In the backdrop of COP28, and taking a leaf from the 2021 University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations governing joint degrees with foreign Higher-Educational Institutions (HEIS), NLU Delhi and SOAS University of London have entered into a historic agreement to offer students a one-year Joint LL.M/M.A. in Environmental Justice in South Asia. The Joint Degree is co-designed, and will be co-delivered and co-awarded by both the universities.
Unique in its offering, the course will enable students to spend half their time in SOAS London, and the other half in NLUD, India. Talking about the need for HEIs to develop competencies for tackling global environment concerns, Professor G.S. Bajpai, Vice Chancellor, NLU Delhi said, “Both Universities share a common vision to serve communities at large by empowering them with solutions to solve the many problems that our generation faces. Through the Joint Degree, we will foster human and institutional capacities, to combat several complex environmental and societal concerns of our times.”
One of the major highlights of the Joint Degree is that it has been specially designed to be more accessible and financially affordable to international students. Students will not only be able to study in SOAS, University of London – one of UK’s top universities – but will have to pay only half the fees typically charged to international students at British universities.
SOAS Director Adam Habib stated that equipping people with the knowledge needed to address environmental justice is too important to let financial and national barriers get in the way. “The major problems of our age span national boundaries. We wish to demonstrate this with the new partnership; how universities in the Global South and the Global North can come together to remove barriers to education and how we can ramp up the international exchange of expertise to help address the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced,” Habib said.
This model of partnership in higher education is responsive to the transnational character of climate change, in line with NLU Delhi’s commitment to internationalization and innovation under the National Education Policy, 2020. The new degree builds a dialogue between the Global South and the Global North on environmental concerns which is also at the core of the climate justice discourse.
Students will benefit from enhancing research skills through rigorous classroom teaching, followed by a clinical component in India, and writing a dissertation. With this degree, students can expect to pursue advanced careers in research, academia, policy, international development, and strategic litigation.
“NLU Delhi and SOAS will jointly facilitate the clinical component of this Joint Degree. It aims at making a broader use of clinical legal pedagogy to provide valuable learning experiences to students in environmental justice,” said Professor Bajpai.
“The coming together of both universities is not just favorable to the partners involved, but is more beneficial to students, especially those inclined towards exploring solutions to problems related to the climate crises,” said Professor Ruhi Paul, Registrar, NLU Delhi.
This partnership is also aimed at accelerating dialogue about the disproportionate impact of climate change on the Global South. Nearly 130 countries are facing the impact of historically high per capita CO2 emission rates by the Global North. The joint degree is one step towards empowering students to take action as leaders in their communities.
“Students can gain an edge with this Joint Degree, which promises to offer a niche specialization, is academically rigorous, and one that is taught by globally renowned experts,” added Professor Paul.
Applications for this joint degree open on 11 December 2023, and the first cohort of students is expected to join in September 2024. Students can find out more about the course on SOAS webpages and NLUD webpages here.
