Academic Advisor
Tracene Marshall
612-625-0266
10A Green Hall

Major Coordinator
Ulrike Tschirner
612-624-8798
204 Kaufert Lab

Admissions
CFANS Office of Admissions
612-624-6768

More information
Program Requirements
Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Department website
Career Opportunities
Involvement Opportunities

Program Description:
The bio-based products engineering major is a joint program between the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the Institute of Technology. This program provides students with a strong background in the basic sciences and engineering and their application to manufacturing and end-use applications of materials, chemicals, and energy from renewable resources. ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation for this specialization will be pursued in 2007.

During your first two years you’ll learn the basics of bio-based products and acquire advanced skills in math and science as well as training in communication. In the junior and senior years you’ll focus your learning on the structure, properties, processing, and performance of bio-based materials. Throughout the four-year program you’ll also take courses in the social sciences and humanities.

Bio-based products engineers harness the molecular building blocks of renewable bioresources to develop and manufacture environmentally friendly commercial and industrial products.

Through its industry advisory council the program maintains strong connections with leading bio-based products companies, including 3M, Andersen Windows, Blandin Paper, Cargill, Cargill Dow, Georgia Pacific, International Paper, Potlatch, and many others. As a result, you’ll receive an education that’s aligned with industry needs and get a head start on finding employment after you graduate.

The program’s high faculty-to-student ratio ensures that you’ll receive personalized attention to help you achieve your goals. Faculty and staff advise you on academics, internships, employment opportunities, extracurricular activities, and further academic study.

Careers
Bio-based products engineers select the appropriate renewable resources—wood, agricultural residues, fiber crops, and other biomass—to produce a wide range of “green” materials, including wood products, paper, chemicals, industrial feedstocks, plastics, building materials, and energy.

Bio-based products engineers also develop energy-efficient, environmentally friendly processes for manufacturing these products and methods for effective end-use applications. As responsible professionals, they consider the ethical and safety issues surrounding bio-based products as well as their economic and environmental impacts.

Bio-based Products Engineering graduates find challenging career opportunities in process engineering, product development, technical service, project management, production management, and design and consulting engineering in wide-ranging bio-based products industries including building materials, composites, wood products, pulp and paper, chemicals, plastics and energy. Current starting salaries for graduates are in the range of $50,000 - $55,000 with nearly 100% placement upon graduation.

Job titles of recent Engineering graduates:

    * Process Engineer
    * Product Development Engineer
    * Project Engineer
    * Technical Service Engineer
    * Production Manager
    * Plant Manager
    * Quality Control Manager