Environmental & Climate Law

An in-depth knowledge of environmental and climate law is invaluable to anyone with ambitions to build a meaningful career and make a contribution in this area. This online Masters will provide an unrivalled foundation to equip you with the key skills to become an environmental leader, including how to:

• Demonstrate a detailed awareness of current controversies in environmental and climate law.
• Have the intellectual toolkit required to research and write a major dissertation.
• Integrate source material from a variety of disciplinary areas to reach reasoned decisions about the relative status of competing claims to knowledge.
• Appreciate the strengths and limitations of key research methodologies.
• Unpack complex theoretical arguments to render key disciplinary insights intelligible to a non-specialist audience.
• Use knowledge of debates within the discipline and different methodological approaches to interpret empirical research findings and to critique research designs.
• Apply your knowledge and understanding of environmental and climate law, and your problem-solving abilities, in diverse legal scenarios.

The aim of this programme is to equip graduates to work in the fields of climate and environmental law/policy, internationally or in Ireland, as a practising lawyer, legal adviser, policy maker, advocate, researcher, consultant or academic.

Career opportunities exist for example in inter-governmental organisations (e.g. United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe), in government departments and agencies, in local government, in international and domestic non-governmental organisations and think tanks, and in leading planning and environmental consultancies and law firms.

Masters students in UCD Sutherland School of Law can benefit from engaging both with the UCD Careers Network and the Head of Career Development in the School.  There are careers events hosted through the academic year and a specific Law Fair every October where Domestic and International Employers come on campus to meet with students.  For students based overseas undertaking this programme, they should ensure that they are registered with the UCD Careers Network to engage with online careers events or watch back previous recorded videos.

UCD is strongly committed to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), embedding sustainability in teaching, research, operations, and community engagement. Sustainability principles are integrated into this programme, ensuring students graduate equipped to address global challenges. UCD’s leadership in this area is internationally recognised, ranking 47th globally and  27th in Europe in the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability 2026. UCD also leads impactful research in areas such as climate action, clean energy, and social equity, supported by a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy focused on reducing emissions, enhancing biodiversity, and fostering a sustainable campus culture.

Note: Fees for international/Non-EU students are the same as those for EU/Domestic students because of the online nature of this programme.

SUSI Grant Funding: Domestic undergraduates who are eligible for government SUSI funding should note that their fees for graduate study may also be covered under the scheme. To check your eligibility please see the SUSI eligibility indicator tool available at this weblink

Further information about SUSI grants and funding is available at this weblink.

Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website.

This programme is intended for applicants with a degree in law or another relevant discipline, including the social and natural sciences. An upper second class honours NFQ Level 8 (GPA 3.08  or international equivalent) is required.

•Exemption may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience or those with a relevant graduate qualification.

English Language Requirements

• Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 6.5 (including a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and writing parts and no part below 6.0) or 90 in the TOEFL iBT (with a minimum of 22 (reading) and 24 (writing) and no part below 20.) The test results must be less than 2 years old.


• Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the  English language requirements, may enter the programme upon  successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/ 


• The School encourages all applicants whose first language is not English to attend the pre-sessional English programme offered by the UCD Applied Language Centre, details of which are available at www.ucd.ie/alc.


•  International applicants should visit the UCD International Office website (www.ucd.ie/international) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants: Yes

This programme is intended for applicants with a degree in law or another relevant discipline, including the social and natural sciences. An upper second class honours degree or equivalent is required. Exemption may be given to those with significant, related, practical experience or those with a relevant graduate qualification. Note: We offer both a September and January start for this programme.