Essentials of the Electric Grid - Legal 1
ENG5547 Energy Efficiency Law and Policy​ 3
     

Remaining electives may be chosen from the courses and experiential options listed above and from the following list of approved courses.

​​ ​

​Elective Courses​​

Course Code Course Title Credits
ADR6405 Arbitration​​ 2
ADR6410 Alternative Dispute Resolution​​ 3
ADR6412 Mediation​​ 2
ADR6415 Environmental Dispute Resolution​​ 3
ADR6420 Negotiation​​ 2
ADR6450 Advanced Dispute Resolution Writing Seminar​​ 2
​BUS6262 Social Enterprise Law​​ 2
BUS6305 Non-Profit Organizations​​ 3
BUS6350 Non-Profit Management​​ 2
CLI9302 Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (JD or LLM students only) 6
CLI9326 Advanced Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (JD or LLM only) 6
CLI9405 Dispute Resolution Clinic I​​ 4
CLI9427 Energy Clinic 4
CLI9428 Food and Agriculture Clinic 4
CLI9437 Advanced Energy Clinic 4
CLI9450 Land Use Clinic (JD or LLM students only) 6
DIV7620 Native Americans and the Law​​ 3
DIV7628 Indian Tribes as Government Stewards of the Environment​​ 2
ENV5105 Administrative Law​​ 3
ENV5108 Introduction to Agriculture and Food Law and Policy 3
ENV5112 Science for Environmental Law​​ 3
ENV5115 Environmental Law​​ 3
ENV5125 Land Use Regulation​​ 3
ENV5205 Air Pollution​​ Law and Policy 3
ENV5209 The Law of Toxics and Hazardous Substances 3
ENV5210 CERCLA Liability and Cleanup 3
ENV5212 Climate Change and the Law​​ 3
ENV5220 Environmental Economics and Markets​​ 3
ENV5223 Environmental Governance in the Developing World 2
ENV5226 Energy Law and Policy in a Carbon-Constrained World​​ 3
ENV5228 Energy Regulation, Markets and the Environment 3
ENV5229 Environmental Issues in Business 3
ENV5230 Global Energy Law and Policy 2
ENV5235 Natural Resources Law​​ 3
ENV5239 Land Transactions and Finance​​ 3
ENV5245 Water Resources Management 3
ENV5246 Water Quality​​ 3
ENV5250 Watershed Management​​ and Protection 3
ENV5303 Advanced Energy Writing Seminar​​ 2
ENV5305 Environmental Ethics​​ 2
ENV5306 Comparative Environmental Law Research​​ 2
ENV5310 Environmental Health Law​​ 2
ENV5335 Extinction and Climate Change​​ 2
ENV5336 Climate Change, Extinction and Adaptation 2
ENV5342 Legal Adaptations to Global Warming 2
ENV5343 Climate Change Adaptation in Human Systems 2
ENV5344 Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy 2
ENV5346 New Frontiers in Environmental Policies 2
ENV5349 Regulating the Marine Environment​​ 2
ENV5350 Risk Assessment 2
ENV5356 Scientific Controversies​​ 2
ENV5365 Climate Change: the Power of Taxes​​ 2
ENV5375 Global Energy Justice 2
ENV5380 Food Regulation and Policy​​ 3
ENV5381 Local Farm and Food Law in Practice 3
ENV5383 Food Justice & Sustainability 3
ENV5401 Agriculture and the Environment 3
ENV5405 Ecosystem Conservation Strategies​​ 2
ENV5406 Animal Rights Jurisprudence​​ 2
ENV5408 The Law of Animals in Agriculture 2
ENV5410 The Farm Bill 2
ENV5411 Federal Regulation of Food and Agriculture 2
ENV Representing Farmers and Food Producers  
ENV5423 Ocean and Coastal Law​​ 3
ENV5430 Ecology​​ 3
ENV5446 Environmental Justice​​ 2
ENV5449 Environmental Litigation Workshop 2
ENV5462 Public Lands Management: Montana Field Study​​ 3
ENV5468 Oil and Gas Production and the Environment​​ 2
ENV5474 Land Conservation Law​​ 2
ENV5478 Global Food Security and Social Justice 2
ENV5479 Law and Policy of Local Food Systems 2
ENV5500 Environmental Aspects of Business Transactions​​ 2
ENV5510 Essentials of the Electric Grid​​: Engineering 1
ENV5521 Earth Law​​ 2
ENV5540 Public Health and Food and Agriculture Policy 2
ENV5561 Environmental Enforcement and Compliance 2
ENV5564 Peace, War and the Environment 2
ENV5561 Environmental Enforcement and Compliance​​ 2
ENV Animal Welfare Law  
GPP7819 Environmental Issues in Business Transactions (JD students only) 2
INT7412 Law of the European Union 2
INT7414 European Union Law Trento 2
INT7421 International Environmental Law​​ and Policy 3
INT7440 Comparative U.S.-China Environmental Law​​ 2
INT7445 European Community Environmental Law 2
INT7446 International Trade and the Environment​​ 2
INT7450 International Investment Arbitration and the Environment 2
JUR7307 Culture and the Environment​​ 2
JUR7330 Moral Philosophy for Professionals 2
JUR7333 Animal Law and Ethics 3
PUB7510 Legislation​​ 3
PUB7525 Legislative Clinic​​ 6
WRI7380 Advanced Environmental Legal Research​​​ 1

Note: This page is offered as a quick, simplified glance of a complex topic. Please consult the Academic Regulations for full and official degree requirements.​