Minor in Sustainability
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We live in a time of rapid environmental change. Environmental sustainability involves securing the natural resources that we depend upon for our existence, but also ensuring a safe and healthy living environment for a growing human population. At all levels of society, there is an increasing awareness that the decisions we make today are investments in the kind of future we want to create. Whether you are a future government official, innovator, leader in business, engineering, science or education, the Minor in Sustainability has been developed to give you a scientific background understanding to the environmental challenges we face today, in Singapore and the world. What does sustainable management of land and water really mean? How does climate change work? What makes an ecosystem resilient to environmental stress? How does sea level rise work and how will it affect Singapore? Excellent, highly accomplished teachers from the Asian School of the Environment will challenge and inspire you to see sustainable future solutions, balancing the needs of humans with our impact on the natural environment.
The Minor in Sustainability is designed to offer students from all major programmes at NTU the most up to date scientific background to the environmental challenges that will shape our future. Get to know your planet with this solid base in environmental sustainability, including:
- The relationship between humans and the natural world
- Availability and management of natural resources
- Interactions and feedbacks between the main parts of the earth system.
- The elements that influence earth’s climate system
- How individuals, communities, and governments can engage with these issues to create more sustainable societies.
You may also choose from a range of courses to create your own sustainability profile. Please note that students in the Environmental Earth Systems Science Major are not eligible to take the Minor in Sustainability.
Program information
Students who were admitted from AY24-25 Semester 1 onwards will follow the requirements stated below.
For completion of a Minor in Sustainability, students will be required to complete one course per knowledge area, for a total of 5 courses and at least 15 AUs.
Courses 1-5 (below) can be read in any order.
| Knowledge AREA | COURSES |
|---|---|
| 1) People | • EM5109 Environmental Issue & Sustainability • ES5006 Environmental Sustainability • HC3043 Chinese Ecological Thoughts and Philosophy (offered in Mandarin) • HC5010 Animals in Chinese CulturesHG2027 Ecolinguistics: Language and the Environment • HV5001 Introduction to Environmental Humanities • HY2008 Environmental Ethics |
| 2) Planet | • EM5101 Environmental QualityES5001 Natural Hazards and Society • ES5005 Environmental Earth System Science • ES5007 Climate and Climate Change • HH3042 Climate and Society in Historical Perspective • HH3017 World Environmental History • HH3018 The Environmental History of Oceans |
| 3) Profit | • AB0603 Social Entrepreneurship • BF2228 Sustainable Finance • HE5091 Principles of Economics |
| 4) Practice | • CM5091 Industrial and Environmental Chemistry • CM5209 Collective Problem Solving • CV5101 Civil Engineering & Sustainable Built Environment • EM5103 Water Resources Management • EM5104 Air Quality Management • EG1001 Engineers in Society • BM2517 Marketing Sustainability for the Next Generation • HP1100 Fundamentals of Social Science Research or CS2008 Fundamentals of Research |
| 5) Policy | • AB0301 Legal and Ethical Issues in Sustainability • CS4311 Promoting SustainabilityHS0301 Environmental Sustainability • HU1002 Introduction to Urban Planning • HA1001 Introduction to International Relations and Foreign Policy • HA1003 Introduction to Public Administration and Public Policy • |
| Minimum 15AU for Minor in Sustainability | |
Students who were admitted prior to AY24-25 Semester 1 will be awarded the Minor in Sustainability by following the old structure as indicated below.
For completion of a Minor in Sustainability, students will be required to complete three required courses and two additional elective courses for a total of 5 courses and at least 15 AUs.
Courses 1-5 (below) can be read in any order.
| Compulsory courses | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/N | Course Code | Course Title | AU | Remarks |
| 1 | ES5001 / ES8001 | Natural Hazards and Society | 3 | |
| 2 | ES5006 / ES8006 | Environmental Sustainability | 3 | |
| 3 | ES5007 / ES8007 | Climate and Climate Change | 3 | |
| Elective courses – To complete 2 elective courses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Code | Course Title | AU | Remarks |
| AB0301 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Sustainability | 3 | available for NBS students only |
| BU5102 | Sustainability Reporting | 3 | available for NBS students only |
| CV5101 | Civil Engineering & Sustainable Built Environment | 3 | available for CEE students only |
| EE5094 | Impact of Electromagnetic Radiation on Humans | 3 | available for EEE students only |
| EM5101/EM9101 | Environmental Quality | 3 | available for all NTU students |
| EM5105/EM9105 | Energy Resources Management | 3 | available for all NTU students |
| ES5005 / ES8005 | Environmental Earth Systems Science | 3 | |
| HE3024 | Environmental Economics | 3 | available for all NTU students |
| HH4006 | The Green Earth: Issues in Environmental History | 3 | |
| HS0301 | Environmental Sustainability | 3 | available for HSS students only |
| HS2023/HS223 | Environmental Sociology | 3/4 | available for all NTU students |
| HU9001 | Introduction to Environment and Urban Studies | 3 | available for all NTU students |
| MT0001 | Shipping and the Environment | 3 | available for CEE students only |
The minor is open and suited to students from all majors at NTU.
Please note that students in the Environmental Earth Systems Science Major are not eligible to take the Minor in Sustainability.
1) What is the minimum entry requirement?
There are no entry requirements to be fulfilled. The Minor in Sustainability Programme is open to all students.
2) Is there a minimum grade for qualification of the award of the Minor in Sustainability?
Students are required to read 5 courses indicated on the Minor in Sustainability Course Website and earn a minimum of 15 AUs.
3) Is there a limit to the number of Minor courses that I can take concurrently in the same semester?
No. There is no limit so long as students are confident of handling the workload in addition to the courses that they read in their main curriculum. However, note that the allocations will be courses to the availability of vacancies.
4) If I inform my School that I am interested to do a Minor in Sustainability, can my School help me if there are clashes in my time-table?
It is the responsibility of students to plan and ensure that all courses they intend to take in the semester do not clash. Students are to register for all courses according to the class schedule released every semester.
5) How do I register for Minor in Sustainability courses?
Registration is similar to the registration of Unrestricted Electives. That is, students will place the course(s) of their interest on the Waitlist in the course registration exercise. Allocations will be conducted and the course will be automatically registered for the students. Instructions on Course Registration will be disseminated by the Office of Academic Services (OAS, NTU) on a semesterly basis.
6) How will you differentiate between students who are interested in doing a Minor in Sustainability and those who take one or two of the Minor courses as Unrestricted Electives?
Allocations are subject to vacancies available. Students have to indicate during registration whether the courses are to be taken as Minor in Sustainability courses or GER (PEs) (i.e., General Education Requirement Prescribed Electives). There will be two separate queues and allocations will be done independently for each queue based on demand and supply. There is no priority of one queue over another as such.