2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Dec 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Bioprocessing Sciences Minor

Location(s): Brookings Main Campus


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Program Coordinator/Contact

James Connors, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs 
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Berg Agricultural Hall 162, Box 2207
605-688-5133

Program Information

The interdisciplinary minor in Bioprocessing Sciences will provide students with a general understanding of principles and development of skills in bioprocessing technologies such as fermentation, bioseparation, and energy transfer. Principles of quality control, operational efficiency, safety, and project management are also important components of the minor. Students will learn how to apply these principles and technologies in commercial product bio-based manufacturing and environmental services.

Bioprocessing technologies are used in a variety of industries ranging from renewable fuels, food and drink products, pharma- and nutraceuticals, and environmental remediation of wastes. This minor will combine courses from several disciplines to enhance the student’s knowledge of these technologies and provide hands-on experiences with their applications, thus helping to prepare students for career opportunities in the bioprocessing industries.

Course Delivery Format

Coursework is delivered in a face-to-face learning environment with hands-on class laboratory experiences and an experiential learning component.

Student Learning Outcomes


Students completing the minor in Bioprocessing Sciences will be able to:

  • Understand how cells or cellular components of biomaterials can be grown to produce commercial quantities of desired raw products (upstream bioprocessing).
  • Understand and use biomass separation techniques to extract desired product from cell debris (downstream bioprocessing).
  • Apply bioprocessing principles (e.g., fermentation, heat, mass, and energy transfer) to manufacturing of renewable energy and commercial bioproducts or to management of environmental waste.
  • Apply principles of quality control, operations efficiency, project management, and safety to manufacturing of bio-based products.
  • Demonstrate understanding and applications of operational protocol used in a bioprocessing discipline.
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of one or more industries that utilize bioprocessing technologies.

Total Required Credits: 18