Learn More Our People

Courses & Programs

Learn about course offerings, the Certificate in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law and the Indigenous, Blacks and Mi’kmaq Initiative.

 
 

Helpful Definitions

Aboriginal law refers to laws developed by Canadian legislators and courts that apply to Indigenous Peoples and their relationship with the Canadian state.
Indigenous law refers to the specific legal orders of Indigenous Nations, such as Mi’kmaq law.

 

Course Offerings

Schulich Law offers a wide and continually expanding array of courses in Aboriginal and Indigenous law. Each year new courses and seminars are being developed. See the list below for current offerings.

For more information and to view any pre-requisites or exclusions please visit the Dalhousie University website by clicking the course title:

 
 
 

Certificate in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law

In the fall of 2020, the Schulich School of Law introduced the JD Certificate in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law. Aboriginal and Indigenous law intersects with almost every other area of the law in Canada. Students who complete the Certificate will have a broad, critical, well-rounded, and practical educational experience in these areas. 

To obtain the Certificate, students must complete a combination of mandatory and elective credits. Students who complete all requirements receive an annotation of their transcript as well as physical certificate upon graduation.

Indigenous, Blacks and Mi’kmaq Initiative

The Indigenous Blacks & Mi'kmaq (IB&M) Initiative at the Schulich School of Law was established in 1989 to increase representation of Indigenous Blacks and Mi'kmaq in the legal profession in order to reduce discrimination.

The IB&M Initiative works to ensure that Mi'kmaw and African Nova Scotian students, and other Aboriginal and Black students, are represented at the Schulich School of Law. The Initiative involves community outreach and recruiting, providing financial and other support to students, developing scholarships in the areas of Aboriginal law and African Canadian legal perspectives, and promoting the hiring and retention of graduates. 

Students who enter the Schulich School of Law through the IB&M Initiative join the regular first-year class, write the same exams, complete the same work and earn the same JD degree as all other students. Since the IB&M Initiative began, more than 217 Black and Aboriginal graduates have gone on to pursue careers with private law firms, the judiciary, community organizations, and government. They have taken up a range of leadership roles across Nova Scotia and beyond. The IB&M Initiative has been nationally recognized numerous times as a model for diversity in legal education.