Graduate students in the top-ranked* Texas A&M University Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering enjoy
small class size and frequent one-to-one contact with professors, even though our department is among the largest of its
kind. What's more, our faculty will be actively involved in helping develop your career, from advising you on the selection
of your courses to helping you make contact with our many industrial partners, many of whom are among our more than 2,000
Former Students. The Agricultural Engineering Department offers these advanced degrees:
Students entering the graduate program in the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M
University may select a research topic from a broad array of fileds. The high level of funding support for agriculture and
engineering in Texas, the diversity of agriculture, and the breadth of faculty expertise and research interests contribute
to a large number of research programs from which to choose. The following major areas of agricultural engineering research
are offered:
- Food Engineering
- Environmental & Natural Resource Engineering
- Bioprocess Engineering
- Biomaterials Science
- Machine & Energy Systems
- Systems Analysis
- Food, Feed & Fiber Processing
- Bioacoustics
The Master of Agriculture is a non-engineering degree program, primarily for students with a baccalaureate in Agricultural
Systems Management, Mechanized Agriculture or a similar degree. All of the other advanced degrees are engineering degrees.
An undergraduate engineering degree or its equivalent is a prerequisite for an advanced engineering degree.
If you don't have an undergraduate engineering degree, but you have to have a strong academic background in mathematics or
science, you may still be admitted to a graduate program in engineering. The prerequisite course work required for the
successful completion of the Engineering-in-Training exam, identifies by your advisor and approved by the department head,
will be taken at the same time as the graduate courses. Otherwise, a second baccalaureate in agricultural engineering is
recommended. Full details are contained in the Graduate Handbook.
Master of Science
The Master of Science degree in agricultural engineering requires you to complete advanced course work and to become
skilled in research methodology. You'll be expected to plan, conduct and analyze a comprehensive research project, and to
report the findings in a thesis, a scholarly document of research conducted in accordance with accepted scientific
methodology.
Master of Engineering
The Master of Engineering degree is very similar in concept to the Master of Agriculture degree, but is oriented toward
problem solving in engineering. You must demonstrate engineering problem-solving capabilities, usually gained through an
internship. You'll write a professional paper, which is a scholarly report of a problem-solving accomplishment, to
summarize the experiences of the internship. An alternative is to prepare one or two written reports that may summarize
engineering problem-solving capabilities gained through research or professional activity.
Master of Agriculture
The Master of Agriculture degree is designed for students who want professional graduate training in agricultural systems
with a management orientation. It is intended to emphasize the problem-solving skills involved in the use of science and
technology. The Master of Agriculture degree is not a research degree. You must demonstrate probleam-solving capabilities,
usually gained through a professional internship that is intended to provide applied, practical experiences. You'll prepare
a professional paper, which is a scholarly report of a problem-solving accomplishment.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Doctor of Philosophy degree is designed to provide you with a thorough knowledge of your professional field and training
in the methods of research. The final basis for granting the degree is your grasp of a broad field of study and a
demonstrated capability to do independent research.
In addition, you must have acquired the ability to express thoughts clearly and forcefully in both oral and written
communication. You'll be encouraged to develop teaching skills through formal study of pedagogical methods and supervised
classroom teaching experience. A preliminary qualifying examination, covering all fields of study included in your degree
program, is required. You'll prepare a dissertation, an original, scholarly report of independent research.
Doctor of Engineering
The Doctor of Engineering degree is a professional degree with an emphasis on problem solving at the highest levels of the
engineering profession. Because these problems frequently have a non-techincal societal impact, and because technological
advances are implemented through business and industry, the Doctor of Engineering program seeks to couple an understanding
of the characteristics of social and business institutions with competence in solving engineering problems. Each student
must pass the Doctor of Engineering Qualifying Examination. After the course work is essentially completed, you must spend
a minimum of one year working under the supervision of a practicing engineering in industry, business or government.
The objectives of the internship are to enable you to demonstrate the ability to make an identifiable contribution by
applying both knowledge and technical training, and to function in an organizational approach to problem solving. A record
of study, normally a report of the internship experience is required.
* Graduate programs, ranked by U.S. News and World Report, 2003
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