The interdisciplinary field of Sustainability Studies was developed in response to the growing need for environmental literacy and awareness as a solution to unsustainable human behavior and environmental degradation. Sustainability means long-lasting health, integrity, diversity, and vitality for all living systems - including individual, community, ecosystem, and biome.

Stony Brook University's Sustainability Studies' academic programs include interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary instruction in sustainable development, urban and suburban planning, landscape architecture, environmental policy, law and political science, environmental justice, economics, ecology, systems thinking, green chemistry, geographic information systems and science, geography, geology, climate change and resiliency, coastal studies, environmental health, food studies, natural resources, eco-philosophy, anthropology, environmental history, eco-aesthetics, and environmental humanities (including literature, media, film and cultural studies). The program curriculum includes extensive collaborative and interactive learning, problem solving, and direct hands-on engagement.

Graduates from the Sustainability Studies Program are prepared to enter a variety of careers and graduate programs including education, law, politics, policy and planning, journalism, business, landscape and architectural design, renewable energy, conservation, marine sciences, forestry, environmental health, food studies, and the arts, among others. "Green Job" growth is steadily rising and is outpacing most other employment areas. The study of sustainability teaches students to be proactive, critical and creative thinkers who seek and find solutions to environmental problems.