Post Graduate Studies

The Australian Centre for Environmental Law (ACEL) in the ANU College of Law is at the forefront of the teaching and study of environmental law in Australia. Its Graduate Program in Environmental Law is designed both for lawyers and those with no previous legal background. Since its inception a decade ago, the Program has attracted hundreds of students from around Australia and internationally with very different backgrounds, undergraduate degrees and work experience. While many are just beginning their careers, many are well established in them.

ACEL offers a comprehensive program in environmental law including an array of specialist courses covering key areas ranging from biodiversity to water, environmental planning and impact assessment to effective business regulation and enforcement. The Program is taught in Canberra and Melbourne, resulting in a much more extensive array of courses being offered each year.

The Program’s aim is not only to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of the law but also to explore its origins and implementation, strengths and weaknesses. The interrelationship between the law and policy, science, economics and the broader culture are prime concerns.

A key feature of the Program is that each course can be taken by itself as a Short Course (professional development) or as a Graduate Course.

The Short Courses are ideal for professionals who wish to update their knowledge in a specific area. The participants receive a certificate of completion. No assessment is involved.

- Environmental Management - Graduate and Short Courses (and enrolment form)

- All graduate courses in 2009

- All graduate courses in 2010

The Graduate Courses are for students (including cross-institutional and non-award students) who are enrolled in a postgraduate program and do involve assessment. Depending on how many courses they want to take, students who come to the ANU may obtain a Graduate Certificate, a Graduate Diploma or a Masters Degree in Environmental Law. Further information is available from the ANU College of Law Graduate Environmental Program

"The program is very well run and the level of specialisation in environmental law is clearly unmatched anywhere in Australia."
- ACEL Graduate 2006

Graduate Program in Law

The Graduate Program in Law offers an integrated coursework structure, which enables students to achieve a variety of diplomas and degrees. All courses are designed specifically for graduate study. Students may move between a related degree and diploma depending on subject choice, qualifications and grades.

Most courses are taught intensively over periods of two to six days per semester. Courses not offered intensively are taught in weekly classes during the semester. Courses may be taken individually without being part of a diploma or degree course (non-award). Students may be granted status for graduate courses undertaken at another university up to a maxiumum of 12 units.