Biological systems engineering


Biological systems engineering or biosystems engineering is a broad-based engineering discipline with particular emphasis on biology and chemistry. It can be thought of as a subset of the broader notion of biological engineering or bio-technology though not in the respects that pertain to biomedical engineering as biosystems engineering tends to focus less on medical applications than on agriculture, ecosystems, and food science. It involves aspects of genetic engineering, particularly regarding the agricultural applications. The discipline focuses broadly on environmentally sound and sustainable engineering solutions to meet societies' ecologically-related needs. Biosystems engineering integrates the expertise of fundamental engineering fields with expertise from non-engineering disciplines.

Background and organization

Many college and university biological engineering departments have a history of being grounded in agricultural engineering and have only in the past two decades or so changed their names to reflect the movement towards more diverse biological based engineering programs. This major is sometimes called agricultural and biological engineering, biological and environmental engineering, etc., in different universities, generally reflecting interests of local employment opportunities.
Since biological engineering covers a wide spectrum, many departments now offer specialization options. Depending on the department and the specialization options offered within each program, curricula may overlap with other related fields. There are a number of different titles for BSE-related departments at various universities. The professional societies commonly associated with many Biological Engineering programs include the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the Institute of Biological Engineering, which generally encompasses BSE. Some program also participate in the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
A biological systems engineer has a background in what both environmental engineers and biologists do, thus bridging the gap between engineering and the biological sciences – although this is variable across academic institutions. For this reason, biological systems engineers are becoming integral parts of many environmental engineering firms, federal agencies, and biotechnology industries. A biological systems engineer will often address the solution to a problem from the perspective of employing living systems to enact change. For example, biological treatment methodologies can be applied to provide access to clean drinking water or for sequestration of carbon dioxide.

Specializations

Below is a listing of known that offer bachelor's degrees in what ABET terms "agricultural engineering", "biological systems engineering", "biological engineering", or similarly named programs. accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
North America
InstitutionDepartmentWeb site
Auburn UniversityBiosystems Engineering
CalPoly San Louis ObispoBioResource and Agricultural Engineering
Clemson UniversityBiosystems Engineering
Cornell UniversityBiological and Environmental Engineering
Dalhousie UniversityDepartment of Engineering
Florida A&M UniversityBiological Systems Engineering
Iowa State UniversityAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Kansas State UniversityBiological and Agricultural Engineering
Louisiana State UniversityBiological and Agricultural Engineering
McGill UniversityDepartment of Bioresource Engineering
Michigan State UniversityBiosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Mississippi State UniversityAgricultural and Biological Engineering
North Carolina State UniversityBiological and Agricultural Engineering
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State UniversityChemical, Biological and Bioengineering Department
North Dakota State UniversityAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Ohio State UniversityFood, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Oklahoma State UniversityBiosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Oregon State UniversityBiological & Ecological Engineering Department
Penn State UniversityAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Purdue UniversityAgricultural and Biological Engineering
South Dakota State UniversityAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Texas A&M UniversityBiological and Agricultural Engineering
University of ArizonaAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering
University of ArkansasBiological and Agricultural Engineering
University of California, DavisBiological and Agricultural Engineering
University of California, San DiegoBioengineering: BioSystems
University of FloridaAgricultural and Biological Engineering
University of GeorgiaAgricultural Engineering / Biological Engineering
University of IdahoBiological and Agricultural Engineering
University of IllinoisAgricultural and Biological Engineering
University of KentuckyBiosystems and Agricultural Engineering
University of Nebraska-LincolnBiological Systems Engineering
University of ManitobaBiosystems Engineering
University of MinnesotaBioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
University of MissouriBiological Engineering
University of SaskatchewanBiosystems Engineering and Soil Science
University of TennesseeBiosystems Engineering & Soil Science
University of WisconsinBiological Systems Engineering
Utah State UniversityBiological Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic UniversityBiological Systems Engineering
Washington State UniversityBiological Systems Engineering

Central and South America
InstitutionDepartmentWeb site
Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, MexicoIrrigation Department
National University of ColombiaAgricultural Engineering
University of Campinas, BrazilAgricultural Engineering
University of São Paulo, BrazilBiosystems Engineering

Europe
InstitutionDepartmentWeb site
Polytechnic University of Catalonia, SpainBiosystems Engineering
Ankara University, TurkeyAgricultural Machinery
Atatürk University, TurkeyAgricultural Structures and Irrigation
Harran University, TurkeyAgricultural Machinery
Harran University, TurkeyAgricultural Structures and Irrigation
Leibniz University Hannover, GermanyBiosystems and Horticultural Engineering,
KU Leuven, BelgiumDepartment of Biosystems
University College Dublin, IrelandBiosystems Engineering
University of Hohenheim, GermanyInstitute of Agricultural Engineering
Hamburg University of Technology, GermanyInstitute of Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering

Asia
InstitutionDepartmentWeb site
China Agricultural UniversityAgricultural Engineering
Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, ChinaAgricultural Soil and Water Engineering
Shanghai Jiaotong University, ChinaBiological Engineering; Food Science and Engineering
Xi’an Jiaotong University, ChinaEnergy and Power Engineering
Yunnan Agricultural University, ChinaAgricultural Water-Soil Engineering
Zhejiang University, ChinaBiosystems Engineering and Food Science