Law, Policy, and Planning Pathway

What is a Pathway?

A pathway is a suite of courses that provides students with recommended skills, knowledge, and tools for a specific industry or career. This is not a specialization. Pathways can help students upon graduation when applying for jobs by calling attention to the relevant coursework they have undertaken in this space.

Student group presenting at Capstone Poster Session.
MENV now offers a Law, Policy, and Planning (LP3) Pathway. Over the last two decades, the planning field has expanded beyond its roots in architecture, urban design, and land use. Government, non-profit, and private organizations are increasingly seeking out talented professionals to fill positions as climate planners, outdoor recreation planners, resilience planners, and sustainability planners. These roles require an understanding of law, policy and regulation, public and private management, stakeholder engagement, and other skills necessary to not only develop plans but put them into practice. The LP3 is designed to provide students a customizable set of courses that will prepare them for success in these increasingly high-profile, high-impact jobs.

To complete the LP3, students much select one course from each of the three categories (law, policy and planning), in addition to one other course from any category (total of 4 courses or 12 credits). Note that ENVM 5014 and ENVM 5066 are mutually exclusive and so only one of these courses should be taken to count towards the LP3. Given the wide variety of courses available within the LP3 across various disciplines, students considering this pathway should consult with their specialization lead to ensure their course selection aligns with their professional goals.  To learn more about the LP3, please feel free to reach out to the MENV Admissions team at MENVAdmissions@colorado.edu.

Career Paths

MENV students obtain a variety of jobs post graduation. Below is a small list of roles associated with this Pathway. You can see our sample list of Alumni Job Titles . 

  • Climate Planner
  • Long-Range Planner
  • Outdoor Recreation Planner
  • Resilience Planner
  • Sustainability Planner

 

Capstone Project Examples

 

Subject Matter Expertise

Planners need a level of baseline expertise to craft plans for the future, whether on the topic of water, public lands, or energy.

 

Procedural Expertise

How do we move from our knowledge and vision to concrete outcomes? Planners need to know how to influence legal, political, and policy processes to obtain their organizational goals.

 

Applicable Skills

Developing plans requires skills in public engagement, climate-related accounting, communication, and advocacy. 

 

Visionary Outcomes

The best plans connect the status quo with our desired future through concrete goals and processes. 

Suggested Courses (Click "+" to view courses)

  • ENVM 5014 – Foundations of Environmental Policy and Management
  • ENVM 5060 – Governing for Sustainable Communities
  • ENVM 5066 – Environmental Stewardship: Practice and Law
  • LAWS 6002 – Public Land Law
  • LAWS 6302 – Water Resources
  • LAWS 7202 – Environmental Law
  • LAWS 7222 – Environmental Decision-Making
  • ENVM 5006 – Sustainable Energy Policy
  • ENVM 5014 – Foundations of Environmental Policy and Management
  • ENVM 5016 – Science, Politics, and Policy
  • ENVM 5029 – Food and Agriculture Policy in the United States
  • ENVM 6100 – Policy Writing and Advocacy
  • ENVM 5750 – Climate Politics & Science-Policy
  • ECON 8535 – Environmental Economics 1
  • ENVM 5026 – Sustainable Land Use and Development: Principles and Practices
  • ENVM 5030 – Planning for Resilient Futures
  • ENVM 5040 – MENV Clinic
  • ENVM 5052 – Transportation, Mobility and Sustainable Cities
  • ENVM 5067 – Building Community Capacity
  • URPL 5020 (CU Denver) – Planning Law and Institutions
  • URPL 6205 (CU Denver) – Plan Making
  • URPL 6500 (CU Denver) – Environmental Planning and Management