About the Space, Cyber, and National Security Law Program
Founded in 2008, the Space, Cyber, and National Security Law (SCNS) Program at the University of Nebraska College of Law is built on a simple reality:
Space, cyber, telecommunications, and national security law are inseparable in modern practice.
Every satellite relies on telecommunications law.
Every cyber operation touches national security.
Every modern conflict, commercial launch, or intelligence mission operates across all three.
Our program trains lawyers for that reality.
Originally established as the Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law Program, the program was renamed in 2024 to reflect what had already become clear through our teaching, research, and student outcomes — that these fields increasingly operate within a national security framework. The new name reflects the way governments, militaries, and industry actually experience these legal domains.
Over the past decade, the SCNS Law Program has graduated hundreds of J.D. students and more than 90 LL.M. students — the majority active-duty service members and Judge Advocate Generals — who now serve across the U.S. military, federal government, private industry, and international organizations.
Where Our Graduates Work
Approximately 60% of SCNS graduates enter government service or the Department of Defense. Others work in:
- U.S. Space Force, Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps JAG Corps
- U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Space Command, and the Defense Intelligence Agency
- NASA, FAA, FCC, FTC, and the State Department
- Launch providers, satellite manufacturers, telecommunications companies, and defense contractors
- Law firms and think tanks specializing in aerospace, cyber, and regulatory law
About 80% of our LL.M. graduates report working in positions directly related to their studies in the program. Students receive specialized career coaching designed specifically for these highly specialized and competitive fields.
Learning by Doing
Nebraska Law has a long tradition of experiential learning in these practice areas.
Students and LL.M. candidates have completed internships and externships with: FCC, FTC, DoD, NASA, Blue Origin, SpaceX, U.S. Strategic Command, NORAD/USNORTHCOM, and more.
Our students also regularly compete in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition, the premier global space law competition organized by the International Institute of Space Law.
A National and International Convening Hub
The program hosts conferences across the United States and is internationally known for its flagship event, the Washington, D.C. Space Law Conference.
We have also hosted multiple events in coordination with U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Space Command, and partners across the Department of Defense.
Senior military leaders, government officials, scholars, and practitioners regularly join our students in these discussions.
Distinguished Faculty Leadership
Our faculty are internationally recognized scholars and practitioners who advise governments, consult with private industry, and contribute to national and international media on issues involving space operations, cyber activities, telecommunications regulation, and national security law.
Their work shapes real policy, not just scholarship.
The Practice Areas and Why They Belong Together
Students typically develop a focus area, but all students study across the full spectrum because these domains are operationally connected in the real world.
Space Law
Governs activities in space and on Earth required to launch, operate, and communicate with spacecraft, including commercial spaceflight, satellite operations, international treaties, military uses of space, licensing, and regulatory compliance.
Cyber Law
Examines how law regulates information systems, data, and cyber operations across commercial, civilian, and military contexts. Nearly every legal practice now intersects with cyber issues.
Telecommunications Law
Regulates electronic communications and spectrum use in the United States. From satellite communications to spectrum management and net neutrality, this field underpins both space operations and cyber infrastructure.
National Security Law
Balances liberty with security while examining how governments conduct operations at home and abroad. Nebraska Law has a long tradition of educating JAG officers and civilian attorneys serving in national security roles.
Why This Program Is Different
You cannot launch a spacecraft without FCC spectrum licensing.
You cannot discuss cyber warfare without considering satellites as targets.
You cannot understand modern military operations without understanding all three.
Nebraska Law is the only program that treats these not as separate electives, but as one integrated field of practice — because that is how they operate in the real world.