Program Coordinator/Contact
Van C. Kelley, Department Head
Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Distinguished Professor
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Agricultural Engineering 107, Box 2120
605-688-5141
Kurt Bassett, Department Head
Zhong Hu, Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Crothers Engineering Hall 216, Box 2219
605-688-5426
Program Information
The Ph.D. in Agricultural, Biosystems and Mechanical Engineering (A.B.M.E.) shares a common core between the department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and department of Mechanical Engineering. All students will be required to complete 14 credits of core course work shown below. Core courses will provide a broad foundation covering basic graduate concepts in A.B.M.E., compliance and research ethics. Several core courses are unique in the nation and make this program novel and highly integrated. Elective coursework will provide students with the opportunity for greater depth in a topical area and will usually be directly related to their dissertation research topic. Students entering with a Bachelor’s degree must complete 90 credits (30 coursework and 60 dissertation) and students entering with a master’s degree must complete 60 credits (20 coursework and 40 dissertation).
Students who undertake this graduate degree normally have as their goal a better understanding of the current theories, principles, issues, and problems in agricultural, biological, thermal, fluid, control, and mechanical systems. Graduate studies improve the student’s ability to think critically and creatively, and to synthesize, analyze, and integrate ideas for decision-making and problem solving.
This program offers students an opportunity to undertake research and advanced study in specialization areas such as:
- biorenewable energy and bioresource conversion technologies,
- engineering of advanced precision agriculture systems used in production agriculture,
- natural resources engineering for utilization and conservation of soil and water resources,
- advanced manufacturing and quality control technologies focused on composition, properties, and integrity of materials,
- advanced thermal-fluid systems,
- advanced composites, and
- systems modeling.
Course Delivery Format
The program engages students in lecture, laboratory, and in hands-on, field-based learning experiences.
Student Engagement and Support Opportunities
Financial assistance in the form of research assistantships and project assistantships is available on a highly competitive basis.
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