Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
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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,
College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
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
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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?
Pursuing (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, 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 a secondary point-hour ratio (SPHR) that meet the current acceptance standards, or higher. SPHR is calculated upon completion of the following courses: Math 152, Physics 131, and Engineering 182. 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 197 quarter hours are required for graduation, including 38 hours of GECs, 90 hours of engineering courses, 43 hours of major core courses, and 26 hours of related elective courses. 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
The only requirement for inclusion in the Honors Program in the College of Engineering is maintenance of a 3.4 cumulative point hours.
Career Prospects in Food, Agricultural & Biological Engineering
Potential specializations within FABE include:
- Food Engineering , which 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 , where 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, referring 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 is the specialty that draws students who are 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, where students will 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, refers to the specialty that students interested in designing controlled environments such as greenhouses, livestock facilities and storage structures; all requiring specific environmental or climatic conditions, decide to pursue.
- Pre-Veterinary/Pre-Medicine is a specialty where students can 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 campus in Wooster , Ohio .
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 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.
The following curriculum and list of minimum requirements for the degree Bachelor of Science in Aviation are effective for all students entering the university without prior college credit.
Acceptance to major
Entry courses: FAB Eng 225
Annual numerical ceiling: 36
Acceptance criteria: Acceptance into the Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering major will depend upon the cumulative point-hour ratio (CPHR) and the secondary point-hour ratio (SPHR) upon completion of the following pre-major courses: Math 151, 152; Physics 131; Chemistry 121, and Engineering 181 & 183. 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 departmental Academic Program Coordinator in 213 AE for application details.