Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Curriculum Requirements - Agricultural Engineering (PDF) Download
Curriculum Requirements - Biological Engineering (PDF) Download
Curriculum Requirements - Food Engineering (PDF) Download

Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

200 Agricultural Engineering Building
590 Woody Hayes Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1057
614-292-6131
http://fabe.osu.edu

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Science in Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE)
Master of Science
Doctor of Philosophy

Undergraduate Program

This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, Maryland 21202-4012; - telephone: 410-347-7700.

Program educational objectives

At graduation, FABE graduates will be prepared to:

enter the engineering profession, a graduate program or a professional school such as veterinary or human medicine.
apply fundamental principles of mathematics, science and engineering to define and solve food, agricultural and biological engineering problems.
work in teams and individually to design components and systems for applications in one or more of the focus areas of food, agricultural and biological engineering.
apply the latest techniques of analysis, data collection, modeling, project management, professional development, written communication and oral presentation.
become a socially responsible engineer, an effective member of a community and a well rounded citizen

What is Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering?

Food, Agricultural and Biological (FAB) engineers advance engineering in biological and agricultural systems, always striving to serve society and improve our environment. FABE graduates use their skills to identify and solve a range of engineering problems related to production, processing and distribution of food and other products or by-products of biological systems.

Pursuing a FAB major at Ohio State

For unconditional admission, students interested in FAB engineering should have completed a high school college preparatory curriculum which included chemistry, math and physics, and they should have excellent ACT/SAT scores and a strong high school academic record. Each student enters the College of Engineering as a pre-major and are accepted into the FAB engineering major if they meet the following requirements: enrollment in the College of Engineering; and a cumulative point-hour ratio (CPHR) and secondary point-hour ratio (SPHR) that meet current acceptance standards or higher. SPHR is calculated upon completion of the following courses: Math 152, Physics 131 and Engineering 183, or their equivalents. Currently, a minimum CPHR and SPHR of 2.0 are required.

FAB Engineering Curriculum

Students take courses that meet the General Education Curriculum (GEC) requirement; i.e., courses designed to acquaint students with a broad spectrum of knowledge. GEC hours must include writing and related skills, social diversity, social sciences and the arts and humanities, in addition to the scientific and technical demands of the engineering portion of the curriculum.

A minimum of 195 quarter hours are required for graduation, including 40 hours of GECs, approximately 140 hours of engineering courses andmajor core courses, and 16-24 hours of related elective courses depending on the specialty area chosen. Cooperative education (co-ops) and internship programs are not required, but are strongly encouraged, beginning as early as the summer after freshman year. These career-related, "hands on" opportunities are important to career development.

Co-Curricular Opportunities

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Student Branch (ASAE) offers students opportunities to participate in professional and social activities with their peers locally, nationally and internationally. Club meetings may feature guest speakers, industry-oriented programs, and/or social and recreational activities.

Students who volunteer for the ¼-Scale Tractor Team annually build a working scale model of a tractor and enter it in an international competition during every Spring Quarter. This activity is designed to enhance the students' overall engineering educational experience, to hone their engineering and teamwork skills, and to provide a fun diversion for the group as well.

Honors and Scholars Programs

Students who have 3.4 or higher cumulative point hour ratio should refer to the College of Engineering's website for particular requirements to earn and maintain honors status in engineering. Students interested in the Scholars program should contact the College of Engineering's Advising Office.

Career Prospects in Food, Agricultural & Biological Engineering

Potential specializations within FABE include:

Food Engineering refers to all engineering activities associated with the processing, packaging and delivery of food products from the farm to the consumer. This program is designed for students interested in entering the food processing industry, the manufacture of food processing equipment or food plant engineering.
Bio-Environmental Engineering students develop the skills required to address major environmental quality issues related to air, soil, and water. Potential employers include consulting firms; government agencies; private industries with soil, water, and waste management concerns; and private industries involved in physically resolving these issues.
Power and Machinery Systems Engineering refers to mechanical systems primarily for the improvement of agricultural production, plus the handling, storage, processing and distribution of farm products; to protect and enhance the quality of these products; and to improve the overall efficiency of machines designed to reduce human physical labor. Potential employers include equipment manufacturers for the farm, forestry, construction, transportation, lawn, garden and recreational markets and their distributors.
Soil and Water Engineering draws students interested in learning to engineer solutions for interrelationship problems between soil, plants, air and water. Courses on drainage, irrigation, soil erosion, quality and quantity of surface and ground waters, and the effects of soil and water management on the environment are included. Employment opportunities include federal and state environmental agencies, consulting firms and manufacturers and suppliers of drainage, irrigation and related equipment.
Ecological Engineering students study and design natural systems that provide societal services yet benefit the environment. This specialty offers "hands-on" experiences with nature plus a traditional engineering education. Potential employers include consulting firms, construction companies, governmental agencies and teaching and research institutions.
Facilities Engineering students are interested in designing controlled environments such as greenhouses, livestock facilities and storage structures, all of which require specific environmental or climatic conditions.
Pre-Veterinary/Pre-Medicine students capitalize on the biological emphasis in FAB engineering to prepare themselves for admission to either veterinary or medical school while obtaining an engineering degree.

Quality Facilities and Faculty

The Agricultural Engineering Building in Columbus, built in 1987, has 97,000 square feet of classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, student activity areas, computer facilities and faculty and administrative offices. Additional technical facilities are located on the Wooster, Ohio, campus.

Members of the FAB engineering faculty have accumulated educational degrees from some of the most highly respected universities in the country. These instructors/ researchers represent areas of expertise from agricultural to biological systems. Their teaching and research have been recognized for excellence at state, national and international levels.

The FAB engineering curriculum is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Marketplace, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; telephone: 410.347.7700, allowing FABE students to pursue a license as a professional engineer (PE) if they choose.

Sample Curriculum

Although related, Food Engineering, Biological Engineering, Ecological Engineering and Agricultural Engineering each follow an independent curriculum in the core and technical elective courses required. Please contact the department for detailed curriculum information.

The following is a sample of the Agricultural Engineering curriculum which includes the core courses for the specialties Power and Machinery Systems, Soil and Water, and Structures and Facilities. Each of these specialties would then have its own set of relevant technical electives providing further expertise in that area.

Acceptance to major

Entry courses: FAB Eng 225
Acceptance criteria: Acceptance into the Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering major depends upon the cumulative point-hour ratio (CPHR) and the secondary point-hour ratio (SPHR) at completion of the following pre-major courses: Math 151, 152; Physics 131; Chemistry 121, and Engineering 183, or their equivalents. A minimum SPHR of 2.0 is required. Students with a CPHR of 3.0 are assured of acceptance. Currently, there is no limit to the number of students accepted annually.

See the FABE Academic Program Coordinator in Room 212 of the Agricultural Engineering Building for application details.