Top LL.M. Programs for Energy Law 2022

Dundee’s Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law was formed in 1977, when the North Sea Oil economy was booming. Through that center, the school offers LL.M.s covering various topics in the field, including one in Energy Law in Policy, another in Petroleum Taxation and Finance, and yet another LL.M. in Mineral Law and Policy, among others.

As a city, Austin is a bit of a strange beast: it’s in Texas, but doesn’t sport the same oil presence as cities like Dallas our Houston. Perhaps that’s why UT Austin’s KBH Energy Center produces research on such a broad range of energy topics: from decarbonization to land use and the environmental costs of gas pipelines. Students interested in these and related topics in the energy field can pursue an LL.M. concentration in Global Energy, International Arbitration and Environmental Law.

Located on the oil-rich North Sea, students at Aberdeen study in the heart of a dynamic and transitioning energy hub. The Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law publishes relevant research; students interested in energy law can pursue LL.M. programs in Oil and Gas Law or Energy Law. Along with the University of Groningen, the University of Oslo, and the University of Copenhagen, the school runs the part-time North Sea Energy Law program as well.

Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment produces research around the intersection between energy and the environment. Fortunately for energy law-minded LL.M. students, faculty who are associated with the institute teach on Vermont Law’s LL.M. in Energy Law, one of the top US programs in this discipline. 

With over 5,000 energy firms in the region, the city of Houston is one of the world’s biggest oil and gas hubs, and a great place to study for LL.M. students looking to be close to the action. The school offers an LL.M. in Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Law, which helps students navigate the complex polices around energy production, transportation, and use. UHLC is also home to the Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Center, which researches the intersection between energy production and environmental impacts.

For students looking to focus on the legal overlap between climate and energy, Berkeley Law is perhaps one of the best schools in the world. The school’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment focuses on the intersection between climate and energy and sustainable land use; it also puts on relevant events. LL.M. students at Berkeley can pursue a certificate in Energy and Clean Technology.

LL.M. students at Melbourne Law can pursue a concentration in Energy and Resources Law, which covers a range of relevant topics in the field, including energy regulation and mineral law. The school’s Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law is one of the few such research enters hosted by a law school in Australia.

Since the school is situated on the Groningen Gas Field—the largest natural gas field in Europe—LL.M. students can see directly how energy laws work in the real world. Groningen offers an LL.M. in Energy and Climate Law; and, in partnership with several other law schools, offers a part-time LL.M in North Sea Energy Law. The school also hosts the Groningen Centre of Energy Law, which is the largest energy law research center in the Netherlands.

With its LL.M. in Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law, Calgary is one of a handful of law schools in Canada to offer a specialized LL.M. in the field. The school is also home to the Canadian Institute of Resources Law, which puts on symposia and publishes related research.

QMUL’s LL.M. in Energy and Natural Resources Law looks at energy law topics from an international, interdisciplinary perspective. Students in the LL.M. can take advantage of resourced offered by the school’s Energy and Natural Resources Law Institute.