Admission Requirements and Course of Study¹

To be eligible for this certificate, students must make formal application to, and be accepted in, the Law and Public Policy certificate program. Interested students should submit an application to the Law and Public Policy Certificate Faculty Advisor, preferably before the start of registration for their third semester—i.e., by late March of their first year. The application should consist of a brief essay describing why the student is interested in public policy or non-profit management and laying out a proposed course of study that satisfies the requirements for the certificate. A current transcript is also required.

The course, LAW 7600 Administrative Law, is a pre- or co-requisite for the program. This is not included in the 12 credit requirement for the certificate.

The certificate in Law and Public Policy requires course work at both the Law School and the Department of Public Policy (DPP).

This certificate is offered in collaboration with the University of Connecticut Department of Public Policy.

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Course substitutions may be approved by the Certificate Program Director and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Law.

Requirements

Courses

Rather than selecting from a menu of designated courses, students in the Law and Public Policy program design their own curricula in consultation with, and subject to the approval of the certificate program Faculty Advisor. All courses at the DPP are eligible for credit toward the certificate, as are all law school courses with a significant public policy component. 

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the non-legal forces shaping public policymaking, including politics and bureaucratic expertise, and explain how these forces interact with the legal system.
2. Demonstrate substantive mastery of one or more areas of public policymaking (such as budgetary practices and procedures).
3. Communicate effectively with non-lawyers involved in policy formulation, analysis, and implementation.