Thesis Option
Applicants accepted into the program must complete at least 30 hours to earn a degree. Of those 30 hours, 20 must be in courses numbered 500 or above (6 hours of thesis plus 14 hours of other courses). ESS 503 must be taken three times during the course of the program, the last of which must be in the student’s final semester before graduation.
Other specific requirements for the 30 hours are: 9 hours from BSE 506 and other major subject coursework; 6 hours of coursework in mathematics, computer science, statistics, or any course containing appropriate computational components that may be approved by the department; 6 hours of program electives; and 6 hours of BSE 500 Thesis.
Students must also pass a final oral examination covering the thesis, related areas, and graduate coursework.
Non-Thesis (Project) Option
A non-thesis option in biosystems engineering technology is available to qualified students. Applicants accepted into the program must complete at least 33 hours to earn a degree. Of those 33 hours, 22 must be in courses numbered above 500. ESS 503 must be taken three times during the course of the program, the last of which must be in the student’s final semester before graduation. Other specific requirements for the 33 hours are 9 hours from BSE 506 and other major subject coursework; 6 hours of program electives; 6 hours of coursework in a special emphasis area; and 3 hours of a capstone experience (project or report, typically BSE 508).
Non-thesis students must pass a comprehensive written final examination covering the graduate program, including the capstone experience. At the discretion of the candidate’s committee, an oral examination may also be required.