Program Information
The degrees of Master of Science, Master of Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy are offered with graduate programs in agricultural and biological engineering through the College of Engineering. Students must have an undergraduate or graduate degree in Engineering or meet specific articulation requirements in order to pursue an advanced degree in engineering.
For students without an engineering degree, The Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in agricultural and biological engineering are offered in the areas of agricultural operations management and applied science through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Students must have a degree in a related field or meet specific articulation requirements.
A combined B.S./M.S. or B.S./M.E. for Engineering students program allows up to 12 graduate credits to be double-counted toward fulfillment of both degrees. Contact the graduate coordinator for qualifications and details. A 30-credit, nonthesis master’s degree program is also available to students interested in completing the requirements in 1 year.
The Master of Science, Master of Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) degrees are offered in the following areas of research:
Agricultural production engineering includes development and application of precision agriculture concepts and tools, weather and climate risk in agriculture, decision support systems, food security, pesticide application, post-harvest operations robotics and other machine systems and environmental control systems. Applications to space biology are included in cooperation with NASA at Kennedy Space Center.
Biological engineering includes includes biocomplexity analysis, ecological modeling, risk and decision analysis, bioprocess design, plant biotechnology, process microbiology, food process engineering, environmental biotechnology, bioreactors, and packaging science.
Information systems includes development and application of GIS and remote sensing, communications, mathematical modeling, data solutions, and expert systems techniques to biological and agricultural systems.
Land and water resources includes soil-water-plant relations, irrigation, water quality, watershed hydrology, BMP and TMDL studies, hydrologic modeling, ecological restoration, environmental fate and transport of nanoparticles, waste management, and water reuse.
Students also may choose to participate in interdisciplinary concentrations in hydrologic sciences, geographic information sciences, particle science and technology, and interdisciplinary ecology.
The Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy (CALS) in the agricultural operations management area of specialization provide for scientific training and research in technical agricultural management. Typical plans of study focus on advanced training in environmental systems management, production systems management, construction and process management and technical sales management.
In addition, for students with basic science degrees, the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs with a specialization in applied sciences through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences provides advanced training in problem-solving capabilities, interdisciplinary research, and methods for applying science to real-world problems and issues. Typical emphasis is on:
- the use of engineering methods and approaches, such as mathematical modeling, optimization, and information technologies, in application of science to problems of various spatial and temporal scales; and
- an interdisciplinary experience in research at the doctoral level.
The requirements for a master’s degree normally take 2 years to complete. The length of time required for the Doctor of Philosophy degree depends partly on the research topic, but normally takes 3 to 4 years.
Additional information can also be found on the graduate studies pages on the department website at www.abe.ufl.edu.
Degrees Offered with a Major in Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy
- without a concentration
- concentration in Geographic Information Systems
- concentration in Global Systems Agroecology
- concentration in Hydrologic Sciences
- concentration in Wetland Sciences
- Master of Science
- without a concentration
- concentration in Agroecology
- concentration in Geographic Information Systems
- concentration in Hydrologic Sciences
- concentration in Wetland Sciences
Requirements for these degrees are given in the Graduate Degrees section of this catalog.
Agricultural and Biological Engineering Departmental Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ABE 5038 | Recent Developments and Applications in Biosensors | 3 |
| ABE 5152 | Fluid Power Circuits and Control | 3 |
| ABE 5332 | Advanced Agricultural Structures | 3 |
| ABE 5442 | Advanced Agricultural Process Engineering | 3 |
| ABE 5643C | Biological Systems Modeling | 3 |
| ABE 5646 | Biological and Agricultural Systems Simulation | 3 |
| ABE 5648 | Modeling Coupled Natural-Human Systems | 3 |
| ABE 5653 | Rheology and Mechanics of Agricultural and Biological Materials | 3 |
| ABE 5663 | Advanced Applied Microbial Biotechnology | 3 |
| ABE 5707C | Agricultural Waste Management | 3 |
| ABE 5815C | Food and Bioprocess Engineering Design | 4 |
| ABE 5936 | Writing Grant Proposals for Scholarships and Fellowships | 2 |
| ABE 6005 | Applied Control for Automation and Robots | 3 |
| ABE 6017 | Stochastic Modeling in Ecology and Hydrology | 3 |
| ABE 6031 | Instrumentation in Agricultural Engineering Research | 3 |
| ABE 6035 | Advanced Remote Sensing: Science and Sensors | 3 |
| ABE 6037C | Remote Sensing in Hydrology | 3 |
| ABE 6252 | Advanced Soil and Water Management Engineering | 3 |
| ABE 6254 | Simulation of Agricultural Watershed Systems | 3 |
| ABE 6265 | Vadose Zone Modeling | 3 |
| ABE 6266 | Nanotechnology in Water Research | 3 |
| ABE 6615 | Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer in Biological Systems | 3 |
| ABE 6644 | Agricultural Decision Systems | 3 |
| ABE 6645C | Computer Simulation of Crop Growth and Management Responses | 3 |
| ABE 6649C | Advanced Biological Systems Modeling | 3 |
| ABE 6654C | Advanced Bio-Based Products from Renewable Resources | 3 |
| ABE 6840 | Data Diagnostics | 3 |
| ABE 6905 | Individual Work in Agricultural and Biological Engineering | 1-4 |
| ABE 6910 | Supervised Research | 1-5 |
| ABE 6931 | Seminar | 1 |
| ABE 6933 | Special Topics in Agricultural and Biological Engineering | 1-4 |
| ABE 6940 | Supervised Teaching | 1-5 |
| ABE 6971 | Research for Master's Thesis | 1-15 |
| ABE 6972 | Research for Engineer's Thesis | 1-15 |
| ABE 6974 | Nonthesis Project | 1-6 |
| ABE 6986 | Applied Mathematics in Engineering and Agriculture | 3 |
| ABE 7979 | Advanced Research | 1-12 |
| ABE 7980 | Research for Doctoral Dissertation | 1-15 |
| AGG 5607 | Communicating in Academia | 3 |
| AOM 5456 | Applied Methods in SmartAg Systems | 3 |
| EGN 5949 | Practicum/Internship/Cooperative Work Experience | 1-6 |
| EGN 6913 | Engineering Graduate Research | 0-3 |
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ALS 5156 | Agricultural Ecology Principles and Applications | 3 |
| ALS 5905 | Individual Study | 1-4 |
| ALS 5932 | Special Topics | 1-4 |
| ALS 6046 | Grant Writing | 2 |
| ALS 6166 | Exotic Species and Biosecurity Issues | 3 |
| ALS 6921 | Colloquium on Plant Pests of Regulatory Significance | 1 |
| ALS 6925 | Integrated Plant Medicine | 4 |
| ALS 6931 | Plant Medicine Program Seminar | 1 |
| ALS 6935 | Topics in Biological Invasions | 3 |
| ALS 6942 | Principles of Plant Pest Risk Assessment and Management | 3 |
| ALS 6943 | Internship in Plant Pest Risk Assessment and Management | 1-10 |
| ANS 6936 | Graduate Seminar in Animal Molecular and Cell Biology | 1-2 |
| BCH 5045 | Graduate Survey of Biochemistry | 4 |
| FYC 6422 | Policy Issues and Case Studies in Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| STA 6093 | Introduction to Applied Statistics for Agricultural and Life Sciences | 3 |
| STA 6329 | Matrix Algebra and Statistical Computing | 3 |
Agricultural & Biological Engineering (PHD)
SLO 1 Knowledge
Employ mathematics, science and engineering principles to solve problems in the discipline of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
SLO 2 Skills
Apply, analyze, and synthesize content knowledge to plan and conduct scholarly activities that make original contributions to the knowledge base in the field of study by identifying components or processes of agricultural and/or biological systems to meet desired needs within realistic economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability and sustainability constraints.
SLO 3 Professional Behavior
Display ethical behavior, cultural sensitivity, teamwork, professional conduct and effective communication.
Agricultural & biological engineering (MS)
SLO 1 Knowledge
Identifies, describes, explains, and applies the mathematics, science and engineering principles of the discipline of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
SLO 2 Skills
Apply, analyze, and synthesize content knowledge to solve problems by identifying components or processes of agricultural and/or biological systems to meet desired needs within realistic economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability and sustainability constraints.
SLO 3 Professional Behavior
Display ethical behavior, cultural sensitivity, teamwork, professional conduct and effective communication