Curriculum

Our faculty, as well as our location in Washington D.C., combine to make Georgetown an ideal choice for students interested in education law and policy. On this page, we outline some of our course offerings and provide links to related resources.

Courses

Education law courses examine the laws and policies that govern the K-12 and higher education systems. Federal, state, and especially local authorities have a stake in the delivery of educational services. Issues that come up include equal educational opportunity, segregation and desegregation, gender discrimination, school finance, No Child Left Behind, special education, vouchers, charter schools, and school disciplinary processes.

We have tried to identify some core education law and policy courses as well as additional courses that students with a interest in this area might consider. Core courses include: Education Law and Policy; Higher Education and the Law; Law, Public Education, and Equality of Opportunity Seminar; Legal Issues in Higher Education Seminar; and Special Education Law and Policy. Some of these courses cover overlapping material and some are not offered every semester. Please consult the descriptions for each course for more information.

In addition to those core courses, Georgetown offers a wide range of related courses. We suggest that students considering a career in education law consider issues such as health care, the separation of church and state, community organizing, immigration law, civil rights, land use, local government law, and labor law. The Law Center offers a variety of courses in these subject areas, and they are listed on the right side of this page.

Education lawyers, policymakers and advocates must possess a variety of skills including the ability to draft legislation, negotiate with multiple stakeholders, litigate, organize educational outreach campaigns, and design and update policies. We have included courses that emphasize these skills in the list on the right side of the page. In addition to courses offered at the law school, our students are able to take up to 6 credits at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute on the main campus. Law students have especially enjoyed public policy courses such as High School Policy and Practice and Social Entrepreneurship.

Careers

Careers related to education, law, and policy range from school administrators (superintendent, principal) to lawyers at non-profit organizations, school districts, or law firms to policymakers and policy analysts at think tanks or governmental organizations. For more information about potential careers please click here.

Additional Reading

Our students and faculty have identified a number of books that have deepened their understanding of the field. Whether you are an expert or a novice to this field, we suspect you find some title of interest here.

Our Blog

For more information about how Georgetown students, professors, and alumni are involved with education law and policy initiatives please visit our blog.