Do you want to put your legal skills to work for the environment? The concentration in Environmental Law and Global Sustainability is designed for jurists who wish to make law a lever of change to meet the environmental challenges of our time. Offered jointly by the Common Law and Civil Law sections, it offers a unique perspective, letting you examine environmental questions through the lens of common law, civil law, or both of Canada's major legal traditions.
Whether you choose the research paper stream or the course stream, your training will rest on a common core of courses (Research Methodology, Sustainability and Law, Contemporary Issues in Law), which you can then extend with full flexibility, according to your goals: a research paper to deepen your understanding and analysis of a particular question, or a set of specialized courses to broaden your expertise. Courses are offered in person, in English or French, and begin in September each year.
LLM Course-based option, concentration in Global Sustainability and Environmental Law
Program Overview
Why Choose This Program?
Environmental law is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in contemporary law: new climate rules, environmental litigation, sustainable-development frameworks, rights of nature, etc.This concentration places you at the heart of these transformations, in a faculty whose expertise in this area of law is well established and tied to recognized research networks.
Two features set the program apart. First, its bijural dimension, which gives you the opportunity to explore major, contemporary environmental issues through both civil law and common law, a comparative perspective that is invaluable in a field that is transnational by nature. You will develop a deep understanding of the legal frameworks that govern environmental protection and shape the environmental future of our societies, and you will gain the knowledge and tools needed to influence them. This concentration thus prepares you to become an agent of change, equipped to respond to today's and tomorrow's environmental challenges. Second, its flexibility: you choose between a research stream and a course stream, full-time or part-time, according to your project, your interests, and your circumstances.
The result is a specialization in a high-demand field, where employers (governments, law firms, international organizations, NGOs) are looking for jurists able to navigate the regulatory complexity of the ecological transition.
Program Options and Structure
The concentration comes in two streams, depending on whether you wish to carry out in-depth research or deepen your knowledge through a wide range of coursework.
Common core (9 units, in both streams)
- DCL 5501, Legal Research Methodology
- DCL 5740, Sustainability and Law
- DCL 5535, Contemporary Issues in Law
Research paper stream
To the common core are added 6 units of optional courses in environmental law (chosen from a list that varies each year) and a research paper (MRP 6999). This stream is completed over two years, full-time or part-time.
Course stream
To the common core are added 12 units of optional courses in environmental law. With no research paper, this stream is completed in twelve months full-time (or seven terms part-time).
Optional courses are selected from an offering that changes from year to year, covering areas such as emerging topics in environmental law, comparative environmental law, an environmental law internship, or selected questions in international and Indigenous law.
For the current list and course details, consult the official program requirements in the University of Ottawa catalogue.
Admission Requirements
To be eligible, you must hold an undergraduate degree in law (LL.B., LL.L. or equivalent), obtained with a minimum average of 70% (B). Particular attention is given to your experience in a legal setting, your previous research work, and your letters of recommendation.
Applications must be submitted online through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). Deadlines vary by profile; consult the official deadlines before preparing your file.
For applicants trained abroad
The LL.M. is an academic degree that enriches your professional profile and opens the way to research; on its own, it does not authorize the practice of law in Canada. Admission to the bar or to the Chamber of Notaries falls to the provincial regulatory bodies and involves a separate accreditation process. If practising in Canada is your main goal, it is worth checking with the relevant regulator before applying.
What You Can Do With Your Studies
The concentration leads to roles where environmental expertise is in demand, in both the public and private sectors:
- Legal counsel in environmental law or climate law, in a firm or in-house
- Environmental policy specialist in a ministry or regulatory body
- Jurist in an international organization or environmental NGO
- Sustainability or regulatory-compliance analyst
- Researcher in environmental law (the research paper prepares directly for doctoral studies)
CO-OP and Professional Experience
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees vary according to your status (Canadian resident in Ontario, Canadian resident outside of Ontario, or international student) and your enrolment (full-time or part-time).
For current amounts, visit the University of Ottawa's tuition fees page.
Admission scholarships are awarded each year by the Faculty of Law and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, with no separate application on your part (recommendations are submitted by the Law Admissions Committee). Other donor-funded scholarships, as well as graduate funding resources, are also available.
Contact us
Our office
57 Louis-Pasteur st.,
room 301
Ottawa, On K1N 6N5
Tel.: 613-562-5774
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