ABEN Program
The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABEN) program prepares men and women for careers requiring application of physical, biological, and engineering sciences to solve problems that involve living systems. Agricultural and biosystems engineers provide engineering for the necessities of life.
Agricultural and biosystems engineers are uniquely qualified to use their knowledge of mathematics, biological and physical sciences, and engineering principles to solve problems relating to the production, handling, and processing of biological materials for food, feed, fiber, and fuel, the preservation of natural resources and environmental quality, and the design and production of machine systems. A major in agricultural and biosystems engineering can serve a broad range of career interests and can provide excellent career opportunities for men and women from diverse backgrounds.
Agricultural and biosystems engineering integrates engineering topics, engineering design, and biological sciences in a single program with two concentrations; agricultural engineering and biosystems engineering. These two concentrations have three educational objectives 1) graduates will become engineers with the ability to use their technical knowledge, design, and problem solving skills throughout their careers, 2) graduates will become engineers who have interperonal and collaborative skills and the capacity for productive careers, and 3) graduates will become engineers who can use their disciplinary knowledge, educational depth, and breadth to deal with changing career opportunities in agricultural and closely related biological industries. A wide range of electives in related disciplines can be used to complement the disciplinary course work and to prepare for specific career interests. Students select courses with the assistance of a faculty adviser. Faculty also assists students with professional development, career planning, and job placement.
Historical records indicate that E.S. Keene was appointed Agricultural Engineer with the Agricultural Experiment Station in 1892, two years after the North Dakota Agricultural College (NDAC) was established. R.C. Miller organized the Agricultural Engineering Department as a degree granting department at NDSU (NDAC at the time) in 1924-25. The first BS degree in Agricultural Engineering was granted in 1931. The first MS degree in Agricultural Engineering was awarded in 1933. In 1980, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program was established as a component of the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). In June, 2002, a Ph.D. program in ABEN was approved by the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE).
The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABEN) program at North Dakota State University is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - telephone: 410-347-7700. The most recent accreditation visit was in 2006. There are currently about 85 undergraduate students enrolled in the program. The program requires a minimum of 133 semester credit hours of course work. In addition to the technical engineering education and training, emphasis is also placed on the development of communication skills and being a team player. Emphasis is also placed on teaching engineering design by using real engineering projects from industry. Cooperative Education experiences are very much encouraged. There are many opportunities for Cooperative Education internships both in and out of North Dakota.
