2025-2026 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.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Core Requirements | ||
| BIOL 2604 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| BSE 2004 | Introduction to Biological Systems Engineering | 3 |
| BSE 3144 | Engineering Analysis for Biological Systems using Numerical Methods | 2 |
| BSE 3154 | Thermodynamics of Biological Systems | 3 |
| BSE 3504 | Transport Processes in Biological Systems | 3 |
| BSE 4125 | Comprehensive Design Project | 2 |
| ESM 2104 | Statics | 3 |
| ESM 3024 | Introduction to Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ISE 2014 | Engineering Economy | 2 |
| Subtotal | 24 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| BSE 2304 | Landscape Measurements and Modeling | 3 |
| BSE 3324 | Small Watershed Hydrology | 3 |
| BSE 3334 | Nonpoint Source Pollution Assessment and Control | 3 |
| BSE 4126 | Comprehensive Design Project | 3 |
| BSE 4324 | Applied Fluvial Geomorphology | 3 |
| BSE 4344 | Geographic Information Systems for Engineers | 3 |
| BIOL 1105 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1106 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 2804 | Ecology | 3 |
| CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2514 | Survey of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| ENGR 3124 | Introduction to Green Engineering | 3 |
| ENGR 4134 | Environmental Life Cycle Assessment | 3 |
| ENSC 3134 | Soils in the Landscape | 3 |
| MATH 2114 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 2204 | Introduction to Multivariable Calculus | 3 |
| PHYS 2306 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
| STAT 3704 | Statistics for Engineering Applications | 2 |
| Subtotal | 54 | |
| Career Bridge Experience 1 | ||
| ENGE 3900 | Bridge Experience | 0 |
| Restricted Electives | ||
| Select 1 Ecological Engineering Elective | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Pathways to General Education 2 | ||
| Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ISE 3034 | Technical Communication for Engineers (1A) | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
| Select six hours in Pathway 2 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences | ||
| Select six hours in Pathway 3 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
| CHEM 1035 & CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
| Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
| MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable (5F ; C-) | 4 |
| MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable (5F ;) | 4 |
| MATH 2214 | Introduction to Differential Equations (5A) | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
| Select three Arts credits in Pathway 6a | 3 | |
| ENGE 1215 & ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering and Foundations of Engineering (6D ;) | 4 |
| or ENGE 1414 | Foundations of Engineering Practice | |
| Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States | ||
| Pathway 7 should be double-counted with either Pathways 2, 3, or 6a to avoid taking additional credit hours. | ||
| Subtotal | 47 | |
| Total Credits | 128 | |
(3 credit hours required – students must request to be force-added to major-restricted courses)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AAEC 3314 | Environmental Law | 3 |
| AAEC 3324 | Environment and Sustainable Development Economics | 3 |
| ALS 3404 | Ecological Agriculture: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| ALS 4614 | Watershed Assessment, Management, and Policy | 2 |
| BCHM 3114 | Biochemistry for Biotechnology and the Life Sciences | 3 |
| BCHM 4115 | General Biochemistry | 4 |
| BIOL 4004 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 4314 | Plant Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 4334 | Chemical Ecology | 3 |
| BSE 4224 | Field Methods in Hydrology | 3 |
| BSE 4304 | Introduction to Watershed Modeling | 3 |
| BSE 4394 | Water Supply and Sanitation in Developing Countries | 3 |
| BSE 4554 | Creating the Ecological City | 3 |
| CSES 2244 | Agriculture, Global Food Security and Health | 3 |
| CSES 3124 | Soils Laboratory | 1 |
| CSES 3614 | Soil Physical and Hydrological Properties | 3 |
| CSES 4064 | Soil Microbiology | 3 |
| CSES 4324 | Water Quality Laboratory | 1 |
| CSES 4854 | Wetland Soils and Mitigation | 3 |
| ECE 4194 | Engineering Principles of Remote Sensing | 3 |
| ECE 4364 | Alternate Energy for Climate Sustainability | 3 |
| ENSC 3604 | Fundamentals of Environmental Science | 3 |
| ENSC 3634 | Physics of Pollution | 3 |
| ENSC 3644 | Plant Materials for Environmental Restoration | 3 |
| ENSC 4244 | Ecological Restoration | 3 |
| ENSC 4414 | Monitoring and Analysis of the Environment | 2 |
| ENSC 4734 | Environmental Soil Chemistry | 3 |
| ENSC 4764 | Bioremediation | 3 |
| ENSC 4774 | Reclamation of Drastically Disturbed Lands | 3 |
| ESM 4194 | Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Global Society | 3 |
| FIW 4324 | Genetics of Natural and Managed Populations | 3 |
| FIW 4614 | Fish Ecology | 3 |
| FIW 4624 | Marine Ecology | 3 |
| FREC 4354 | Forest Soil and Watershed Management | 3 |
| FREC 4374 | Forested Wetlands | 3 |
| FREC 4464 | Water Resources Policy and Economics | 3 |
| FREC 4784 | Wetland Hydrology and Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| GEOG 3104 | Environmental Justice, Resources and Development | 3 |
| GEOG 3304 | Geomorphology | 3 |
| GEOG 4354 | Introduction to Remote Sensing | 3 |
| GEOS 3014 | Environmental Geosciences | 3 |
| GEOS 3034 | Oceanography | 3 |
| GEOS 4634 | Environmental Geochemistry | 3 |
| GEOS 4804 | Groundwater Hydrology | 3 |
| SBIO 2124 | Structure and Properties of Sustainable Biomaterials | 3 |
| SBIO 2504 | Circular Economy Analytics for Sustainable Systems | 3 |
| SBIO 3434 | Chemistry and Conversion of Sustainable Biomaterials | 3 |
| SBIO 3444 | Sustainable Biomaterials and Bioenergy | 3 |
| SPES 2244 | World Crops: Food and Culture | 3 |
| SYSB 2024 | Fundamentals of Systems Biology | 3 |
| SYSB 2034 | Mathematical Methods in Systems Biology | 3 |
| SYSB 3115 | Network Dynamics and Cell Physiology | 4 |
| UAP 3354 | Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning | 3 |
| UAP 4344 | Law of Critical Environmental Areas | 3 |
| UAP 4374 | Land Use and Environment: Planning and Policy | 3 |
Career Bridge Experiences help prepare students for post- graduation life and develop a professional identity. Internships, Co-ops, and Undergraduate Research are examples of possible Career Bridge Experiences. Students must participate in a Career Bridge Experience to complete the BS degree in Ecological Engineering. Because some of these experiences are not credit bearing, the ENGE 3900 course is used to track and assess student participation in Career Bridge and to record fulfillment of this degree requirement on the transcript. Students enroll in ENGE 3900 during the semester (or one of the semesters) that they undertake the Career Bridge Experience. Enrollment in ENGE 3900 requires approval of a Career Bridge Plan.
Further information about acceptable Career Bridge Experiences and the process for submitting a Career Bridge Plan are explained in BSE 2004.
Pathways courses can double count with any major requirements, minor requirements, or elective requirements. Exceptions to this are ISE 3034, which cannot double-count.
University Policy 6305 outlines university-wide minimum criteria to determine if students are making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their degrees. The BSE Department fully supports this policy. Specific expectations for satisfactory progress for BSE majors are as follows:
Additional Notes:
Students are strongly encouraged to take CHEM 1036 General Chemistry first year Spring semester.
Students are encouraged to take BIOL 1105 Principles of Biology and BIOL 1106 Principles of Biology during the first year if their schedule permits.
Students must have had 2 years of a foreign language in high school or one year at the college level (6 credit hours) of the same language. College-level credits used to meet this requirement do not count towards the degree.
Roadmap
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable (C-) | 4 |
| ENGE 1215 | Foundations of Engineering (C-) | 2 |
| Pathways 2 or 3 or 6A or 7 | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 4 |
| PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
| ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BSE 2004 | Introduction to Biological Systems Engineering | 3 |
| BIOL 1105 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| ESM 2104 | Statics | 3 |
| ISE 2014 | Engineering Economy | 2 |
| MATH 2204 | Introduction to Multivariable Calculus | 3 |
| MATH 2114 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BSE 2304 | Landscape Measurements and Modeling | 3 |
| BIOL 1106 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| CHEM 2514 | Survey of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| ENSC 3134 | Soils in the Landscape | 3 |
| MATH 2214 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BSE 3154 | Thermodynamics of Biological Systems | 3 |
| BSE 3324 | Small Watershed Hydrology | 3 |
| BIOL 2604 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| ESM 3024 | Introduction to Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 2306 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BSE 3144 | Engineering Analysis for Biological Systems using Numerical Methods | 2 |
| BSE 3334 | Nonpoint Source Pollution Assessment and Control | 3 |
| BSE 3504 | Transport Processes in Biological Systems | 3 |
| BSE 4344 | Geographic Information Systems for Engineers | 3 |
| BIOL 2804 | Ecology | 3 |
| ISE 3034 | Technical Communication for Engineers | 3 |
| ENGE 3900 | Bridge Experience | 0 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BSE 4125 | Comprehensive Design Project | 2 |
| BSE 4324 | Applied Fluvial Geomorphology | 3 |
| ENGR 3124 | Introduction to Green Engineering | 3 |
| STAT 3704 | Statistics for Engineering Applications | 2 |
| Pathways Core Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7 | 6 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BSE 4126 | Comprehensive Design Project | 3 |
| ENGR 4134 | Environmental Life Cycle Assessment | 3 |
| Ecological Engineering Elective | 3 | |
| Pathways Core Concept 2, 3, 6a, or 7 | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 128 | |
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