LLM Environmental Law and Sustainable Development

Program Overview

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Key Information

Duration

One year (full-time), two or three years (part-time)

Start of Programme

September

Attendance Mode

Full-time or part-time

Location

Campus

Fees

• Home: £15,740
• International: £26,770

Course Code

M3U1

Entry Requirements

• A 2:1 degree in a relevant undergraduate degree.
• If you have a lower degree classification, your application may be considered if you can present a strong case, either through relevant work experience, other legal qualifications, or a strong supporting statement.
• References are not required, but can help build a stronger application if you fall below the 2:1 requirement or have non-traditional qualifications.
• See international entry requirements and English language requirements.

Course Overview

The LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development provides a unique specialisation in a rapidly evolving area of law that covers a range of issues at the heart of major contemporary developments and debates.

At SOAS, we understand environmental law as deeply connected with human and social issues. This is why our introductory course is a course on Law Environment and Social Justice. This also explains why human rights dimensions find repeated place in our courses.

We offer a wide range of distinctive modules that combine a focus on core subjects in the field alongside a critical inquiry into the theory and practice of environmental law, particularly as they relate to the Global South.

Why Study LLM Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at SOAS?

• SOAS is ranked 14th in the UK for Law (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• We're ranked 12th in the UK for Academic Reputation (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• Our research publications have been rated first in the UK - and our School of Law rated sixth in the UK - in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Structure

Students must take modules to a total value of 180 credits, 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 LLM are required to take at least 60 credits associated with his or her specialised LLM, and the dissertation topic will be undertaken within the LLM specialisation.

Compulsory Module

• LLM Dissertation in Law - 60 credits

Specialist Pathway Options

Students who wish to graduate with a specialised LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development are required to take at least 60 credits from the following list:

• Law and Natural Resources 1: Framework, Rights and Land - 15 credits
• Law and Natural Resources 2: Biological Resources, Corporations and Mining - 15 credits
• Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements - 15 credits
• Law, Environment and Social Justice - 15 credits
• Law, Environment, and the Global Commons: Ice, Sea, Space and Beyond - 15 credits
• International Environmental Law - 15 credits
• Alternatives to Sustainable Development: Rights of Nature and Harmony with Nature - 15 credits
• Law and the Climate Crisis - 15 credits
• Law and the biodiversity crisis - 15 credits

General Law Options

Students who wish to graduate with a specialised LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development are required to take at least 30 credits from the following list:

• Gender and the Law of War - 15 credits
• Human Rights of Women 1 - 15 credits
• Human Rights of Women 2 - 15 credits
• Law and Natural Resources 1: Framework, Rights and Land - 15 credits
• Law and Natural Resources 2: Biological Resources, Corporations and Mining - 15 credits
• Law, Religion and the State in South Asia 1: Constitutional and Criminal Law - 15 credits
• Law, Religion and the State in South Asia 2: Religious Personal Law - 15 credits
• Israel, Palestine, and International Law (15Cr) - 15 credits
• International Human Rights Clinic - 30 credits
• Human Rights and Islamic Law 1 - 15 credits
• Human Rights and Islamic Law 2 - 15 credits
• International Arbitration: Law and Theory - 15 credits
• International Arbitration: Practice - 15 credits
• Law and Development in Africa I: Theories and Concepts - 15 credits
• Law and Development in Africa II: Thematic Topics - 15 credits
• Intellectual Property Law 1 (PG) - 15 credits
• Intellectual Property Law 2 (PG) - 15 credits
• International laws on the use of force - 15 credits
• Foundations of International Law - 15 credits
• The Law of Armed Conflict - 15 credits
• Colonialism, Empire and International Law - 15 credits
• Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements - 15 credits
• Comparative Constitutional Law - 15 credits
• Law and Society in Southeast Asia - 15 credits
• Law and Postcolonial Theory - 15 credits
• International Criminal Law - 15 credits
• Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa - 15 credits
• Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics - 15 credits
• Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies - 15 credits
• International Investment Law - 15 credits
• Law, Rights & Social Change - 15 credits
• Law, Environment and Social Justice - 15 credits
• International Migration Law - 15 credits
• International Refugee Law - 15 credits
• Law, Environment, and the Global Commons: Ice, Sea, Space and Beyond - 15 credits
• International Environmental Law - 15 credits
• The Prohibition of Torture in International Law - 15 credits
• Alternatives to Sustainable Development: Rights of Nature and Harmony with Nature - 15 credits
• Multinational Enterprises and the Law I - 15 credits
• Multinational Enterprises and the Law II - 15 credits
• Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy - 15 credits
• Comparative Company Law - 15 credits
• Palestine, Resistance, and the Law - 15 credits
• Alternative Dispute Resolution I - 15 credits
• Alternative Dispute Resolution II - 15 credits
• Law and the Climate Crisis - 15 credits
• International Protection of Human Rights - 15 credits
• Islamic Family Law - 15 credits
• Islamic Legal Theory - 15 credits
• Transnational Law, Finance and Technology - 15 credits
• Colonial Geographies of International Law - 15 credits
• Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa - 15 credits

Teaching and 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.

Knowledge and 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:
  • theoretical and practical underpinnings of environmental law internationally
  • context in which law is made, interpreted, adjudicated, and amended
  • role played by law, particularly environmental law in different situations internationally, particularly its role in promoting sustainable development in the global South
  • role and function of legal institutions in managing the environment and natural resources
  • 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 rigor 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

The programme will enable students to:

• 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.

Scholarships

• Tibawi Trust Award
• Felix Non-Indian Scholarship
• Felix Scholarships
• Sasakawa Studentships
• Anthony Dicks Memorial Scholarship
• SOAS Master's Scholarships (Home)

Employment

SOAS Law graduates leave SOAS as civic-minded and critically engaged individuals who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies. With a thorough understanding of the legal dimensions underlying many of our global challenges today, our Law students are valued by employers due to their analytical skills, specialist knowledge, and global perspective.

Graduates of the LLM Environmental Law and Sustainable Development degree have gone on to take up a variety of exciting opportunities.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Milieu
• ClientEarth
• Climate Law and Policy

Key Staff

• Professor Philippe Cullet
  • Law and policy concerning the environment and natural resources (in particular water, sanitation, biodiversity, climate crisis); rights of nature; social rights; sustainable development; international law; international inequality; India

Program Outline

Students must take modules to a total value of 180 credits, 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 LLM are required to take at least 60 credits associated with his or her specialised LLM, and the dissertation topic will be undertaken within the LLM specialisation.

Please note that not all modules listed will be available every year.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Dissertation

Dissertation (12,000 words), on a topic related to the specialism of the degree

Module	Credits
LLM Dissertation in Law	60

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Taught component

120 credits total

Students take the following compulsory module (15 credits)

Module	Credits
Law, Environment and Social Justice	15

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And

Choose modules from

List A

to the value of 45 credits and

Choose modules from

List A

and

List B

OR

from postgraduate open options to the value of 60 credits

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List A (subject to availability)

Module	Credits
Law and Natural Resources	30
Law and the Climate Crisis	15
Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements (Law)	15
International Environmental Law	15
Biodiversity, Nature and Wildlife Law and Policy	15
Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Law)	15
Law and Global Commons	15

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List B (subject to availability)

Module	Credits
Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa	15
Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics	15
Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies	15
Human Rights and Islamic Law	30
International Commercial Arbitration	30
Law and Development in Africa	30
Law and Society in Southeast Asia	15
Law, Rights & Social Change	15
International Migration Law	15
International Refugee Law	15
Law, Religion, and the State in South Asia	30
Law, Environment and Social Justice	15
Colonialism, Empire and International Law	15
Foundations of International Law	15
Human Rights of Women	30
International Criminal Law	15
Law and Natural Resources	30
Law and Postcolonial Theory	15
The Law of Armed Conflict	15
Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements (Law)	15
Law and Global Commons	15
International Environmental Law	15
Biodiversity, Nature and Wildlife Law and Policy	15
Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation (Law)	15
Multinational Enterprises and the Law I	15
Multinational Enterprises and the Law II	15
Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy	15
Comparative Company Law	15
Israel, Palestine, and International Law (15Cr)	15
Palestine, Resistance, and the Law	15
Alternative Dispute Resolution I	15
Alternative Dispute Resolution II	15
International laws on the use of force	15
Gender and the Law of War	15
The Prohibition of Torture in International Law	15
Law and the Climate Crisis	15
International Protection of Human Rights (15Cr)	15
International Law: Contemporary Problems of World Order	15
Gender and the Law of Peace	15
Islamic Family Law	15
Islamic Legal Theory	15
Transnational Law, Finance and Technology	15
Colonial Geographies of International Law	15
Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa	15
Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Societies	15
Artificial Intelligence: Power, law and resistance	15
International Investment Law	15
International Human Rights Clinic	30
Comparative Constitutional Law	15
Intellectual Property Law (PG)	30
Israel, Palestine, and International Law (30Cr)	30

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Open options

Open options will need approval of deputy PG programme convenor (LLM or MA)

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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.

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Knowledge and 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 rigor 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

The programme will enable students to:

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.

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SOAS Library

SOAS Library

is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

SOAS Law graduates leave SOAS as civic minded and critically engaged individuals who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies. With a thorough understanding of the legal dimensions underlying many of our global challenges today, our Law students are valued by employers due to their analytical skills, specialist knowledge, and global perspective.

Graduates of the LLM Environmental Law and Sustainable Development degree have gone on to take up a variety of exciting opportunities.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Milieu

ClientEarth

Climate Law and Policy

Find out about our

Careers Service.