Biological Engineering (BS): Ecological Engineering Concentration
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The BE curriculum is jointly administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering and combines the fields of engineering, biology, chemistry, and agriculture. The Biological Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET,听. BE graduates are qualified to become registered professional engineers by passing the appropriate examinations and upon completing the engineering experience requirements. Specific curriculum requirements are available online.
BAE faculty, in concert with program constituencies, has developed the following undergraduate program objectives. Within the first five years following graduation, NC State's Biological Engineering graduates will:
- Excel in their careers by applying their engineering knowledge, critical-thinking skills, systematic approach to problem solving, and innovation to improve biological and agricultural systems;
- Work effectively both independently and as part of professional teams and demonstrate leadership potential in project management;
- Display professionalism, ethics, equity, and inclusivity in the practice of engineering to safeguard life, health, and public welfare;
- Communicate effectively in a professional environment; and
- Be engaged in life-long learning and professional development.
Plan Requirements
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 贰听101 | Introduction to Engineering & Problem Solving 2 | 1 |
| 贰听115 | Introduction to Computing Environments | 1 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 2 | 4 |
| 惭础听141 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH听221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| MA听241 | Calculus II 1 | 4 |
| PY听205 &听PY听206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory 1 | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 听 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 听 | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 听 | |
| Fundamentals of Economics | 听 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BAE听200 | Computer Methods in Biological Engineering | 2 |
| CE听214 or MAE听206 | Engineering Mechanics-Statics 2 or Engineering Statics | 3 |
| MA听242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| PY听208 &听PY听209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II and Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | 4 |
| BIO听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BAE听203 | Introduction to AutoCAD Civil 3D for Environmental & Ecological Engineers | 2 |
| BAE听204 | Introduction to Environmental and Ecological Engineering | 2 |
| MAE听208 | Engineering Dynamics 2 | 3 |
| MA听341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| MAE听201 | Engineering Thermodynamics I | 3 |
| SSC听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BAE听302 | Transport Phenomena | 3 |
| BAE听305 | Biological Engineering Circuits | 4 |
| BAE听371 | Fundamentals of Hydrology for Engineers | 3 |
| CE听282 | Hydraulics 2 | 3 |
| PB听360 | Ecology | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BAE听376 | Watershed Assessment and Water Quality Protection | 3 |
| BAE听401 | Sensors and Controls | 3 |
| CE听225 or MAE听214 | Mechanics of Solids 2 or Solid Mechanics | 3 |
| ST听370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 12 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BAE听325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 |
| BAE听451 | Engineering Design I | 2 |
| BAE听473 | Introduction to Hydrologic and Water Quality Modeling | 3 |
| BAE听474 | Principles and Applications of Ecological Engineering | 3 |
| ENG听331 or ENG听333 | Communication for Engineering and Technology or Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
| Ethics Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BAE听452 | Engineering Design II | 2 |
| Engineering Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 5 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 112 |
| 1 | A grade of C or higher is required. |
| 2 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEP Courses | |||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (verify requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Total Hours | 16 | ||
Ethics Elective
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDS听201 | Environmental Ethics | 3 | |
| PHI听325 | Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 | |
| STS听302 | Contemporary Science, Technology and Human Values | 3 | |
| STS听304 | Ethical Dimensions of Progress | 3 | |
| STS听322 | Technological Catastrophes | 3 | |
| STS听323 | World Population and Food Prospects | 3 | |
| STS听325 | Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 |
Engineering Elective
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAE听322 | Introduction to Food Process Engineering | 3 | |
| BAE听361 | Analytical Methods in Engineering Design | 3 | |
| BAE听478 | Agricultural Waste Management | 3 | |
| BAE听481 | Structures & Environment | 3 | |
| BAE听574 | DRAINMOD: Theory and Application | 3 | |
| BAE听578 | Agricultural Waste Management | 3 | |
| BAE听581 | Open Channel Hydraulics for Natural Systems | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 贰听101 | Introduction to Engineering & Problem Solving 1 | 1 |
| 贰听115 | Introduction to Computing Environments | 1 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| 惭础听141 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH听221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| MA听241 | Calculus II 1 | 4 |
| PY听205 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I | 3 |
| PY听206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory | 1 |
| EC听205 | Fundamentals of Economics | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BAE听200 | Computer Methods in Biological Engineering | 2 |
| MAE听206 or CE听214 | Engineering Statics 2 or Engineering Mechanics-Statics | 3 |
| MA听242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| PY听208 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II | 3 |
| PY听209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | 1 |
| BIO听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BAE听203 | Introduction to AutoCAD Civil 3D for Environmental & Ecological Engineers | 2 |
| BAE听204 | Introduction to Environmental and Ecological Engineering | 2 |
| MAE听208 | Engineering Dynamics 2 | 3 |
| MA听341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| MAE听201 | Engineering Thermodynamics I | 3 |
| SSC听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BAE听302 | Transport Phenomena | 3 |
| BAE听305 | Biological Engineering Circuits | 4 |
| BAE听371 | Fundamentals of Hydrology for Engineers | 3 |
| CE听282 | Hydraulics 2 | 3 |
| PB听360 | Ecology | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BAE听376 | Watershed Assessment and Water Quality Protection | 3 |
| ST听370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
| MAE听214 or CE听225 | Solid Mechanics 2 or Mechanics of Solids | 3 |
| BAE听401 | Sensors and Controls | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BAE听451 | Engineering Design I | 2 |
| BAE听325 | Introductory Geomatics | 3 |
| BAE听473 | Introduction to Hydrologic and Water Quality Modeling | 3 |
| BAE听474 | Principles and Applications of Ecological Engineering | 3 |
| ENG听331 or ENG听333 | Communication for Engineering and Technology or Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
| Ethics Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BAE听452 | Engineering Design II | 2 |
| Engineering Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Additional Breadth | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 128 |
| 1 | A grade of C or higher is required. |
| 2 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
Career Opportunities
BE students learn to solve a wide variety of engineering problems and will have opportunities for specialization though selection of a specific concentration. Scientific and engineering principles are applied: to conserve and manage air, energy, soil and water resources; to manage, protect and restore natural ecosystems; to understand and utilize biological, chemical and physical processes for the production and conversion of biomass to bio energy; to analyze, understand and utilize mechanical properties of biological materials; to design and develop machinery systems for all phases of agricultural and food production; to design and evaluate structures and environmental control systems for housing animals, plant growth, and biological product storage; to develop improved systems for processing and marketing food and agricultural products; and to design sensor-based instrumentation and control systems for biological and agricultural applications.
Graduates of the BE curriculum receive a Bachelor鈥檚 of Engineering in Biological Engineering, qualifying them for positions in design, development, and research in industry, government and public institutions. The curriculum also prepares students for post-graduate work leading to advanced degrees. Typical positions filled by recent BE graduates include: stream and wetlands restoration project manager; product design; development and testing engineer; plant engineering and management; engineering analysis and inspection for federal and state agencies; engineering consultant and research engineer. Entry-level salary ranges for BE graduates are similar to those of Civil, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering graduates.
The BAET curriculum provides graduates opportunities in technical analysis, application and evaluation of agricultural production systems and environmental systems. The curriculum鈥檚 flexibility enables students to specialize technologically in agriculture, the environment, or business management. Careers include technical jobs in production agriculture, environmental systems, agribusiness sales and service, and agricultural extension.