Integrated Undergraduate-Grad Programs

Integrated B.S. in Agricultural and Biorenewable System Management and M.S. in Biorenewable Systems

This Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) degree program combines the Agricultural and Biorenewable Systems Management B.S. degree with the Biorenewable Systems M.S. degree offered at the following campuses:

Undergraduate Degree

• University Park

Graduate Degree

• University Park

Students must apply to the program via the Graduate School application for admission, and must meet all the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the Biorenewable Systems graduate program for the M.S. degree, listed on the Admission Requirements tab. Before applying to the Graduate School, students must have completed entrance to their undergraduate major, have completed no less than 60 credits, and be admitted no later than the end of the second week of the semester preceding the semester of expected conferral of the undergraduate degree. Transfer students must have completed at least 15 credits at Penn State to enroll in an IUG.

In consultation with an adviser, students must prepare a plan of study appropriate to this integrated program, and must present their plan of study to the head of the graduate program or the appropriate committee overseeing the integrated program prior to being admitted to the program. The plan should cover the entire time period of the integrated program, and it should be reviewed periodically with an adviser as the student advances through the program.

Students must fulfill all degree requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the double-counting of credits as outlined below. Degree requirements for the Agricultural and Biorenewable Systems Management degree are listed in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Degree requirements for the Biorenewable Systems degree are listed on the Degree Requirements tab.

 Up to 6 credits may be double-counted towards the degree requirements for both the graduate and undergraduate degrees; a minimum of 50% of the double-counted credits must be at the 500 or 800 level. Independent study courses and credits associated with the culminating experience for the graduate degree cannot be double-counted.

Students must sequence their courses so all undergraduate degree requirements are fulfilled before taking courses to count solely towards the graduate degree. Students must complete the undergraduate degree requirements within the typical time to degree for the undergraduate major. In the semester in which the undergraduate degree requirements will be completed, IUG students must apply to graduate, and the undergraduate degree should be conferred at the next appropriate commencement. If students accepted into the IUG program are unable to complete the Biorenewable Systems M.S. degree, they are still eligible to receive their undergraduate degree if all the undergraduate degree requirements have been satisfied.

Degree Minors

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policy GCAC-218 Minors.

Minors in Agricultural and Biological Engineering

A student pursuing a master's degree in BRS may earn a minor in ABENG by completing at least 9 credits of 4XX or 5XX ABE courses. No more than a total of 3 of the minimum credits may be earned in 49X or 59X courses.

A minor in ABENG for a Ph.D. student must consist of no less than 15 credits of 4XX or 5XX ABE courses. No more than a total of 6 of the minimum credits may be earned in 49X or 59X courses. If the student received a master’s minor in the same field as is being proposed for a Ph.D. minor, the 15 credits taken must be above and beyond those used for the master’s minor. At least one faculty member from the minor field must be on the candidate's Dissertation committee.

Minors in other fields may also be available, as per regulations of the department offering that minor.