Admission Requirements

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test is no longer required for students being considered for admission to the bioproducts and biosystems science, engineering and management (BBSEM) graduate program. 


Master's degree program

Prospective master's degree students should have:

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, or the physical or biological sciences, or a related field from a recognized U.S. or international university
  • It is recommended that applicants have a GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 grading scale) for previous academic work,  although the admission decisions will be based on an overall assessment of the applicants’ academic record and potential.

Ph.D. program

Prospective Ph.D. students should have:

  • Master's degree in engineering, mathematics, or the physical or biological sciences, or a related field from a recognized U.S or international university.
  • It is recommended that applicants have a GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0 grading scale) for previous academic work, although the admission decisions will be based on an overall assessment of the applicants’ academic record and potential. 
  • Completed a master of science Plan A degree before starting their Ph.D. programs
  • Exceptional students that want to go straight to the Ph.D. from the bachelor's level may be admitted subject to conditions agreed upon by the advisor, the director of graduate studies, and the graduate program coordinator
  • See more details about our Ph.D. program

International students

The following are requirements for international applicants.

International universities

Because of the variation in programs at international universities, it is difficult for us to evaluate the preparation level of students. We expect our students to have had training in relevant basic sciences and/or engineering as appropriate.

Test of English as a Foreign Language

In general, international applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and have the following minimum, preferred performance levels:

  • 550 on the paper-based examination
  • 213 on the computer-based examination
  • 79 on the Internet-based examination.

A copy of your TOEFL scores should be sent to the department.

Note: Any international applicant who has completed 24 quarter credits or 16 semester credits as a full-time student in residence at a recognized college or university in the U.S. within the past 24 months does not need to take the TOEFL.