MSc Environmental Science Syllabus & Subjects 2025 retains various subjects such as Environmental geology, Biostatistics and Modeling, Environmental Toxicology and Occupational Health, Water Resource Management, Air Pollution Control and Design and much more. They provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the environment and other relevant topics.
MSc Environmental Science or Masters of Science in Environmental Science is a two-year course program that includes the study of the environment along with its issues and solutions. This interdisciplinary academic field incorporates physics, biology, and geography. During the course duration, you will be studying various topics such as Biogeochemistry, Ecology and Environment, Hazards and Risk Management, Energy Resources, and Conservation Environmental Pollution, Health Management Biostatistics and Computer Applications for the Human Population and the Environment, as well as Seminars, Dissertations, and Survey-based Projects. In the MSc Environmental Science syllabus, you will be studying both core and optional subjects that will help you comprehend the patterns and procedures of ecosystem investigation.
The MSc Environmental programme approaches the study of environmental science from an interdisciplinary perspective. Natural resources, environmental biology, environmental microbiology, and biodiversity are all covered in the MSc Environmental Science syllabus.Once you complete the course program in MSc Environmental Science, you will be eligible to opt for various job opportunities in the public and private sectors. You will see promising career opportunities after pursuing this degree program both nationally and internationally. The syllabus of the MSc Environmental Science is designed in a manner that helps students gain complete knowledge of the key concepts along with polishing your skills in the fieldwork. More to that, you can prefer working in various organisations as there are various job prospects in private organisations such as fertiliser plants, food processing industries, refineries, and distilleries.
Let us dive into the details of MSc Environmental Science and help you broaden your perspective on the course program.
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The syllabus for MSc Environmental Science is prepared according to the UGC guidelines and is classified into four semesters. Each year, there will be two semesters, and you will be studying about six to eight subjects during your course program. At the beginning of this course program, you will be taught various key concepts like the Foundation Course in Ecology. After that, you will also be studying a wide range of topics related to the environment. It will provide you with a profound understanding of the MSc Environmental Science course syllabus. Once you participate in a few semesters, you will get to study more advanced subjects.
The syllabus of the MSc Environmental Science course program might vary across universities. If you are thinking of pursuing this course program, you will need to familiarise yourself with the curriculum. Here we have provided a generic syllabus and subjects of the MSc Environmental Science course program:
First-Year Syllabus for MSc Environmental Science
Tabulated below is a generic syllabus of the MSc Environmental Science that you will be studying in the first year:
MSc Environmental Science- Semester 1 | |
---|---|
Foundation Course in Ecology | Earth and its Atmosphere |
Aquatic Environment | Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology |
Global Environmental Change | Lab Work |
MSc Environmental Science- Semester 2 | |
Biodiversity and Conservation | Energy Resources and Conservation |
Environmental Pollution and Toxicology | Environmental Monitoring and Management |
Natural Resources and Management | Lab Work |
Second-year Syllabus for MSc Environmental Science
Tabulated below is a generic syllabus of the MSc Environmental Science that you will be studying in the second year:
MSc Environmental Science- Semester 3 | |
---|---|
Air Pollution Control and Design | Sustainable Environmental Development and Disaster Management |
Environmental Management Systems, Environmental Impact Assessment | Industrial Safety and Risk Management |
Practical Work | Seminar |
MSc Environmental Science- Semester 4 | |
Environmental Geology | Remote Sensing and GIS |
Disaster Management | Environmental Legislation |
Dissertation | Field Visit |
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The subjects of MSc Environmental Science are curated specifically to help students enhance their knowledge on various elements like biophysical diversity and its contribution to the world environment, environmental problems, and solutions to them. The subjects of the MSc Environmental Science course enlighten you with different aspects of the subject. With the core subjects, you gain robust conceptual learning, and on the other hand, electives provide you with a comprehensive understanding of a desired subject.
Captured below are the course subjects that you will be studying during the course duration of pursuing an MSc in Environmental Science. The course subjects are likely to differ from every other university and college. Nonetheless, here is a generic syllabus for the MSc Environmental Science Syllabus:
General Concept of Environmental Sciences | Elementary Concept of Physical Environment |
---|---|
Ecology and Environment | Industrial Training |
Energy Resources and Conservation | Environmental Economics |
Environmental Pollution and Management | Environmental Biogeochemistry |
Air Pollution Management | Geo-environment and Meteorology |
Water Pollution Management | Global Environmental Issues |
Environmental Hazards and Risk Management | Sustainable Environmental Development |
Restoration Ecology | Biostatistics and Modelling |
Environmental Toxicology | Environmental Microbiology |
Natural Resources | Analytical Techniques |
Environmental Laws | Remote Sensing and GIS |
Tabulated below is a listicle of core subjects that you will be studying in the course program of MSc Environmental Science:
Subjects | Details |
---|---|
Regional & Global Environmental Issues | This subject teaches you about the extensive range of problems relating to the environment that influences different geographical regions and the planet. You will get to study various topics such as biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, resource management, and the correlation of these situations, examining both local effects and global implications. |
Environment Impact Assessment and Auditing | In this subject, you will learn about assessing the possible environmental consequences of suggested projects. When it comes to auditing it helps you evaluate if an organization is adhering to environmental laws and its environmental implementation. |
Environment and Energy Management | With this subject, you gain an understanding of the connection between energy production, consumption, and environmental effects through various key concepts like energy policies, renewable energy sources, and environmental guidelines. |
Industrial & Biomedical Waste Management | This subject majorly discusses waste management where you get to study the management and disposal of industrial and medical wastes. |
While studying the course, you will get to learn about all the environment-related matters. Through the subjects, you will be able to receive a new perspective, and they will cultivate mindfulness with the help of critical understanding. Apart from the source subjects, you will also be participating in the fieldwork as it is a crucial part of this course. By its medium, you will be able to enhance your skills through hands-on learning in the field.
The course program of MSc Environmental Science also consists of various optional subjects. You will be required to select the optional subjects of your choice from the options offered by the institute. Your institute will provide you with a list of optional subjects that they offer and you can go with the one that suits your interests as well as your study plan. The optional subjects help you develop a greater understanding of a particular topic.
In general, you might be asked to study the elective or optional subjects in the third or fourth semester of the curriculum when you already have a fundamental knowledge of the course. Take a look at some of the common optional subjects:
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Lab subjects are those that you will be studying in the practical training classes during your course program. By virtue of lab subjects, you get to inherit the appropriate and hands-on learning skills that provide you with a better insight into the MSc Environmental Science course.
Most of the time, colleges and universities teach lab training as a core subject. It means if your university is teaching Aquatic Environment, Environmental Microbiology, Earth and its Atmosphere, and Biotechnology in the form of core subjects, then the lab work will also retain the same subjects. Mentioned below are some of the popular lab subjects of the MSc Environmental Science course. Remember that the subjects might vary according to the college you choose.
In case you are working or are not interested in attending regular classes for MSc Environmental Science, you can easily opt for the distance learning method. This learning method provides flexibility to complete the course program according to your convenience and pace. That is why it is enormously popular among working professionals. Furthermore, the course syllabus is the same as the regular course, as you will be studying both the core as well as lab subjects.
Distance education also consists of a semester-based system where you will also be studying the optional subjects. In the end, the main motive of Distance Master of Science Environmental Science education is to offer education of the course through a convenient method.
Tabulated below are the subjects that you will get to study while pursuing the MSc in Environmental Science through distance learning mode:
Fundamentals of Environmental Science and Ecology | Environmental Legislations |
---|---|
Environmental Chemistry | Environmental Health and Eco-toxicology |
Environmental Science Lab Course | Research Methodology for Environmental Science |
Environmental Impact Assessment | Elective Course |
Earth Processes | Dissertation/Project |
Environmental Pollution, Control and Management | Global Climate Change |
Disaster Management | Environment and Society |
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In case you are eager to enrol in this course program, you will need to appear in the entrance exams. To ensure that you pass the entrance exam, you need to give proper clues about the syllabus and the subjects. There are various exams conducted that help you get admission to prestigious universities to pursue an MSc in Environmental Science. You can find that numerous institute-level and national-level entrance exams are conducted for this course program and each has a diverse exam pattern and syllabus.
Some of the most popular entrance exams for MSc Environmental Science are CUET PG, PUBDET, ICAR AIEEA, BHU UET, UPSEE, TS EAMCET etc. The exam pattern and syllabus vary with every other college. However, here we have provided a general syllabus that is covered in the entrance exam:
Physical and Chemical Sciences | Earth Sciences |
---|---|
Microbiology and Biotechnology | Plant and Animal Systematics |
Natural resources and Management | Ecology and Environment |
Environmental Issues | Environmental Pollution |
Genetic Material | Life Sciences |
Origin of Life | Waste Management |
Instrumentation | - |
If you wish to amplify your understanding and knowledge of the course program, you will need to possess suitable resources. In order to gain proper knowledge of the subjects, books are the most important source. That being said, you must try to possess various books related to your subject. Moreover, you can find a wide range of topic-related books for MSc Environmental Science.
Indulging in books can be the best option to lay the foundation of the course program. Mostly, the books out there have a subject-driven approach rather than course-driven approach. That's why you must be very mindful while selecting the books and make sure to get your hands on the right one. Provided below is the list of coursebooks that you can consider for learning:
Name of the Books | Author |
---|---|
Fundamentals of Ecology | E.P. Odum and G.W. Barrett |
Ecology, Environment & Resource Conservation | J.S. Singh, S.P. Singh, and S.R. Gupta |
General Meteorology | H. R. Byers |
Earth Environments- Past, Present, and Future | David Huddart and TimStott |
Ecology of Aquatic Systems | Dobson, M. and Frid, C |
Environmental Microbiology | Raina M. Maier |
Global Environmental Change: Understanding the Human Dimensions. | N. Adger, K. Brown , D. Conway |
Ecology, Environment and Resource Conservation | J.S.Singh, S.P. Singh and S.R. Gupta |
Global Biodiversity Assessment: UNEP | V.H. Heywood and Watson R.T |
Environmental Science | G. Tyler Miller |
Introduction to Environmental Science | Anjaneyulu, Y |
An Introduction to Sustainable Development | Rogers P.P., Jalal KF and Boyd J.A |
The course structure of MSc Environmental Science is exclusively planned, and the sequencing is done as per the teaching and learning progress. Moreover, the subjects are organised according to the learning goals of the course curriculum. It comprises all the necessary content that will provide you with an in-depth learning of the course.
The course structure retains various core and elective subjects and will be taught in classroom training. Apart from that, you will be indulging in various practical and theoretical classes, which will offer you a deep knowledge of this course program. Below is the main course structure provided for MSc Environmental Science:
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There are various colleges and universities across the nation that provide a degree program of MSc Environmental Science degree program. Provided below are some of the most sought-after colleges to pursue a course program in MSc Environmental Science:
College | Location | Duration | Fee Structure (INR) |
---|---|---|---|
Fergusson College | Pune | 2 Years | INR 50 K |
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) | Delhi | 2 Years | INR 25 K |
PSG College of Arts and Science | Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu | 2 Years | - |
Sacred Heart College | Kerala | 2 Years | INR 40 K |
BK Birla College of Arts and Commerce | Mumbai | 2 Years | INR 40 K |
Indian Institute of Technology | Mumbai | 2 Years | INR 30 K |
Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) | Delhi | 2 Years | INR 40 K |
College of Engineering | Chennai | 2 Years | INR 50 K |
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | 2 Years | INR 50 K |
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University | Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu | 2 Years | INR 50 K |
Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University | Guntur, Andhra Pradesh | 2 Years | INR 30 K |
Panjab University | Chandigarh, Punjab | 2 Years | INR 30 K |
National Institute of Technology (NIT) | Odisha | 2 Years | INR 90 K |
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) | Delhi | 2 Years | INR 25 K |
University of Delhi | Delhi | 2 Years | INR 35 K |
University of Calcutta | Kolkata, West Bengal | 2 Years | INR 25 K |
Note: The fees mentioned above are subject to change.