Program Requirements
The biosystems engineering graduate program within the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences is designed to prepare graduates for leadership, creative accomplishment and continued professional learning, and to prepare graduates to effectively conduct independent scientific research related to sustainable biological systems design.
Students from all engineering disciplines are encouraged to apply. Applicants from non-engineering disciplines are welcome, but may be required to take additional undergraduate courses. Each degree program is planned individually to augment the student’s previous engineering and science background with adequate breadth in engineering and specialization in an area of biosystems engineering including bioprocessing and ecological engineering. In addition to biosystems engineering, course work includes mathematics, physics, chemistry, statistics, and biological and engineering sciences.
Graduates from the BE program find employment in biofuels, biopharmaceutical and bioprocessing plants or biorefineries, engineering and environmental consulting firms, sustainable land and water resource management, state and federal government agencies, and academia.
For admission to the M.S. or Ph.D. program, an applicant should have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 out of 4.0. Ranges of scores for students admitted to the BE program on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are typically greater than 155 Q, 150 V, 3.5 A and 90 TOEFL (IELST and PTE are also accepted. Students with a baccalaureate or masters degree in a related science or engineering field may apply directly to the PhD program. Students with exceptional records and experience in research will be considered for the PhD degree without a master’s degree, while most students admitted to the PhD program will have previously received a masters degree.
Combined BS/MS in Biosystems Engineering
Under this plan, Clemson students may reduce the time necessary to earn both degrees by applying graduate credits to both undergraduate and graduate program requirements. Students are encouraged to obtain the specific requirements for the dual degree from the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences as early as possible in their undergraduate program. Enrollment guidelines and procedures can be found in the Undergraduate Announcements.
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