2026-2027 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Biological Systems Engineering, or BSE, connects biology, chemistry, and engineering to solve complex, societally relevant problems in health, sustainability, and environmental protection. Graduates from the BSE program are poised to lead in the rapidly expanding fields of biotechnology and ecological engineering to address society’s grandest challenges and needs now and into the future, including nature-based solutions for protecting our water resources, detection and prevention of human diseases, as well as food, pharmaceutical, and bioplastic production.
Graduates from the BSE degree program are employed in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, energy, and food industries as well as government agencies, environmental consulting firms, and non-profit organizations. Graduates also succeed in professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine, and as graduate students in a variety of disciplines, including biomedical, chemical, and civil engineering.
Students pursue a B.S. degree in Biological Systems Engineering. This offers flexibility, where students choose their courses among a variety of electives depending on their career goals. Alternatively, students have the option to further specialize in one of two focused curricular concentrations in either Ecological Engineering or Biotechnology & Bioprocess Engineering. All share a core set of courses including biology, chemistry, math, physics, data science, and engineering design. Regardless of their chosen path, we enable our graduates to make meaningful impacts on challenges involving natural resources and biological systems.
BSE is invested in student success through our curriculum, supportive faculty and staff, dedicated advising and professional development, hands-on learning opportunities both in and outside the classroom, and a community atmosphere. We offer 14 endowed scholarship opportunities to students enrolled in Biological Systems Engineering amounting to over $130,000 per year, and our students are also eligible for College of Engineering and other Virginia Tech scholarships as well.
Our approach to your educational experience is captured in our motto: Do what you love.
The Bachelor of Science in Biological Systems Engineering (BSBSE) degree program is offered through the College of Engineering and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Biological and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
The BSE program prepares graduates to accomplish the following program educational objectives in their careers within a few years after graduation:
Our graduates will apply their engineering problem solving skillset at the intersection of biology and engineering at scales ranging from molecular to global as engineers, entrepreneurs, or in roles furthering their education.
Our graduates will contribute to addressing societal and ecological needs in ethical, inclusive, and holistic approaches through leadership, collaboration, teamwork, and effective communication.
Our graduates will advance professionally within their careers through mentoring and life-long learning to meet their own aspirations, improve their organizations, and contribute to their communities.
Upon completion of the undergraduate program curriculum in Biological Systems Engineering, students will attain the following outcomes:
Students are required to complete an approved Bridge Experience as part of the Bachelor of Science in Biological Systems Engineering (BS BSE) degree. A Bridge Experience is an immersive, career-building opportunity that connects a student’s classroom learning with real-world experience. Bridge Experiences help prepare students for post-graduation life and develop a professional identity, and an ideal experience is one that a student designates as likely to help them move into specific post-graduation plans. The following are pre-approved Bridge Experience Opportunities for the BS BSE program:
Additional options may be available upon review and approval by the department. Additional information about the program’s Bridge Experience requirement is covered when students take BSE 2004 (Introduction to Biological Systems Engineering).
Department Head: D. R. Edwards
Assistant Department Head and Undergraduate Program Director: J. A. Czuba
Graduate Program Director: R. S. Senger
H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor: Z. M. Easton
Elizabeth and James E Turner Jr Faculty Fellows: L.-A. H. Krometis and C. Zhang
Professors: J. R. Barone, B. L. Benham, Z. M. Easton, D. R. Edwards, W. C. Hession, L.-A. H. Krometis, D.J. Sample, J.S. Wayne, and C. Zhang
Associate Professors: J. Arogo Ogejo, F. Batarseh, J. A. Czuba, R. S. Senger, J. E. Shortridge, V. R. Sridhar, T. M. Thompson, Z. Wang, and R.C. Wright
Assistant Professors: N. Bell, A. Chandel, Y. Feng, Y. Kang, A. Duraj-Thatte, W. Sun, and K. Wong
Academic Advisor: P. Baker
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