In celebration of 15 years of legal education and highlighting its globally recognized expertise in national security, the University of Nebraska College of Law’s Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law Program is changing its name to the Space, Cyber and National Security Law Program.
The program is available to Nebraska Law’s traditional J.D. students, who may concentrate their studies in the area, and via online and on-campus LL.M. options.
Students focused in this area also benefit from the program’s relationship with the Department of Defense and the commercial sector through internships, conferences and research opportunities.
Students in the program are involved in research and cutting-edge scholarship in space law, particularly through Nebraska’s leadership of a major international project, the “Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities and Operations,” set to be released this year by Oxford University Publishing. The University of Nebraska College of Law is one of four founding universities of this project.
First launched in 2008, a defining feature of the program has been its longstanding relationship with the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense.
More than 50 U.S. Judge Advocate General’s Corps officers have completed the program — including JAG officers in the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Graduates also include civilians working in numerous U.S. government agencies and departments, including the CIA, National Security Agency and Coast Guard.
Jack Beard, director of the program, who previously served as the associate deputy general counsel (international affairs) in the Department of Defense and is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army JAG Corps (retired), brings his years of experience to the program’s leadership.
The program amended its name for the first time in 2010, adding the phrase “cyber” to recognize Nebraska’s world-class curriculum in the area, formally renaming itself the “Space, Cyber and Telecommunications Law” program.
Matthew Schaefer, founding director and professor, led the efforts to secure a $1.71 million NASA grant to establish the program. Schaefer and Elsbeth Magilton, executive director, also co-administered a $250,000 NASA grant in 2018 to strengthen and diversify the nationwide space law network.
“New and emerging technologies challenge lawyers in every field,” Beard said. “The Nebraska Space, Cyber and National Security Law Program offers students a unique opportunity to study legal issues in critical areas of technology in a truly engaging and innovative learning environment.”
