Biosystems Engineering, PhD

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.