Biosystems Engineering, MS

Program Description

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 more information, visit https://www.clemson.edu/cecas/departments/eees/academics/gradprog/eees/index.html.

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.

Summary of Degree Requirements and Coursework

Thesis Option

The MS thesis option requires a minimum of 24 hours of graduate credit coursework and a minimum of six hours of BE 8910 - Master’s Thesis Research . At least one-half of the total graduate credit hours required, exclusive of thesis research, must be selected from courses numbered 8000 or above. A final oral examination of the MS thesis is required.

Course requirements include the following:

• at least three must be graduate-level engineering courses
• STAT 8010 - Statistical Methods I  
• three credits of additional coursework that emphasizes advanced mathematics - may be mathematics (e.g. MATH 6340 ), engineering (e.g. finite elements or computational mechanics) or experimental statistics (e.g. STAT 8050)
• BE (EES, FOR) 6510 - Biosystems Engineering Seminar  

Non-Thesis Option

The MS non-thesis option requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit coursework, none of which may be master’s thesis research, and students must pass a final oral exam. A minimum of 21 graduate credit hours must be at the 8000 level for non-thesis MS students. Students in the non-thesis option must complete a research project supervised by a faculty member, and present the project during their final oral exam.