IIT Indore becomes the first IIT to launch a B.Tech in Environmental Economics and Sustainable Engineering, addressing India’s growing green workforce demand.
India’s top engineering institutions are now stepping up to meet one of the 21st century’s most urgent challenges — sustainability. Following the trend set by elite business schools, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are beginning to integrate environmental consciousness and sustainable development into their academic core. Among them, IIT Indore has taken a pioneering step by announcing India’s first-ever undergraduate degree focused on sustainability — a B.Tech in Environmental Economics and Sustainable Engineering.
This forward-looking program, set to begin in the upcoming academic year, aims to prepare a new generation of engineers who can tackle the mounting climate crisis with a mix of technical expertise, economic reasoning, and policy understanding. The initiative reflects a broader shift in Indian higher education where sustainability is no longer an optional topic but a vital part of professional training.
There’s a growing demand for skilled professionals who can help industries become environmentally responsible. Companies across sectors are seeking to meet carbon neutrality goals, reduce ecological footprints, and navigate complex environmental regulations. This trend is not just restricted to engineering — business schools have also seen a surge in interest. A striking example is IIM-Mumbai, which received an overwhelming 2.12 lakh applications for just 30 seats in its flagship sustainability management program this year. This rush highlights how important sustainability has become to both students and employers.
Many Indian business schools are also launching Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs, spurred by regulatory pressures. Notably, SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) now mandates the top 1,000 listed companies to file annual ESG reports, underlining how environmental responsibility is becoming mainstream in corporate India.
Recognising that India’s sustainability transition requires not just policy and management, but also deep technical expertise, IIT Indore is stepping in to fill this gap. Its new B.Tech program will be hosted at the newly established Mehta Family School of Sustainability — a centre made possible through the support of the Bhupat & Jyoti Mehta Family Foundation (MFF). The foundation has a strong track record of supporting sustainability-focused institutions, having helped establish eight academic schools and centres across six IITs, including IIT Madras, Guwahati, Roorkee, Kanpur, Palakkad, and now Indore.
The curriculum for this innovative B.Tech course is deeply interdisciplinary and designed with both global inspiration and local application in mind. It draws from academic models used by world-class institutions like Stanford University, Columbia University, and ETH Zurich. However, the program has been thoughtfully adapted for India’s unique ecological, social, and economic landscape.
Students will explore topics like sustainable materials, green mobility, water resource systems, renewable energy, and environmental policy. Importantly, the course goes beyond the usual technical subjects. It will also equip students with skills in systems thinking, socio-political analysis, data-driven decision-making, and modeling sustainable solutions — essential tools for engineers hoping to make a real impact in today’s complex world.
To bridge the gap between academia and industry, IIT Indore plans to establish an Industry Advisory Council. This body will include Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) from leading Indian companies who will help shape the course content, deliver guest lectures, offer hands-on internships, and mentor students on capstone projects. The idea is to ensure that graduates don’t just understand sustainability in theory, but are ready to implement it in practice.
With this move, IIT Indore is not only reimagining engineering education but also sending a strong message — sustainability is not a niche anymore, it’s the future.
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