The world of today faces an energy challenge of unprecedented dimensions. Sophisticated technological innovations in the use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have led to an energy revolution in the United States, with new supplies of oil and gas that dramatically reposition the U.S. in the global market.
Disputes between sovereign nations and investors, as well as commercial arbitrations in the energy sector, are growing rapidly – both in frequency and magnitude. At the same time, developed and developing countries alike must grapple with the realities of global climate change, water and pollution, a myriad of threats to biodiversity associated with energy production.
To address these challenges, the School of Law has created the LL.M. concentration in Global Energy, International Arbitration & Environmental Law to catalyze the interdisciplinary study of energy, including the structure of the energy industry, transactions, dispute resolution, and environmental law, science, and policy. Texas Law offers a number of innovative courses designed to prepare students to succeed in the energy sector. Our mission is to train the next generation of energy leaders in Texas, the United States, and the world.
In additional to robust curricular offerings, Texas Law offers an unbeatable set of student-run journals on energy and environmental law. The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law (TJOGEL) published twice a year by students at The University of Texas School of Law. TJOGEL is the only entirely student-run journal in the country devoted exclusively to promoting scholarship in the energy legal field. LL.M. students are welcome to serve on the Journal. The Texas Environmental Law Journal is a biannual journal with articles, student notes, and developments in environmental and natural resources law.
Students also have access to programs and centers relating to oil and gas, energy, public lands, water, environmental, and international law. In an effort to provide a multi-disciplinary platform for UT faculty students to interact on the most pressing energy issues facing our world, the Energy Institute host the UT Energy Symposium and UT Energy Week. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center for Business, Law & Policy sponsors distinguished lectures and an annual symposium on current and emerging energy issues. The Institute for Transnational Law organizes a master wind class and a tour of the Sweetwater Wind Farm each fall. The Longhorn Energy Club gives access to student-only sessions with UT Energy Symposium speakers, interactive events with companies, exclusive lunch and learn sessions with industry professionals, opportunities to meet with local energy entrepreneurs, and UT Energy Week.
Internal Scholarships
- Association of International Energy Negotiators Student Scholarship Program (separate application required and April deadline)
- Energy and Mineral Law Foundation Law Student Scholarship (separate application required and April deadline)
- Good Neighbor Scholarship (separate application required and March deadline)
- International Bar Association Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL) Law Studies Scholarships (separate application required and April deadline)
- Application instructions: For the name and contact details of a member of our faculty who is a member of the Oil and Gas Committee within SEERIL, email LLM@law.utexas.edu.
- Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (separate application required and March deadline)
- Application instructions: Prospective students are strongly encouraged to submit their application for admission before the March 1 priority deadline since the deadline to apply for a scholarship from the Foundation is mid-March.
- Tuition Assistance for Mexican Students (separate application required)
Visit Scholarship Opportunities for more information.
General Requirements
- A total of 24 credit hours must be completed in one academic year (fall and spring terms).
- 12-14 concentration-specific credit hours (see below).
- A three-credit writing seminar or a two-credit directed research paper (30-40 double-spaced pages).
- U.S. Constitutional Law for Foreign Lawyers (This is a requirement for students with a foreign law degree. Students with a background in common law may request a waiver from this requirement.)
- Non-U.S. J.D. students planning to take a U.S. state bar exam must also complete certain bar-required courses as part of their LL.M. degree program to be eligible to take the bar examination.
Concentration Requirements
LL.M. students have three options with respect to the concentration.
Option 1: Students concentrate in one area and obtain a certificate accordingly. Students pursuing this option must complete 12 credits from one focus area (Global Energy or International Arbitration or Environment).
Option 2: Students concentrate in two areas and obtain a certificate accordingly. Students pursuing this option are required to complete at least 12 hours from two focus areas. Concentration requirements include:
Must complete 12 credit hours from some combination of two focus areas (Global Energy, International Arbitration or Environment and no fewer than 3 credits in one of the two focus areas).
Option 3: Students in the program may obtain a concentration in Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental Law by completing a total of 14 credits. Concentration requirements include:
- Must complete at least 9 credits from one focus area (Global Energy, International Arbitration or Environment)
- Must complete 5 credits from some combination of the remaining focus areas.
All students are strongly encouraged to take Administrative Law.
Sample Courses
Energy Law
- Administrative Law
- Advanced Oil & Gas
- Antitrust
- Energy Development & Policy
- Energy Law: Regulating Energy Markets
- Energy Law: Regulating Energy Production
- International Business Transactions
- International Petroleum Transactions
- International Trade
- Law, Finance & Science of Global Energy Transactions
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Oil & Gas
- Oil & Gas Taxation
- Politics of Siting Energy Facilities
- Texas Energy Law
- Wind Law
- Seminar: Energy Law & Policy
- Seminar: Environmental Impact of Development & Production
- Seminar: Managing the Clean Energy Transition
- Seminar: International Petroleum Transactions
*Energy Law, Oil & Gas, and International Petroleum Transactions are foundational courses.
International Arbitration
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- International Arbitration: Practical Skills
- International Business Transactions
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Investor/State Arbitration
- Introduction to Domestic & International Arbitration
- Mediation
- Negotiation
- Topics in Theory/Practice of Arbitration
- Seminar: International Business Litigation
*International Commercial Arbitration and Investor/State Arbitration are foundational courses.
Environmental Law
- Administrative Law
- Coastal Watersheds
- Environmental Law
- Environmental Law: Air & Water
- Clinic: Environmental
- Seminar: Climate Change & Entrepreneurialism
- Seminar: Environmental Impact of Development & Production
- Seminar: Environmental Litigation
- Seminar: Managing the Clean Energy Transition
- Seminar: Water for Everyone: Transformative Approaches to Mexico City’s Water Crisis
- Workshop: Water for Everyone
*Environmental Law, Environmental Law & Natural Resources, Toxics, and Air & Water are foundational courses.
Note: The sample courses listed above are sample course offerings only and are not necessarily offered every term. Past, current, and future courses can be accessed on the Law School’s Course Schedule. Clinics are competitive and require an application.