Administrative, Regulatory & Public Law

The United States has hundreds of federal agencies and departments that make and enforce rules and regulations governing everything from agricultural research and wildlife to labor and environmental standards. These rules—and others made by agencies at the state level—are constantly challenged in the courts by businesses and organizations that want more regulation or less.  

 Administrative, regulatory, and public law conflicts pose both political and legal challenges. Because most administrative power lies under the executive branch, such challenges often involve constitutional separation of powers questions, including the president’s ability to appoint and remove agency heads. Students at BU Law can choose from dozens of courses on these general topics as well as specific topics such as cannabis law, American Indian law, land use, and privacy. They also have the opportunity to work at various state and federal agencies that have offices in Boston, including the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, the US Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration, and many others.  

LLM students can choose from JD offerings in administrative, regulatory, and public law and also are introduced to these topics in the LLM in American Law program.