Biological Engineering - MS

Admission Requirements

In order to be admitted to a graduate degree program at Utah State University, you must meet these minimum requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering field from accredited institution (If Bachelor’s degree is not in an Engineering field, please see info below concerning Make-up Courses for Non-engineering Students).
• 3.0 or higher GPA. Grade of C or higher on courses.
• Official transcripts with degree conferment for all institutes of higher education attended.
• Statement of Purpose.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• International Students – proof of English proficiency (please see Graduate Admissions Policy).
• GRE is no longer required.

Program Requirements

All graduate degrees in Biological Engineering (BE) require 15 credits of core mandatory graduate BE coursework (see below), 9-12 credits of elective courses, and 3-6 credits of research for a total of 30 credits. The balance of graduate courses (electives) are determined by the student, the major professor, and the student’s graduate committee. Elective courses must follow the guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies for inclusion on a student’s Program of Study and must be approved by the student’s committee.

• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.
• Grade of C or higher on courses.
• Submit minimum 1 article for publication with an approved peer-reviewed technical journal.
• Write a thesis acceptable to supervisory committee. Give oral presentation of thesis and submit final copy to the USU library.
• A master’s degree must be completed within six (6) years of entering the degree program.  Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
• Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.
• Credits in the following areas are not acceptable:  foreign languages, continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.

Core Courses - 15 credits

The core courses for the MS degree in Biological Engineering include the following

• BENG 6810 - Biochemical Engineering 3 credit(s)
• BENG 6600 - Downstream Processes in Biological Engineering 3 credit(s)
• BENG 6630 - Synthetic Biological Engineering 3 credit(s)
• BENG 6860 - Research Orientation and Planning 2 credit(s)
• BENG 6510 - Graduate Seminar 1 credit(s)

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• STAT 5200 - Analysis of Designed Experiments 3 credit(s) or
• CEE 6660 - Environmental and Hydrologic Data Analysis and Experimentation 3 credit(s)

Electives

The MS degree in Biological Engineering Plan A requires 9 credits of electives. The MS Plan B requires 12 credits of electives. A graduate student’s supervisory committee helps choose other related graduate coursework as needed to complete the student’s program of study and support the research project.

Thesis Research

All MS Plan A students are required to take 6 credits of thesis research for degree completion. The MS Plan B requires 3 credits of thesis research.

• BENG 6970 - Thesis Research 1-10 credit(s)

Make-Up Courses for Non-Engineering Students Seeking Admission to the BE Graduate Program

Students who do not have a B.S. degree in an accredited engineering discipline but who want a BE graduate engineering degree, either M.S. or PhD, must take two make-up courses in addition to the coursework for the specific graduate engineering degree.

Make-up courses must be taken the first year of program.

Students may also elect to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination- General Exam (at their own expense). They must successfully pass the exam in lieu of taking the make-up courses.

• BENG 2400 - Biological and Environmental Thermodynamics 3 credit(s)
• BENG 3200 - Introduction to Unit Operations in Biological Engineering 3 credit(s)