Relevant course work for water quality management includes hydrology, statistics, sanitary engineering, and systems engineering. Students interested in the control of nonpoint pollution study in detail the processes governing the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals. Relevant course work in this area aqueous chemistry, soil chemistry, soil physics, and both surface and groundwater hydrology. 432 - Aquatic Microbiology Food and Bioprocess Engineering Agricultural and chemical engineers specializing in food engineering play a large part in the efficient operation of the food processing industry, one of the largest industries in the United States. Food engineering blends fundamental physical and engineering sciences with the biological sciences dealing with the nature of food materials, microbiology, chemistry, and food science and technology.
Many research projects are interdisciplinary, giving considerable breadth to the student's program.
Students interested in graduate work in the food engineering program come from many backgrounds. Typically, they are students having degrees in agricultural or mechanical engineering. Students with backgrounds in food science, food technology, chemistry, and biology are required to make up basic engineering courses as a part of their program of study. Course offerings are closely coordinated with those in the Department of Civil Engineering to provide an integrated program of course work from a first introductory course through advanced studies in multiphase fluid flow in porous media and groundwater modeling. These courses are populated by students studying irrigation, water resources, watershed management, geology, hydrology, and drainage as well as by those specializing in groundwater hydrology.