Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Agricultural Engineering offers the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees.

Admission

Admission requirements for the master’s program include completion of an undergraduate program equivalent to the agricultural engineering curriculum with at least a 3.0 grade point average (A = 4.0) for the last 60 semester hours of coursework. Applicants whose native language is not English must present a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 570 or more on the paper-based test (230 or higher on the computer-based version).

Admission to the Ph.D. program is limited to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional ability through outstanding performance in obtaining the master of science degree and/or through a high degree of technical and professional accomplishment. Candidates must also satisfy entrance requirements for the M.S. degree program.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is recommended as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program.

Master of Science

The completion of 33 graduate hours and the preparation and defense of a thesis involving an analytical or experimental investigation (which satisfies 8 hours of credit) are required of M.S. candidates unless a waiver of thesis is granted. At least 12 of the graduate hours for the M.S. degree must be in 500-level courses and 8 of these graduate hours must be in agricultural engineering. Candidates who are permitted to pursue a nonthesis degree must complete a minimum of 36 graduate hours and a written project. Students may concentrate study in one of the areas of research specialization listed below. Supporting coursework includes: mathematics; computer science; statistics; engineering mechanics; chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering; crop sciences; food science; and other appropriate fields.

Doctor of Philosophy

Opportunities for study are found in all of the areas of specialization listed below. Candidates will be required to include coursework and staff consultation from the various disciplines within the University to build strong technical programs and to fulfill the standard requirements of the Graduate College. There are no foreign language requirements; however, a high degree of competence may be required in areas associated with thesis research, such as statistics, simulation, and computer programming.

Research Interests

Students may specialize in off-road equipment engineering (robotics and machinery automation, remote sensing and precision agriculture, machinery management systems, pesticide application technology, engines and biofuels); soil and water resources (hydrology, erosion and sediment transport, water management, wetlands, and water quality); bioenvironmental engineering (structural analysis and design, building materials evaluation, bioprocessing of agricultural wastes and byproducts, and environmental control for plant, animal, and human biological systems); food and bioprocess engineering (engineering properties of foods, physical properties of biological products, grain drying, grain quality evaluation, dry-grind corn processing, wet and dry milling, modified bioprocesses for improved co products, fuel and chemicals, fermentation, and transport phenomenon in biological materials); or electronic and electrical systems (biosensors and controls, energy systems, machine vision, near-infrared spectroscopy applications, bionanotechnology, microfabricated devices, bioconjugation techniques, transcriptional control, modeling life support systems and multiscale biological processes).

Financial Aid

Fellowships, supported both by University and by College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences funds, are available on a competitive basis. A limited number of assistantships, providing both teaching and research experience, are often available on a half-time basis.