Majors, Minors, and Courses
Majors
- Biological Systems Engineering Major
- The Biological Systems Engineering (EBSE) major prepares students to apply the principles of engineering to the discipline of biology. At its core, engineering is about creating solutions to problems. Biological systems engineers are no different.
Biological systems engineers try to solve real world problems such as developing renewable biofuels and bioenergy, developing sustainable biomaterials and bioproducts, finding a solution to food insecurity, developing sustainable agricultural practices, working towards environmental sustainability, and more. Biological systems engineers are trying to solve some of the most important and difficult challenges humanity faces in order to create a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Students graduating with a B.S. degree in Biological Systems Engineering from UC Davis are prepared to:
>Apply life sciences in engineering at the biochemical, cellular, organism, and ecosystem levels
>Solve biological systems engineering problems while employed in the private or public sector
>Consider the environmental and social consequences of their engineering activities
>Communicate effectively with professional colleagues and public constituencies
>Act in an ethical manner
>Continue their education in a changing professional world - Agricultural and Environmental Technology Major
- The Agricultural & Environmental Technology (AET) major aims to bridge the disciplines of agriculture, management, technology, and applied engineering, and to train students in integrating technology, leadership and design in solving complex problems in the agricultural and environmental sciences.
A key aspect of the major is to help students develop an understanding of how the next generation of technologies (including cyber‐physical and knowledge‐based) interact with animals, plants, and their environments, and technologies for the production and management of bio‐based products and sustainable food, feed, fiber, and energy.
Students graduating with a B.S. degree in Agricultural and Environmental Technology from UC Davis have opportunities for employment as managers and entrepreneurs to bridge between science, engineering and application, skilled operators to interface with smart machines and smart technologies, and scholars and educators to help train others.
Minors
- Energy Efficiency, Energy Policy, and Energy Science and Technology
- The goal of the Energy Efficiency, Energy Policy, and Energy Science and Technology minors is to prepare students for careers that address the urgent need to develop and commercialize technologies for the sustainable conversion and use of energy. The goal of these minors is to prepare students for careers that require training in energy science and technology, efficiency, and policy. Clean technologies and green technologies including energy are some of the fastest growing markets for new investments. Well-trained individuals in all related fields are needed to provide the level of expertise required to advance technology and policy and to satisfy national and global objectives for greater energy sustainability. The minors are designed to accommodate persons of diverse backgrounds with educational interests in areas that may include engineering, science, policy, economics, planning, and management.
For minor advising, please contact BAEadvising@ucdavis.edu to schedule an appointment with the an advisor. - Geographic Information Systems
- The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering offers a minor in Geographic Information Systems with an emphasis on spatial analysis. This minor is ideal for students interested in information processing of spatial data related to remote sensing, land information systems, marine cartography, thematic mapping, surface modeling, environmental modeling resources management, public utility planning, emergency response, geomarketing, geotechnics, precision agriculture, archaeology, military exercises, and computer-aided design.
For minor advising, please contact BAEadvising@ucdavis.edu to schedule an appointment with the an advisor. - Precision Agriculture
- This minor acquaints students with recent developments and their applications to agriculture, in geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), variable rate technologies (VRT), crop and soil sensors, and remote sensing. The minor prepares students for challenging positions in site-specific crop management as we enter the “information age” in agriculture.
For minor advising, please contact BAEadvising@ucdavis.edu to schedule an appointment with the an advisor.
Integrated Degree - BS+MS Program
The integrated BS and MS degree program for Biological Systems Engineers allows students to save time transitioning seamlessly to the master's degree program upon completion of their bachelor's degree. After the completion of a bachelor's degree the time to completion of a master's degree, under Plan I (Thesis) is 18 months and under Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) is 12 months. This compares to the regular master's degree program expected timeline of 24 months for Plan I and 18 months for Plan II. The program is competitive and rigorous standards are set to ensure students' eventual success.