Future Graduate Students
Our graduate programs reflect our expertise in a wide range of research areas, allowing you to advance your career in the direction of your choice.
Graduate studies at UCalgary Law
UCalgary Law offers both a thesis-based and a course-based LLM, with a specialization available in Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law (NREEL), a PhD in Law, and a graduate certificate in NREEL.
The Faculty has a wide range of research expertise. We have long been leaders in natural resources, energy and environmental law. Other areas of particular research strength include business and tax law, private law, administrative law and regulation, criminal law, aboriginal law, international law, human rights law, legal history and theory, and the law pertaining to privacy, security and technology. The Faculty has endowed chairs in natural resources law, in business law, and in business regulation. Our substantial law library is complemented by the internationally-renowned Canadian Institute of Resources Law, which hosts symposia and publishes research on natural resources and energy law. The Faculty of Law is a home of the acclaimed law blog, ABlawg.
Our LLM program was included in the LLM Guide's top 10 energy law programs worldwide (2022). Our program earns this recognition for strengths in examining the relationship between society and the environment, in defining the interests we claim in the world around us, and in shaping the consequences of using those resources. The study of energy and environmental law at UCalgary Law is remarkably broad and encompasses legal aspects of our transition to a low carbon economy, mining law, renewable energy law, water law, administrative law, adapting to climate change and regulating GHG emissions, regulatory theory, taxation, corporate law, economics, contract law, international trade and investment law, Aboriginal law, tort law, environmental ethics, pollution control, waste management, environmental impact law, intellectual property, human rights law and legal theory.
Please note that an LLM does not entitle the holder to practice law in Canada. For information about the accreditation of foreign degrees, contact the National Committee on Accreditation.
Our Graduate Programs
UCalgary Law offers a PhD in Law, a thesis-based and course-based LLM, a graduate certificate, and is part of a joint MSc in Sustainable Energy Development.
The PhD program in Law gives qualified students the opportunity to engage in sustained research in an area of interest to them, under the supervision of our diverse, energetic faculty members.
We offer an LLM (general) and an LLM with a specialization in Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law (NREEL).
The course-based LLM program is designed for those seeking to deepen their knowledge of a particular area of law, whether for professional or academic reasons.
For lawyers who wish to supplement or update their knowledge in natural resources, energy and environmental law.
This master’s degree is an interdisciplinary graduate program providing a balanced education related to energy and environmental management.
Faculty of Law graduate program admissions requirements
Law degree
LLM applicants: A law degree from a recognized university, with a GPA of 3.0 or above.
PhD applicants: A GPA of 3.3 or above in their law degree from a recognized university, and a Master's in Law.
Writing sample & Reference letters
A writing sample should be approximately 10-30 pages long and must be your own original writing.
All applicants require two (2) letters of reference.
Application fee
$125 CDN for Canadian citizens and permanent residents
$145 CDN for international students
(Application fees are non-refundable)
Completed application form
Complete the application form from the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Graduate Program Admissions Dates & Deadlines
Scholarships & Fellowships
Faculty of Law Graduate Scholarships are generally only given to doctoral students and to full-time students in the thesis-based LLM program. Fellowships are generally available only to recent graduates who have specialized in Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies also has a number of scholarships for which students can apply, and an open scholarship competition for which the Faculty of Law puts forward recommendations. Students and applicants pursuing these awards must apply through the Graduate Awards Competition website which contains additional information.
Faculty of Law Graduate Scholarships
- The Honourable N.D. McDermid Graduate Scholarships in Law
- Nigel Bankes Graduate Scholarship in Energy, Resources and Environmental Law
- The John D. Petrie Q.C. Graduate Scholarship in Law
- Ron Ghitter Award in Human Rights
Graduate Scholarships from External Organizations
- The Canadian Energy Law Foundation Graduate Scholarship in Law
- The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law
- Trudeau Foundation Graduate Scholarships
- The Viscount Bennett Scholarship
Faculty of Law Post-Graduate (LLM) Fellowships