Master of Science (M.S.)

Admission Requirements

Completion of an undergraduate degree in agricultural or biological engineering or in another related engineering discipline is required for direct admission to the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Graduate Program. Students need at least a 3.0 (4.0 base) junior/senior grade-point average to be considered for admission.

A student with an undergraduate degree in a non-engineering field can be admitted to the M.S. program on a provisional basis, pending the completion of a number of additional credits to be specified on an individual basis. These additional credits will not count towards the M.S. degree requirements. The provisional status continues until completion of the engineering undergraduate requirements in mathematics, physics, engineering sciences and any additional required 400-level Biological Engineering courses. Upon completion of these preparatory courses with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0, the student will be admitted to the graduate program. The required preparatory courses are:

• Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations (MATH 251)
• Statics (E MCH 211 or equivalent course)
• Strength of Materials (E MCH 213 or equivalent course)
• Thermodynamics (ME 300) or Fluid Dynamics (CE 360 or ME 320)
• At least one senior level engineering design course
• Any prerequisite courses required to take the above courses, especially including mathematics, chemistry, and physics.

An advisor will be assigned to each admitted graduate student by the Department Head, in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee Chair, for their indicated research emphasis area and financial support.

To qualify for admission, all international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, or a total score of 80 with a minimum of 19 on the speaking section for the internet-based test. The minimum composite score for the IELTS is 6.5.

International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement who have received a baccalaureate or a master’s degree from a college/ university/institution in any of the following:

American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, England, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Puerto Rico, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Wales.

Students should check for any updates to this list at Preparing to Apply.

Advisory Committee

Each student should schedule at least a one-hour meeting each week with the advisor to ensure adequate communication and progress.

An M.S. Advisory Committee must be formed by submitting "the Master’s Research Committee Appointment" form by the second semester. The committee consists of at least three faculty members, all of whom are members of the Graduate Faculty. One member of the committee must be from outside the department in a field related to the thesis problem. If a student selects a minor, then one member of the committee must be a faculty member of the minor department. See also the "Advisory Committee Responsibilities" section.

Course Requirements

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Education Policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

A minimum of 30 credits at the 400, 500, 600, or 800 level is required, with at least 18 credits at the 500 and 600 level combined. A minimum of 12 credits for coursework (400, 500, and 800 series) must be completed in the major program (BE or ABE). A thesis is required, and a minimum of 6 credits in thesis research (600 or 610) must be completed. The thesis must be accepted by the advisers, committee members, approved by the head of the graduate program and the Graduate School, and the student must pass a thesis defense.

Each M.S. program of study must meet the following requirements (30 credits total):

¹ Approved ABE courses maintained by the program. Other similar graduate engineering courses (5XX or 8XX) can be taken by petition.

² Typically graded as R (Research), however, instructors can assign quality grades up to 6 credits throughout the entire MS program. Refer to GCAC-401 Grading System for details.

³ The following ethics courses may substitute for BRS 502:

• BIOET 401Q - Science, Ethics, Policy, and Law
• BIOET 533 - Ethical Dimensions of Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems
• BUS 515 - Business Ethics and Corporate Governance
• INTAF 511 - Ethical Dimensions in Food and Agricultural Governance
• LEAD 863 - Ethical Dimensions of Leadership
• LHR 460 - Ethics in the Workplace
• MBADM 815 - Ethical and Responsible Business Leadership
• PHIL 432 - Medical and Health Care Ethics
• PHIL 433 - Ethics in Science and Engineering
• PHIL 573 - Ethics and the Responsible Conduct of Biomedical Research
• PHS 806 - Public Health Ethics
• STS 589 - Ethics and Values in Science and Technology

In addition to the above-listed course work requirements, every graduate student must fulfill the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR). RECR requirement consists of two parts: 1) completion of ABE 500 with a grade of B or better and 2) completion of the online training program at CITI - Research Support. The online RECR requirement must be completed within one year from the date of enrollment in the program of study. A copy of the completion certificate of the online CITI training program should be given to the Graduate Administrative Assistant. This will be placed in the student’s department folder.

A minimum grade point average of 3.00 is required for graduation. Only grades of C or better are accepted for graduate credit. All courses must be approved by the student’s Advisory Committee as having significance and value for the degree program. All requirements for M.S. degree, whether satisfied on this campus or elsewhere, must be met within eight years from the first semester of graduate study.

Master’s Thesis Research Proposal

Shortly after the first semester of graduate study, the student should present their proposed plan of research and coursework to their Advisory Committee, in the form of a written document and oral presentation. The committee will provide feedback to the student and evaluate the student’s attainment of departmental learning objectives for the thesis proposal. The student’s faculty advisor will send the completed evaluation form to the Graduate Program Coordinator and to the department’s records coordinator for inclusion in the student’s record.

Final Oral Examination

Each M.S. degree student must complete a Final Oral Examination, consisting primarily of defense of the thesis research activity. However, the examination may cover the entire field of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. The M.S. degree students must provide their thesis to their committee no later than two weeks prior to their Final Oral Examination date. The Graduate Program Coordinator must be notified of the exam date, time, and location at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date. The Graduate Program Coordinator will inform the committee members, via memo, of the date, time and location and include the M.S. thesis final exam report form. The completed thesis final exam form should be returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator for placing it in the student’s department folder. Otherwise, the guidelines for this examination are basically the same as the guidelines for the Ph.D. Final Oral Examination; see that section for further information. In addition to online approval forms, the committee will complete the Departmental Master’s Thesis Final Exam Report form and the learning objectives evaluation form (see end of this document for copies). The student’s faculty advisor will send the completed forms to the Graduate Program Coordinator and to the department’s records coordinator for inclusion in the student’s record.

Partial Remote Participation in Milestone Exams

It is expected that all members of the student’s committee (Advisory or Dissertation) will participate in the entire milestone exam (Final Oral).

A milestone exam may be held fully in-person or with partial remote participation. The student, adviser, and Committee Chair/Co-Chairs must be physically present for the examination. Other members of the committee are also expected to be present in-person, but may participate remotely with the agreement of the student and adviser.

If the student, adviser, and/or committee chair/co-chair is not able to participate in-person due to extenuating circumstances, the Graduate Program Head (Department Head) may approve at his/her discretion the remote participation of one or more individuals or approve a fully remote examination. If the Graduate Program Head does not approve the request for remote participation, either the student or adviser may appeal to the Dean or Associate Dean for Graduate Education.

Schedule for M.S. Requirements

Many of the M.S. degree requirements are listed in approximate chronological order on the following page. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that these and all other requirements are met in a timely manner. It is expected that M.S. students should complete the degree in about 17 months and departmental assistantship support (if awarded) to a M.S. student is granted for no more than 17 months.

Summary Schedule for M.S. Degree