To earn a degree, each doctoral student must complete at least 75 hours of approved graduate credit (beyond the baccalaureate degree) in Biosystems Engineering and supporting areas (engineering, computational methods, agricultural and biological sciences, and other related areas). Of the 75 hours, 48 must be in courses numbered greater than 500 (including 24 hours of course BSE 600) and 6 hours of courses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville numbered greater than 600. The specific requirements for the minimum 75 hours are: 18 hours BSE 619 and other major subject courses; 9 hours of coursework in computational methods (mathematics, computer science, statistics, or any course containing appropriate computational components that may be approved by the department); 3 hours of ESS 603 (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); and 24 hours of BSE 600 Dissertation.
Each doctoral student must also pass a comprehensive examination as required by the Graduate Council.