Feb 10, 2025

2024-2025 University Catalog

Agricultural Engineering, BSAGE

Location(s): West Lafayette

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About the Program

Agricultural Engineers apply their knowledge of agricultural systems, natural resources, and engineering to equipment design and assure environmental compatibility of practices used by production agriculture. The Agricultural Engineering curriculum offers great breadth, with a major choice in machine systems engineering. Subject areas include computer-aided engineering, fluid power, finite element analysis, natural resource conservation, and engineering properties of biological materials. Excellent career opportunities exist in product engineering, equipment research and design, facilities design, and engineering management. Practical applications in lab intensive classes (every ABE 3-credit hour class has a lab) and significant opportunities to be involved in clubs (AgGrowBot, 1/4-Scale Tractor, PUP, ASABE Robotics) makes this a great program for entrepreneurs and start-up engineering companies. Students in this program earn a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, (BSE-AGE).

Some of the factors that contribute to Agricultural & Biological Engineering at Purdue University being a top ranked program:

Multiple opportunities for interaction with faculty in laboratories and in classes
Student Competitions, Clubs, Global Experiences
Personalized advising and attention from faculty
Practical curriculum for industrial careers
Great opportunities for scholarships and internships
Excellent placement record and starting salaries

Watch a video and take a look at some senior projects. We hope to see you in ABE soon!

Current Students - Click here for advising and degree requirement resources.

Prospective Students - Click here to learn more and schedule a visit.

The Agricultural Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Agricultural Engineering Major Change (CODO) Requirements

Degree Requirements

128 Credits Required

Pre-ABE Requirements (29-39 credits)

All courses in this area must have a C- or higher.

*Upon successful completion of Pre-ABE curriculum , students are eligible to enter their preferred engineering major within ABE. For alternative paths to ABE majors, please visit First-Year Engineering and/or speak with an ABE advisor.

Requirement #1: Intro to Engineering I - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
ENGR 13100 - Transforming Ideas To Innovation I Credits: 2.00
OR
ENGR 16100 - Honors Introduction To Innovation And The Physical Science Of Engineering Design I Credits: 4.00
OR
EPCS 11100 - First Year Participation In EPICS I Credits: 1.00 and
EPCS 12100 - First Year Participation In EPICS II Credits: 1.00
OR
VIP 17911 - First Year Participation In Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) I Credits: 1.00 and
VIP 17912 - First Year Participation In Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) II Credits: 1.00
or
ENGR 13000 - Transforming Ideas Into Innovations Credits: 4.00
Requirement #2: Intro to Engineering II - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
ENGR 13200 - Transforming Ideas To Innovation II Credits: 2.00 or
ENGR 13300 - Transforming Ideas To Innovation, EPICS/VIP Credits: 2.00 or
ENGR 16200 - Honors Introduction To Innovation And The Physical Science Of Engineering Design II Credits: 4.00 or
ENGR 13000 - Transforming Ideas Into Innovations
Requirement #3: Calculus I - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00 (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core)
MA 16100 - Plane Analytic Geometry And Calculus I Credits: 5.00 or
MA 16500 - Analytic Geometry And Calculus I Credits: 4.00
Requirement #4: Calculus II - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
MA 16200 - Plane Analytic Geometry And Calculus II Credits: 5.00 or
MA 16600 - Analytic Geometry And Calculus II Credits: 4.00
Requirement #5: Chemistry I - Credit Hours: 4.00-6.00 (satisfies Science #1 for core)
CHM 11500 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00
OR
CHM 11510 - General Chemistry I Credits: 3.00
and
CHM 11520 - General Chemistry I - Laboratory Credits: 1.00 or
CHM 11530 - General Chemistry I - Virtual Laboratory Credits: 1.00
OR
CHM 11100 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 and
CHM 11200 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00
Requirement #6: Physics - Credit Hours: 4.00 (satisfies Science #2 for core)
PHYS 17200 - Modern Mechanics Credits: 4.00
OR
ENGR 16100 - Honors Introduction To Innovation And The Physical Science Of Engineering Design I and
ENGR 16200 - Honors Introduction To Innovation And The Physical Science Of Engineering Design II
Requirement #7: Pre-ABE First-Year Engineering Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

Note: To maintain degree progression:
- Biological Engineering majors should take CHM 11600
- Agricultural and Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering majors should take CS 15900 or CS 17700.
CS 15900 - C Programming Credits: 3.00 or
CS 17700 - Programming With Multimedia Objects Credits: 4.00 or
CHM 11600 - General Chemistry
Requirement #8: Written and Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 6.00-7.00 Two of the following course options:
Written Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (satisfies Written Communication for core)
Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
SCLA 11000 - American Language And Culture For International Students I Credits: 3.00
SCLA 11100 - Language And Cultural Exchange II: Texts And Contexts Credits: 3.00

Departmental/Program Major Courses (34 credits)

Required Major Courses (34 credits)

ABE 20500 - Computations For Engineering Systems Credits: 3.00
ABE 21000 - Thermodynamics Principles Of Engineering And Biological Systems Credits: 3.00
ABE 29000 - Sophomore Seminar Credits: 1.00 (satisfies Science, Technology, & Society for core)
ABE 30500 - Physical Properties Of Biological Materials Credits: 3.00
ABE 31400 - Design Of Electronic Systems Credits: 3.00
ABE 32000 - Solid Modeling, Simulation, And Analysis Credits: 3.00
ABE 32500 - Soil And Water Resource Engineering Credits: 4.00
ABE 33000 - Design Of Machine Components Credits: 3.00
ABE 43500 - Hydraulic Control Systems For Mobile Equipment Credits: 3.00
ABE 45000 - Computational Modeling And Data Analysis In Agricultural Engineering Credits: 3.00
ABE 48400 - Project Planning And Management Credits: 1.00
ABE 48600 - Agricultural Engineering Design Credits: 3.00 (Capstone)
ABE 49000 - Professional Practice In Agricultural And Biological Engineering Credits: 1.00

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (91-95 credits)

Click here for Pre-Agricultural and Biological Engineering Requirements

AGRY 25500 - Soil Science Credits: 3.00
ENGR 13100 - Transforming Ideas To Innovation I Credits: 2.00 (satisfies Information Literacy for core)
ENGR 13200 - Transforming Ideas To Innovation II Credits: 2.00
CE 34000 - Hydraulics Credits: 3.00 and
CE 34300 - Elementary Hydraulics Laboratory Credits: 1.00
OR
ME 30800 - Fluid Mechanics Credits: 3.00 and
ME 30801 - Fluid Mechanics Laboratory Credits: 1.00
CHM 11500 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00 (satisfies Science #1 for core)
Programming or Chem II Selective
CHM 11600 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00 or
CS 15900 - C Programming Credits: 3.00 or
CS 17700 - Programming With Multimedia Objects Credits: 4.00 (Preferred)
MA 16100 - Plane Analytic Geometry And Calculus I Credits: 5.00 (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) or
MA 16500 - Analytic Geometry And Calculus I Credits: 4.00 (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core)
MA 16200 - Plane Analytic Geometry And Calculus II Credits: 5.00 or
MA 16600 - Analytic Geometry And Calculus II Credits: 4.00
MA 26100 - Multivariate Calculus Credits: 4.00
MA 26200 - Linear Algebra And Differential Equations Credits: 4.00
ME 27000 - Basic Mechanics I Credits: 3.00
ME 27400 - Basic Mechanics II Credits: 3.00
NUCL 27300 - Mechanics Of Materials Credits: 3.00
PHYS 17200 - Modern Mechanics Credits: 4.00 (satisfies Science #2 for core)
PHYS 24100 - Electricity And Optics Credits: 3.00
Economics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Sciences for core)
AGEC 20300 - Introductory Microeconomics For Food And Agribusiness Credits: 3.00
AGEC 20400 - Introduction To Resource Economics And Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00
AGEC 21700 - Economics Credits: 3.00
ECON 21000 - Principles Of Economics Credits: 3.00
ECON 25100 - Microeconomics Credits: 3.00
ECON 25200 - Macroeconomics Credits: 3.00
Agricultural Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Biological Science Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00
Biological Science Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00
Engineering Technical Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Engineering Technical Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Human Cultures: Humanities Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core)
Humanities or Social Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Humanities or Social Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Humanities or Social Science Selective (30000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
Oral Communication Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
Written Communication Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (satisfies Written Communication for core)
Written and Oral Communication Selective (20000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00

Elective (0-3 credits)

Elective - Credit Hours: 0.00-3.00

Supplemental Information

Click here for Agricultural Engineering Supplemental Information

College of Agriculture & University Level Requirements

College of Agriculture International Understanding Selective - Credit Hours: 9.00 (Agricultural Engineering, Biological Engineering, Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering - Credit Hours: 6.00)
College of Agriculture Multicultural Awareness Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
College of Agriculture Humanities or Social Science Selectives (30000+ level) (30000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
Human Cultures: Humanities or Behavioral/Social Sciences Selective (Choose from outside the College of Agriculture) - Credit Hours: 9.00
College of Agriculture Additional Written or Oral Communication Selectives - Credit Hours: 3.00

College of Agriculture Pass/No Pass Policy

College of Agriculture Undergraduate Pass/No Pass Policy

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer courses listed in the Purdue Transfer Equivalency Guide with specific Purdue Subject codes (e.g. BIOL) may be used to fulfill degree requirements at the discretion of the College of Agriculture. However, Agriculture transfer courses listed with “UND” Purdue Subject codes cannot be used for any requirements in the College of Agriculture at Purdue.

GPA Requirements

2.0 GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

University Requirements

University Core Requirements

For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.

Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
Information Literacy (IL)
Oral Communication (OC)
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
Science #1 (SCI)
Science #2 (SCI)
Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Written Communication (WC)

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:

Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement

Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample First-Year Engineering Plan of Study

Fall 1st Year

Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
Requirement #3 - Calculus I - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
Requirement #5 - Chemistry - Credit Hours: 4.00-6.00
Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

13-19 Credits

Spring 1st Year

Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
Requirement #4 - Calculus II - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
Requirement #6 - Physics - Credit Hours: 4.00
Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

16-21 Credits

Sample 4-Year Plan

Fall 2nd Year

ABE 20500 - Computations For Engineering Systems Credits: 3.00
ABE 29000 - Sophomore Seminar Credits: 1.00
MA 26100 - Multivariate Calculus Credits: 4.00
ME 27000 - Basic Mechanics I Credits: 3.00
PHYS 24100 - Electricity And Optics Credits: 3.00
Economics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
AGEC 20300 - Introductory Microeconomics For Food And Agribusiness Credits: 3.00 or
AGEC 20400 - Introduction To Resource Economics And Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00 or
AGEC 21700 - Economics Credits: 3.00 or
ECON 21000 - Principles Of Economics Credits: 3.00 or
ECON 25100 - Microeconomics Credits: 3.00 or
ECON 25200 - Macroeconomics Credits: 3.00

17 Credits

Spring 2nd Year

ABE 21000 - Thermodynamics Principles Of Engineering And Biological Systems Credits: 3.00
MA 26200 - Linear Algebra And Differential Equations Credits: 4.00
ME 27400 - Basic Mechanics II Credits: 3.00
NUCL 27300 - Mechanics Of Materials Credits: 3.00
College of Agriculture: Biological Science Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00

17 Credits

Fall 3rd Year

ABE 30500 - Physical Properties Of Biological Materials Credits: 3.00
ABE 32500 - Soil And Water Resource Engineering Credits: 4.00
AGRY 25500 - Soil Science Credits: 3.00
CE 34000 - Hydraulics Credits: 3.00 and
CE 34300 - Elementary Hydraulics Laboratory Credits: 1.00
OR
ME 30800 - Fluid Mechanics Credits: 3.00 and
ME 30801 - Fluid Mechanics Laboratory Credits: 1.00
Agricultural Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

17 Credits

Spring 3rd Year

ABE 31400 - Design Of Electronic Systems Credits: 3.00
ABE 32000 - Solid Modeling, Simulation, And Analysis Credits: 3.00
ABE 33000 - Design Of Machine Components Credits: 3.00
College of Agriculture: Biological Science Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00
Humanities or Social Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

16 Credits

Fall 4th Year

ABE 43500 - Hydraulic Control Systems For Mobile Equipment Credits: 3.00
ABE 45000 - Computational Modeling And Data Analysis In Agricultural Engineering Credits: 3.00
ABE 48400 - Project Planning And Management Credits: 1.00
ABE 49000 - Professional Practice In Agricultural And Biological Engineering Credits: 1.00
Engineering Technical Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Written and Oral Communication Selective (20000+level) - Credit Hours: 3.00

14 Credits

Spring 4th Year

ABE 48600 - Agricultural Engineering Design Credits: 3.00
Engineering Technical Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Humanities or Social Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Humanities or Social Science Selective (30000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 1.00-3.00

13-15 Credits

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

Critical Course

The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.