Biological systems engineering


Biological systems engineering or biosystems engineering is a broad-based engineering discipline with particular emphasis on non-medical biology. It can be thought of as a subset of the broader notion of biological engineering or bio-technology though not in the respects that pertain to biomedical engineering as biosystems engineering tends to focus less on medical applications than on agriculture, ecosystems, and food science. The discipline focuses broadly on environmentally sound and sustainable engineering solutions to meet societies' ecologically related needs. Biosystems engineering integrates the expertise of fundamental engineering fields with expertise from non-engineering disciplines.

Background and organization

Many college and university biological engineering departments have a history of being grounded in agricultural engineering and have only in the past two decades or so changed their names to reflect the movement towards more diverse biological based engineering programs. This major is sometimes called agricultural and biological engineering, biological and environmental engineering, etc., in different universities, generally reflecting interests of local employment opportunities.
Since biological engineering covers a wide spectrum, many departments now offer specialization options. Depending on the department and the specialization options offered within each program, curricula may overlap with other related fields. There are a number of different titles for BSE-related departments at various universities. The professional societies commonly associated with many Biological Engineering programs include the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the Institute of Biological Engineering, which generally encompasses BSE. Some program also participate in the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
A biological systems engineer has a background in what both environmental engineers and biologists do, thus bridging the gap between engineering and the biological sciences – although this is variable across academic institutions. For this reason, biological systems engineers are becoming integral parts of many environmental engineering firms, federal agencies, and biotechnology industries. A biological systems engineer will often address the solution to a problem from the perspective of employing living systems to enact change. For example, biological treatment methodologies can be applied to provide access to clean drinking water or for sequestration of carbon dioxide.

Specializations

Academic programs in agricultural and biological systems engineering

Below is a listing of known that offer bachelor's degrees in what ABET and/or ASABE terms "agricultural engineering", "biological systems engineering", "biological engineering", or similarly named programs. accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. ASABE defines accredited programs within the scope of .

North America

InstitutionProgramWeb site
Auburn UniversityBiosystems Engineering
CalPoly San Louis ObispoBioResource and Agricultural Engineering
California State University, BakersfieldBioResource and Agricultural Engineering
Clemson UniversityBiosystems Engineering
Colorado State UniversityChemical and Biological Engineering
Cornell UniversityBiological Engineering
Cornell UniversityEnvironmental Engineering
Dalhousie UniversityEngineering
Florida A&M UniversityBiological Systems Engineering
Illinois Institute of TechnologyChemical Engineering/Food Process Engineering
Iowa State UniversityAgricultural Engineering
Iowa State UniversityBiological Systems Engineering
Kansas State UniversityBiological Systems Engineering
Laval UniversityAgri-Environmental Engineering
Laval UniversityFood Engineering
Louisiana State UniversityBiological and Agricultural Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyChemical-Biological Engineering
McGill UniversityEnvironmental Engineering
Mercer University School of EngineeringBioresource Engineering
Michigan State UniversityBiosystems Engineering
Mississippi State UniversityBiological Engineering
Mississippi State UniversityBiomedical Engineering
Montana State UniversityBiological Engineering
Montana State UniversityCivil Engineering
Montana State UniversityEnvironmental Engineering
North Carolina State UniversityBiological Engineering
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State UniversityBiological Engineering
North Dakota State UniversityAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Northern Kentucky UniversityBiosystems Engineering
Oklahoma State UniversityBiosystems Engineering
Oregon State UniversityEcological Engineering
Oregon State UniversityForest Engineering
Penn State UniversityBiological Engineering
Purdue UniversityAgricultural Engineering
Purdue UniversityBiological Engineering
Rutgers UniversityBioenvironmental Engineering
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and ForestryBioprocess Engineering
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and ForestryEnvironmental Resources Engineering
South Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyBioprocess and Biochemical Engineering
South Dakota State UniversityChemical and Biological Engineering
Texas A&M UniversityBiological and Agricultural Engineering
Ohio State UniversityAgricultural Engineering
Ohio State UniversityFood, Biological, and Ecological Engineering
University of AlabamaBiological Engineering
University of ArizonaAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
University of ArkansasBiological Engineering
University of California, DavisBiological and Agricultural Engineering
University of Colorado at BoulderChemical and Biological Engineering
University of FloridaAgricultural and Biological Engineering
University of GuelphBiological Engineering
University of GuelphEnvironmental Engineering
University of GuelphWater Resources Engineering
University of GeorgiaAgricultural Engineering
University of GeorgiaBiological Engineering
University of Hawaii at ManoaBiological Engineering
University of IdahoBiological Engineering
University of IdahoEnvironmental Engineering
University of IllinoisAgricultural and Biological Engineering
University of KentuckyBiosystems Engineering
University of Nebraska–LincolnAgricultural Engineering
University of Nebraska–LincolnBiological Systems Engineering
University of Nebraska–LincolnEnvironmental Engineering
University of MaineBioengineering
University of ManitobaBiosystems Engineering
University of MarylandBioengineering
University of MinnesotaBioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
University of MissouriBiological Engineering
University of Puerto RicoAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
University of SaskatchewanBiological Engineering
University of SaskatchewanChemical Engineering
University of TennesseeBiosystems Engineering
University of WashingtonBioresource Science & Engineering
University of WisconsinBiological Systems Engineering
Utah State UniversityBiological Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic UniversityBiological Systems Engineering
Washington State UniversityBiological Systems Engineering