Situated within the vicinity of Mt. Makiling, the School is envisioned to be a center of excellence in the fields of environmental science and management, consistent with the aspirations of the Filipino people, in a manner that fully respects the limits of nature. In line with this vision, the School engages in various activities, and one of these is the offering of Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Science.

The School is a place that is conducive for learning as it promotes diversity because of numerous international students enrolling in the graduate programs. Students are honed and taught by top caliber faculty members who are well-versed in their fields of expertise. The graduates of the programs have already been employed in various government, private, SUCs, and non-government organizations and some have already occupied executive positions in these institutions. SESAM was awarded the Commission on Higher Education-Center of Development in Environmental Science Education in 2011.

The School boasts of its library collections of reference materials consisting of books, journals, theses/dissertations, vertical files, maps, etc. It also has an environmental simulation and modeling laboratory, analytical laboratory, audio-visual services, and publishes a refereed scientific journal called Journal of Environmental Science and Management (JESAM). JESAM is an ISI journal accredited by Thomson Reuters and Scopus. Students can also participate in the activities of the UPLB Environmental Science Society, the organization of graduate Environmental Science major and minor students.

The School conducts research and extension projects that are funded by various organizations under the following thematic research areas: Climate Change and Human Aggravated Natural Disasters, Forest Fragmentation and Biodiversity, Water Systems Protection, Degraded Lands Rehabilitation and Agro-Industrial Ecology. For its extension activities, SESAM coordinates, conducts and co-coordinates local and international conferences, symposium, training and seminars.