Environmental Science

By Prof. Sudha Goel, Prof. Shamik Chowdhury | IIT Kharagpur

Learners enrolled: 12776 | Exam registration: 5977

ABOUT THE COURSE:
It has been widely acknowledged that finding solutions to environmental problems that we are facing now has become a top priority. To this end, the proposed course aims to (i) provide deep insights into contemporary global environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective within the framework of sustainable development; (ii) apply a global approach to emphasize how environmental problems are highly complex and interrelated, requiring understanding on a local, regional, national, and global level; and (iii) critically evaluate possible solutions to our present global environmental crises in a holistic manner.

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Undergraduate students pursuing a degree in science OR engineering, with an emphasis on the following disciplines:
• Environmental Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Agriculture Engineering
• Mining Engineering

PREREQUISITES: Class XII

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: AECOM, Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd., Environmental Resource Management, Veolia Water Technologies, SFC Environmental Technologies Pvt. Ltd., ARCADIS SENES, Nalco Water,Govt. Agencies like CPCB, SPCB, etc.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Multidisciplinary Energy, Climate and Sustainability Environment
Credit Points :	3
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	21 Jul 2025
End Date :	10 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	04 Aug 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	22 Aug 2025
Exam Date :	02 Nov 2025 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Environmental Concerns, Population Growth, and Resource Consumption

Week 2: Principles of Sustainable Development

Week 3: Understanding Air Pollution

Week 4: Climate Change: Scientific Basis, Mitigation & Adaption

Week 5: Renewable Energy – I (Solar Energy & Wind Energy)

Week 6: Renewable Energy – II (Geothermal Energy, Ocean Energy, Hydroelectricity, Bioenergy)

Week 7: Industrial Ecology & Circular Economy

Week 8: Water Quality, Reuse and Recycling

Week 9: Solid Waste Management (including E-waste Management)

Week 10: Noise Pollution

Week 11: Ecology and Soil Pollution

Week 12: Environmental Policies and Legislation

Books and references

• Environmental Science (16th Edition) by G. Tyler Miller, Jr. & Scott E. Spoolman (2017)
• Living in the Environment: Concepts, Connections and Solutions (19th Edition) by G. Tyler Miller, Jr. & Scott E. Spoolman (2017)
• Introduction to Engineering & the Environment by Edwards S. Rubin (2001)
• Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science by Gilbert M. Masters and Wendell P. Ela (2020)
• Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science by M. L. Davis and S. J. Masten (2013)
• Introduction to Environmental Sciences by R. S. Khoiyangbam and N. Gupta(2015)

Instructor bio

Prof. Sudha Goel

Dr. Sudha Goel did her B.E. (1990) in Environmental Engineering from L.D. College of Engineering, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad and M.S.E. (1992) and Ph.D. (1997) in Environmental Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Baltimore, US. She is currently Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and School of Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Kharagpur. She has been teaching Environmental Microbiology and some aspects of Environmental chemistry regularly since 2004. Her research interests include Water quality and treatment, and Solid and Hazardous Waste Management. She developed a web-based course ‘Water and Wastewater Engineering’ and wrote a textbook of the same name. She has several publications, taught several courses, and guided students at all levels in their research work.

Prof. Shamik Chowdhury

IIT Kharagpur

Prof. Shamik Chowdhury is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. He obtained his B.Tech. (2009) from the West Bengal University of Technology and M.Tech. (2011) from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur, both in Biotechnology. He then earned his Ph.D. (2017) in Environmental Engineering from the National University of Singapore. His current research activities focus on the design and development of advanced functional materials, with an emphasis on two-dimensional materials, for sustainable energy applications and environmental remediation. Dr. Chowdhury takes keen interest in dissemination of his research findings, and has authored/co-authored more than 70 scholarly publications (including research articles, review papers, and book chapters) with over 5800 citations. In addition, he has presented over 50 oral communications at national and international conferences/symposia. His research endeavors also include serving as an ad-hoc referee for over 75 high-impact journals. In recognition of the quality, impact and practical relevance of his research, Dr. Chowdhury has been honored through several intra- and extra-mural awards; notably the ‘Green Talents Award’ by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Germany.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: November 02, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Kharagpur .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

SWAYAM Helpline / Support