BA Environmental and Sustainability Studies Hons at School of Liberal Studies and Humanities, UPES Dehradun Offline Course

Environmental and sustainability issues shape decisions across society—how we use water, how we build our cities, how tourism grows, how communities adapt to climate change, and how livelihoods change in ecologically fragile regions. The BA (Hons.) Environmental & Sustainability Studies programme provides students with strong conceptual foundations and applied skills grounded in environmental humanities, social sciences, public policy, communication, development studies and sustainability practice.

Students learn through investigations of real issues that connect environmental change with everyday life. They engage with questions of how communities manage water and other resources, examine patterns of resource use and waste practices, analyse the social and ecological dimensions of urban and rural environments, or explore how development and displacement shape people’s lives. The programme blends conceptual learning with hands-on, community-centred inquiry, enabling students to engage directly with the environmental challenges that different regions and societies experience.

Transdisciplinary Learning

The programme bridges environmental studies with sociology, development studies, economics, anthropology, political science, ethics and sustainability practice, allowing students to understand environmental issues from multiple perspectives. They engage with themes such as climate change, water governance, sustainable tourism, disaster management and mitigation, livelihoods and agriculture, migration and displacement, environmental justice, environmental communication, and ESG governance, including sustainability reporting and responsible decision-making. Faculty research on Himalayan development, climate adaptation, sustainability behaviour, environmental law and community development further enriches classroom learning by bringing contemporary insights and real-world relevance into the academic space.

Experiential Pedagogy

Students learn through field-based tasks, interviews, immersion visits, environmental audits, communication campaigns and policy-writing exercises that connect classroom concepts to real-world practice. Those who wish to explore organisational sustainability develop additional applied skills by examining how sustainability reports are structured, assessing campus sustainability indicators, and studying the ways in which local businesses integrate environmental and social responsibility into their everyday operations.

Global Exposure

The curriculum reflects global sustainability trends while focusing deeply on Indian and Himalayan contexts. Students engage with global sustainability debates, SDGs, climate action, adaptation planning, just transitions, nature-based solutions, and evolving ESG standards for global and Indian organisations.

Faculty and Academic Culture

Faculty bring expertise from environmental studies, sociology, development studies, public policy, economics and law. The programme fosters critical thinking, social awareness, strong writing, and the ability to understand environmental issues holistically.