Louisiana State University’s Biological Engineering Program

In the middle 1980’s, undergraduates entering Louisiana State University from rural backgrounds seeking to enter agricultural-related industries were replaced by students from urban settings seeking careers in biological, environmental, and medical professions. In response to this, LSU developed an engineering curriculum explicitly integrating the biological sciences. This Biological Engineering curriculum is uniquely applied to developing engineering solutions to problems that affect plants, animals, and the natural environment. It is an unitary program without any specialties. The students complete a 107 semester hours core curriculum plus 9 hours of design electives, 18 hours of general education electives, and 3 hours of free elective. The enrollment increased from 2 students in 1988 to 157 in 2002. The annual number of graduates increased from 0 in 1989 to 33 in 2003. Twenty-eight per cent of the graduates attend graduate school, 23% have gone to work in environmental consulting, 11% in manufacturing, and 10% have gone to medical school. This program has been very successful and provides needed biological engineers for the Louisiana economy.