Program Description
The Department of Agricultural and Biosystems
Engineering offers graduate study leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
The program emphasizes solving
engineering
problems for agricultural production,
food and value-added processing, and environmental resources management.
Advanced work may involve specialized training in the following
areas: irrigation engineering and management, food engineering,
value-added processing, bioprocessing, agricultural machine systems,
machine vision and intelligent
sensors for biological
systems, post-harvest handling
and storage of biological materials, agricultural hydrology, soil
and water resources management, and biorenewable energy.
Student research and academic programs are tailored to individual
student needs and interests. Interdisciplinary approaches to agricultural
and biosystems engineering programs are fostered.
Admissions Requirements
The Department of Agricultural and
Biosystems Engineering graduate program is open to all qualified
graduates of universities and colleges of recognized standing.
To be admitted with full standing to the program, the applicant
must
- Hold a baccalaureate degree in
engineering or have taken the equivalent of the basic undergraduate
engineering courses from an educational institution of recognized
standing.
- Show potential to undertake advanced
study and research as evidenced by academic performance and
experience.
- At the baccalaureate level, have
earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0
on a 4.0 point scale or equivalent.
Applications should be submitted
to The Graduate School, preferably before April 15 of the upcoming
academic year. However, applications will be considered at any
time.
Official transcripts (having an appropriate seal or stamp) of
all previous undergraduate and graduate records must be received
by The Graduate School before the application is complete. When
a transcript is submitted in advance of completion of undergraduate
or graduate studies, an updated transcript showing all course
credits and grades must be provided prior to the initial registration
at North Dakota State University.
The TOEFL examination is required of international applicants
if English is not their native language. A minimum score of 550
(paper test) or 213 (computer test),
or 79 (Internet test)
must be achieved.
Financial Assistance
Research assistantships are available and
dependent on the grant funding of faculty research programs. Applicants
are considered on the basis of scholarship and potential to undertake
advanced study and research. Students must be accepted into The
Graduate School before they are eligible for an assistantship.
Degree Requirements
M.S. Degree
The M.S. degree program requires completion of 30 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Twenty-four credit hours are from course work while six credit hours are typically provided for a master's thesis. A Plan of Study should be developed with the adviser by the end of the first semester of work. An oral examination covering the research-based paper or thesis and the student's understanding and ability to apply the subject matter to the research is required. Students typically require two years to complete their MS degree. An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher must be maintained.
Ph. D. Degree
Students entering the MS program usually have a BS degree in engineering;
however, students without an engineering degree may pursue the
MS degree following the completion of basic engineering science
courses.
Ph.D candidates are encouraged to indicate their research
interests when applying for admission and to select an adviser
before entering the program. Typically, three years are required
to complete the Ph.D. program after the completion of an MS degree.
The degree requirements are in accordance with the NDSU Graduate School requirements. The student's academic advisor will usually be selected during the acceptance process. Prior to the end of the first academic year, the student and academic advisor will arrange for appointment of a Graduate Advisory Committee.
The student and major advisor will prepare a plan of study by the end of the first year in residence. The student's Graduate Advisory Committee, the ABEN Department Chair, Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture, and the Graduate School Dean shall approve the program of study. The plan of study must be filed in the Graduate School of NDSU. An overall GPA of 3.0 or above must be maintained.
The
ABEN Ph. D.
program requirements are:
- 60 credits after the M.S. or 90 credits after the B.S.
- A minimum of 27 credits from NDSU courses numbered 601-689 and 700-789, at least 15 credits of which must be numbered 700-789
- A minimum of 30 credits of NDSU ABEN dissertation and graduate seminar after the M.S. or 45 credits after the B.S.
- A minimum of 9 credits of NDSU ABEN courses numbered 601-689 and 700-789, or 15 credits if entering with other than an ABEN B.S.
- It is expected that one or more journal articles will be submitted for publication prior to the award of the degree
Examinations
Comprehensive Examinations: Both a written and an oral examination will be taken after completion of the greater portion of the course work phase of the Ph.D. program. The written examination will be conducted to test the student's understanding and ability to apply the subject matter related to the chosen research area(s). The format and sequence of the written and oral examinations are dependent on the academic advisor and the examining committee. The examination will be graded pass, fail or marginal pass. If the student does not pass the written component of the comprehensive examination, the student will be provided another opportunity to pass the examination. If the student does not pass the written examination second time, the student must wait one semester before taking the examination for the third time. Failure of the third attempt will not allow the student to proceed further in the Ph.D. program.
The oral examination will also be coordinated by the academic advisor. In this examination, the student will be required to provide a short presentation of the research progress to the date of the oral examination. The format of the examination is dependent on the academic advisor and the examining committee. This examination is to assess the student's ability to communicate his/her research problem, and how he/she is applying scientific and engineering principles to solve the research problem. This examination may be used by the committee to further ascertain the student's level of understanding of subject matter as observed from the written examination. This examination is graded pass or fail. If a student fails the oral examination, the student will be advised of the deficiencies and will be given a second opportunity to pass the examination. If the student does not pass the examination in the second time, the student must wait one semester before taking the examination for the third time. Failure of the third attempt will not allow the student to proceed further in the Ph.D. program.
Successful completion of both written and oral examinations will formally admit the student into candidacy for the Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. At least one semester must elapse between admission to candidacy and final PhD. oral examination of the dissertation.
Final Examination: After the research work is completed, the student will write a Ph.D. dissertation following the guidelines of the Graduate School . The final oral PhD. examination will be arranged after the approval of his/her academic advisor. The complete Ph.D. dissertation will be distributed to the examining committee members a minimum of two weeks before the final examination. The student will present the complete research work during this final examination. After passing the final examination, the student will complete all the appropriate suggested changes of the committee. The student will follow the procedures as defined by the Graduate School to complete the submission of the Ph.D. dissertation.
Courses Offered
- 644 Transport Processes 3
- Energy and mass transport principles applied to biological and environmental systems. Prereq: MATH 266 and CE309 or ME 352.
- 652 Bioenvironmental Systems Design 3
- Study of Psychometrics, heat and mass
transfer, and physiological requirements for livestock and bioproducts.
Design of environmental modifications
livestock wastes,
and control systems. 3
lectures. Prereq: CE 309, ME 350.
-
658 Food Process Engineering 3
- Analysis and design of food processing
equipment and plants. Emphasis is on application of fluid flow,
thermodynamics, and heat and mass transfer principles. 3 lectures.
664 Resource Conservation and Irrigation Engineering 4
- Engineering principles and design of
systems for soil and water resource management and environmental
protection. 3 lectures and 1 three-hour laboratory. Prereq:
CE 309.
-
673 Agricultural Power 3
- Theory, analysis, and testing of internal
combustion engines, traction, power trains, hydraulic systems,
vehicle dynamics, stability, and ergonomics in tractor design.
Electrical power units including motors. Alternative energy
systems. 2 lectures and 1 three-hour laboratory. Prereq: ME
350.
-
678 Machinery Analysis and Design 3
- Principles of design, development, and
testing of agricultural machines and machine systems. Applications
of computer-aided design and FMEA. 2 lectures. Prereq: ME 223.
-
682 Instrumentation and Measurements 3
- Application of instrumentation and sensor
concepts to measurement and control of environmental, biological,
and mechanical parameters. Includes sensor principles, signal
conditioning, data collection, and data analysis methods. 2
lectures and 1 three-hour laboratory. Prereq: ME 223, Phys 252.
-
758 Applied Computer Imaging and Sensing for Biosystems 3
- Sensors and non-destructive principles
(e.g., computer vision, spectroscopy, imaging, fiber optic sensing)
for bioproduction and processing applications. Data/signal acquisition,
signal conditioning/analysis, signal interpretation, and pattern
recognition using statistical, neural networks, and fuzzy logic
techniques. 3 lectures. Prereq: Graduate standing.
-
763 Theory of Drying Biological Products 3
- Theory used to describe the drying processes
of biological products. 3 lectures. Prereq: Graduate standing.
-
765 Small Watershed Hydrology and Modeling 3
- Study and representation of hydrologic
processes on small watersheds. Application of hydrologic models
for surface flow, subsurface flow, nutrient and sediment transport,
and water quality. Prereq: ABEN 464/664.
-
773 Advanced Agricultural Power and Machinery 3
- Theory and design of agricultural power
units and field machines. 3 lectures. Prereq: ABEN 473/673.
-
783 Advanced Structures and Environmental Systems 3
- Detailed analysis of building components
and advanced design problems relating to agricultural and environmental
systems. 3 lectures. Prereq: ABEN 383.
791 Bioprocess Engineering - Biological, biochemical, and engineering fundamentals of industrial bioprocessing. Topics to include bioprocessing kinetics (enzymes, cell growth, substrate utilization, and product formation); bioreactor selection, scale-up and control; and product recover.
790 Seminar 1-3
793 Individual Study 1-5
795 Field Experience 1-5
696/796 Special Topics 1-5
797 Master's Paper 1-3
798 Master's Thesis 1-10
799 Doctoral Dissertation 1-15
654 Principles of Site-Specific Agriculture 3
- Principles and practices of site-specific
farming, including data acquisition, data management, modeling,
equipment management, GPS, and GIS. 2 lectures and 1 three-hour
laboratory. Prereq: Graduate standing.
-
675 Management of Agricultural Systems 2
- Capstone learning experience involving
team solution to problems in agricultural systems management.
Oral and written communications are emphasized. 2 lectures.
Prereq: Graduate standing.
