Agricultural and Biological Engineering

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.msstate.edu.

Department Head: Dr. Jonathan Pote
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Prem Parajuli
150 Agricultural Engineering Building
Box 9632
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Telephone: (662) 325-3282
E-mail: abe_head@abe.msstate.edu

Graduate study is offered in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering leading to the degree of Master of Science in Agriculture with a concentration in Engineering Technology or a Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Engineering Technology.

Admission Criteria

Prerequisites for admission into the graduate program include all the general requirements of the Office of the Graduate School, completion of the GRE general test and the submission of scores, and identification of a departmental professor who is willing to serve as research director for the master’s or Ph.D. project. International students must obtain a TOEFL score of 550 PBT (213 CBT or 79 iBT) or an IELTS (International English Language Testing Systems) score of 6.5 or higher. Exceptions to these requirements are considered on a case-by-case basis and require approval of the Department Chair.

Provisional Admission

If a student does not fully meet the admission requirements of the program, it may be possible for that student to be provisionally admitted. If provisionally admitted, the student must attain a 3.00 GPA on the first 9 hours of graduate courses at Mississippi State University after admission to the program. Courses with an S grade, transfer credits, or credits earned while in Unclassified status cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. If a 3.00 GPA is not attained, the student may be dismissed from the graduate program.

Academic Performance

Unsatisfactory performance in the graduate program in Agricultural and Biological Engineering is defined as any of the following:

failure to maintain a 3.00 average GPA in attempted graduate courses after admission to the program;
a grade of U, D, or F in any one course;
more than two courses with a grade of C;
failure of the research defense;
unsatisfactory evaluation of a thesis;
or failure of a required component of the program of study.

Any one of these, or a combination of these, will constitute the basis for review for possible dismissal. The graduate coordinator will review the record, along with the student’s graduate committee, and take a final course of action which will be immediate dismissal or the establishment of a probationary period in which corrective action must take place. Appeal of dismissal can be made by submitting a written appeal statement to the department head. If the dismissal is upheld by the department upon the student’s appeal, the student can then submit a written appeal to the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering also offers the Master of Science degree in Biological Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy degree in Engineering; both programs are housed in the College of Engineering. See program information in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering section of this publication.

Master of Science in Agriculture with Engineering Technology Concentration - Thesis

ST 8114	Statistical Methods	4
Select one of the following:		1
ABE 8911	Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar
ABE 8921	Agriculturual and Bio Engineering Seminar
ABE 8XXX	Minimum of 12 hours in 8000-level or higher courses	12
Graduate-level coursework		7
ABE 8000	Thesis Research/ Thesis in Agricultural and Biological Engineering	6
Total Hours		30

The Master of Science degree in Agriculture with a concentration in Engineering Technology requires a minimum of 24 credit hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree. A thesis and an oral comprehensive examination in defense of the thesis are required. Once the student’s research plan has been established, the student is required to present his/her research plan to the faculty in the form of a departmental seminar.

Master of Science in Agriculture with Engineering Technology Concentration - Non-Thesis

ST 8114	Statistical Methods	4
Select one of the following:		1
ABE 8911	Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar
ABE 8921	Agriculturual and Bio Engineering Seminar
Graduate-level coursework		25
Total Hours		30

The non-thesis option for the Master of Science in Agriculture with a concentration in Engineering Technology requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework with at least 15 hours at the 8000-level. The major professor and graduate committee will determine specific course requirements for the student’s program. The student must submit a research paper.

Doctor of Philosophy in Agricultural Sciences with Engineering Technology Concentration

Select two of the following:		2
ABE 8911	Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar
ABE 8921	Agriculturual and Bio Engineering Seminar
ABE 8XXX	Minimum of 30 hours in 8000-level or higher courses	30
ABE XXXX	Coursework	8
ABE 9000	Dissertation Research/ Dissertation in Agricultural and Biological Engineering	20
Total Hours		60

Doctoral students are required to complete a minimum of 60 credit hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree. A preliminary examination, a dissertation, and an oral examination in defense of the dissertation are required. Once the student’s research plan has been established, the student is required to present his/her research plan to the faculty in the form of a departmental seminar.

ABE 6163 Machinery Management for Agro-Ecosystems: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: ABE 2173 or consent of instructor). Two hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Selection, sizing and operation machine systems using cost analysis and systems techniques. Emphasis on agricultural machines used in farming; tillage, planting, harvesting, conveying agricultural materials

ABE 6263 Soil and Water Management: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: ABE 2873. Students with credit in ABE 2263 will not receive credit in this course). Two hours lecture . Three hours laboratory. Introduction to soil and water management principles; elementary hydrology, basic fundamentals of erosion control, surface and subsurface drainage, and water control for irrigation

ABE 6383 Building Construction: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: EG 1143, junior standing.) Three hours lecture. An introduction to building terms, construction materials, structural components, construction methods, and mechanical systems pertaining to residential and commercial structures

ABE 6423 Bioinstrumentation II: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: ABE 3413 or graduate standing). Two hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Theory; application of automated measuring and control systems in biological sciences. Includes design/use of transducer interfaces; electronic signal conditioning; data logging; microprocessor based systems

ABE 6473 Electrical Applications: 3 hours.

Two hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Fundamental electricity, wiring, and control of agricultural operations. Includes use of computer tools, intruments, safety, and hardware

ABE 6483 Introduction to Remote Sensing Technologies: 3 hours.

(Prerequisite: Senior or graduate standing, or consent or instructor). Three hours lecture. Electromagnetic interactions, passive sensors, multispectral and hyperspectral optical sensors, active sensors, imaging radar, SAR Lidar, digital image processing, natural resource applications. (Same as ECE 4423/6423 and PSS 4483/6483)

ABE 6523 Biomedical Materials: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: One of the following: ABE 3813, CHE 3413, or ME 3403). Three hours lecture. Emphasis is on applications, composition, testing, and biocompatibility of biomedical materials used in implant devices. This course may be used for honors credit

ABE 6613 Biomechanics: 3 hours.

(Prerequisites: EM 2413 and EM 2433). Three hours lecture. Force, motion, and deformation analysis of organisms and biological structures. Mechanical modeling techniques unique to biological materials

ABE 6624 Experimental Methods in Materials Research: 4 hours.

(Prerequisites:CHE 3413 or ABE 3813 or ME 3403 or permission of instructors).Three hours lecture. Three hours laboratory. An introduction to research methodologies commonly used in the evaluation of treatments, and mechanical testing. ( Same as CHE 4624/6624 and ME 4624/6624)

ABE 6723 Tissue Engineering and Regeneration: 3 hours.

ABE 6803 Biosystems Simulation: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. Spring semester. Application of engineering analysis, modeling and simulation to biological systems

ABE 6844 Sustainable Communities: 4 hours.

Three hours lecture. Two hours laboratory/studio. Theory and practices that minimize resource use and pollutant production in the human landscape (same as LA 4844/6844)

ABE 6990 Special Topics in Agricultural and Biological Engineering: 1-9 hours.

Credit and title to be arranged. This course is to be used on a limited basis to offer developing subject matter areas not covered in existing courses. (Courses limited to two offerings under one title within two academic years)

ABE 7000 Directed Individual Study in Agricultural and Biological Engineering: 1-6 hours.

Hours and credits to be arranged

ABE 8000 Thesis Research/ Thesis in Agricultural and Biological Engineering: 1-13 hours.

Hours and credits to be arranged

ABE 8511 Journal Reviews in Biomedical Engineering: 1 hour.

One hour lecture. Current journal articles relevant to Biomedical Engineering topics are read and reviewed

ABE 8723 Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics: 3 hours.

Three hours lecture. Fundamental concepts, experimental and theoretical approaches of biomechanics and their applications in modern biomedical engineering (e.g. mechanotransduction,tissue engineering/regeneration, surgical intervention)

ABE 8801 Clinical Experience for Biomedical Engineering: 1 hour.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing in the Biomedical Program and permission of the instructor. Three hours experiential learning. This course will provide graduate students with exposure, understanding, and insight into the clinical environment and/or treatment modalities of clinical (human and/or animal) patients

ABE 8911 Agricultural and Biological Engineering Seminar: 1 hour.

Discussion of research needs, review of literature, and development of research work plans

ABE 8921 Agriculturual and Bio Engineering Seminar: 1 hour.

Discussion of research needs, review of literature, and development of research work plans

ABE 8990 Special Topics in Agricultural and Biological Engineering: 1-9 hours.

ABE 9000 Dissertation Research/ Dissertation in Agricultural and Biological Engineering: 1-13 hours.

Hours and credits to be arranged