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Energy & Environment Law

Types of Degrees Energy & Environment Law Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Energy & Environment Law have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	219
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Energy & Environment Law Majors Need to Know

Programs in Energy & Environment Law build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Energy & Environment Law graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Energy & Environment Law emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Energy & Environment Law program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Energy & Environment Law careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Energy & Environment Law graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Energy & Environment Law professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
CT Summation iBlaze	Document management software	—
AbacusNext HotDocs	Document management software	—
Thomson Reuters Westlaw	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
LexisNexis	Information retrieval or search software	—
LexisNexis CaseMap	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Energy & Environment Law graduates include:

• Criminal Law Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Law Lecturer
• College Professor
• Law Instructor
• Adjunct Law Professor
• Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• Environmental Law Professor
• U.S. Law Instructor (United States Law Instructor)
• Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Faculty Member
• Constitutional Law Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Energy & Environment Law graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
First professional degree	43.2%
Doctoral degree	40.6%
Master’s degree	13.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Energy & Environment Law?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.3% women and 40.7% men among Energy & Environment Law graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	131	59.3%
Men	90	40.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Energy & Environment Law graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	89	40.3%
Asian	7	3.2%
Hispanic or Latino	17	7.7%
Black or African American	9	4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	1.4%
Two or More Races	2	0.9%
Race Unknown	54	24.4%
International Students	40	18.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Energy & Environment Law Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Energy & Environment Law graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$78,306
4 years	$93,383
5 years	$107,509

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $107,509 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Energy & Environment Law Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Energy & Environment Law. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Energy & Environment Law Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Energy & Environment Law graduates earn a median of $93,383 four years after completion — roughly 146% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	22.02
Advanced Legal Research/Studies, General	22.0201
Agriculture Law	22.0214
American/US Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence	22.0203
Arts and Entertainment Law	22.0215
Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law	22.0205
Canadian Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence	22.0204
Comparative Law	22.0206
Compliance Law	22.0216
Criminal Law and Procedure	22.0217
Entrepreneurship Law	22.0218
Family/Child/Elder Law	22.0219

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.