Master in Ecology and Environment Studies Nalanda University

The School of Ecology and Environment Studies offers M.Sc. in Ecology and Environment Studies. It is the first truly interdisciplinary School in India, and possibly in the East Asian region, combining knowledge from the basic sciences, social sciences and humanities to train environmental leaders of tomorrow. School of Ecology and Environment Studies is one of the seven schools, which is defining the Nalanda Model of sustainable and inclusive development. The School traverses a broad range of academic pursuits across natural sciences and social sciences, to promote education and research on the interactions between the natural environment and human activities.

Focus areas of the Programme

• Climate Change
• Human Ecology
• Forestry
• Coastal and Marine Studies
• Hydrology
• Food and Agriculture
• Energy Studies
• Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System
• Disaster Management
• Waste Management
• Water Resource Management
• Environmental Ethics & Philosophy
• Economics of Environment and Natural Resource
• Society and Governance

Students are required to complete 64 hours of course work (16 credits per semester) and submit a thesis towards the fulfilment of a Master’s degree, all the courses have in-class written exams (Midterm and Finals).

Core Courses

• Introduction to Ecology & Environment
• Environmental Economics
• Environment and Society
• Fundamentals of RS & GIS
• Climate Change -I
• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Disaster Management
• Water Resources Management
• Coastal and Marine Environment
• Climate Change -II
• Waste Management

Elective Courses – Cafeteria Model (Bouquet of Courses)

• Environmental Pollution
• Citizen Science
• Environmental Hydrology
• Urban Environment: Asian Cities in a Globalizing World
• Advance RS&GIS
• Environmental Laws and Policy
• Environmental Valuation and Green Accounting
• Contaminant Hydrology
• Agroforestry and Seed Ecology
• Applications of RS&GIS
• Functional Ecology
• Toxicology & Public Health
• Environment, Technology and Society
• Research Methods and Communication
• Environment Biotechnology
• Biodiversity & Conservation
• Environmental Ethics
• Environment Impact Assessment

*courses are subject to change

The domain of Ecology and Environmental Studies as a career offers immense job opportunities. The term ‘Ecology’ is the relationship of living things to each other and to what’s around them. The word ‘Environmental Studies’ incorporates within it several activities for the protection of the environment. This in turn creates immense job opportunities for ecologists, environmental scientists, environmental biologists, environmental modellers, environmental engineers, and environmental journalists. A Master or Doctoral Degree holder in Ecology and Environment Studies can get a good position/ job according to their knowledge and experience. There is a need for them in the following departments/ organizations:

National Level Departments/ Organizations

• Environment Agency (EA)
• Environmental consultancies
• Industries, distilleries, fertilizer plants, mines, refineries, textile mills, etc.
• Social Development
• Research and Development
• Forest and Wildlife Management
• Pollution Control Boards
• Urban Planning
• Water Resources and Agriculture
• Public Institutions and Private Industries and Firms
• Colleges and Universities
• Ministry of Environment and Forests
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Environmental monitoring organizations;
• Charitable trusts and NGOs

International Organizations

These organizations are involved in environmental management, and conservation efforts:

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
• Earth System Governance Project
• Embassies and other Inter-national organizations related to the environment

Job options

An environmental science degree equips you with essential skills that could lead to a job in the environment sector or a range of other occupations.

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Environmental Consultant
• Ecologist
• Research scientist
• Policy analyst
• Fisheries technician
• Environmental education officer
• Laboratory technician/analyst
• Infrastructural Project Management
• Environmental education officer
• Environmental manager
• Nature conservation officer
• Recycling officer
• Waste management officer
• Water quality scientist

and the list goes on.

Some other jobs where a degree in Environment would be useful:

• Environmental health practitioner
• Landscape architect
• Town planner
• Toxicologist
• Transport planner