BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING DEGREES (MS-BSE and PhD-BSE)

1. For a MS degree in BSE (thesis and non-thesis options), there are two routes to admission
   1. For applicants with a four-year engineering baccalaureate degree
      Possession of a four-year engineering baccalaureate degree is the preferred route to admission. Documentation thereof must be provided. On this path, no additional coursework is required for admission unless the Admissions Committee sees specific weaknesses in the documentation and chooses to address those through required prerequisite courses.
   2. For applicants with a non-engineering baccalaureate degree
      The applicant must provide documentation that they possess a four-year baccalaureate degree in one of the physical, biological, or applied sciences, and that they meet the additional requirement below. Applicants who have not fulfilled the additional requirement may be conditionally admitted into the MS program until fulfillment has been achieved. Applicants are expected to complete the additional requirements within 18 months of their start date.
      
      The additional requirements is to provide either:
      1. evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam; or
      2. a document demonstrating achievement of the skills necessary to solve the FE exam problems in the following categories:
         1. trigonometry;
         2. engineering-level differential and integral calculus in 1-3 dimensions, equivalent in most cases to three semesters or calculus;
         3. differential equations;
         4. basic logic (e.g. flow charting, programming);
         5. calculus-based statics and dynamics;
         6. thermodynamics
         7. mechanics of materials;
         8. electrical circuits; and
         9. fluid mechanics

Achievement of all items a-f and at least one of items g-i must be completed in order to be considered for full admission into the MS-BSE program. Necessary FE skills are normally addressed with college credit courses. The document should provide evidence of achieving skills a-i, such as a course syllabus and the grade achieved in the course. A summary of achieving the FE requirements should be organized and attached in a separate document, such as shown in Appendix D. The courses should be easily identifiable in the transcripts submitted for the application.

In addition to meeting the admissions skills requirements, students not possessing an engineering BS degree must prior to completion of the MS degree achieve a B (2.7 for a 4.0 grading scale) or better in at least one of the following courses, which focus upon process or product design: BSE 411 – Mechanical Systems Engineering (3 Credit Hours), BSE 526 – Environmental Hydrology (3 Credit Hours), BSE 531 – Bioprocess Engineering (3 Credit Hours), or BSE 551 – Electronic Systems (4 Credit Hours). With the student’s advisory committee approval this course could be used to meet a graduate course requirement.

Courses taken at other universities that are equivalent to stated FE skills requirement and the courses named above would be accepted as substitutes, pending approval by the student’s Master’s Committee.

2. For a PhD degree in BSE, for applicants to be considered for admission, they must provide substantial evidence of the following two criteria:
   1. The ability to perform and report independent research to the satisfaction of the faculty of the department. An approved master’s thesis will usually be acceptable for this purpose
   2. Evidence of having achieved one of the following:
      1. BS degree in engineering and an MS degree in engineering or one of the physical, biological or applied sciences; or
      2. BS degree in one of the physical, biological, or applied sciences and an MS degree in engineering or one of the physical, biological or applied sciences, along with either evidence of a passing grade for the FE exam or a document providing evidence of the skills necessary to solve the FE exam problems described above for the BSE-MS program, alternative A.2. The addition of the design course during completion of the degree is also required; as specified in A.2. above. Note: A student cay be conditionally admitted into the PhD program until fulfillment has been achieved. Applicants are expected to complete the additional requirements within 18 months of their start date.
      3. BS degree in engineering and substantial demonstrated success and further interest in research

Note on professional engineering license and all graduate engineering degrees (including BSE-MS and BSE-PhD): professional engineering (PE) licensure in some states, (including Tennessee) requires that applicants have earned a BS engineering degree from an ABET-accreditated institution. This means that students in these states will not be eligible to sit for the PE Exam simply by having the MS or PhD in engineering. Students intending to pursue the PE are urged to check with the appropriate state board of engineering regarding specific licensure requirements in their state of interest. If licensure is the student’s ultimate goal, in some cases it may make more sense to pursue a second BS (in engineering) rather than a graduate degree.