Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering
Degree Name and Nature of Field of study
The Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (BSABE) program is a four-year undergraduate course offered under the College of Agriculture, Resources, and Environmental Sciences (CARES) of Central Philippine University (CPU). This course was first offered as a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, a five-year program, until its renaming and curriculum revision in 2018 in order to align with CHED's Circular Memorandum Order 94 Series of 2017.
The revised BSABE program is designed to produce graduates who possess knowledge, skills, and attitude in the application of engineering science and designs to the processes and systems involved in the sustainable production, post-production, and processing of safe food, feed, fiber, timber, and other agricultural and biological materials; efficient utilization, conservation, and management of natural and renewable resources; and the development of climate change mitigation measures in order to enhance human health in harmony with the environment. Agricultural and biosystems (AB) consist of crops, poultry, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture resources, forestry and other plants, new and renewable resources, waste, natural resources, and climate.
The graduates of BSABE are expected to understand and apply engineering science and designs to identify, analyze, and create solutions for problems concerning land development, irrigation, and drainage, including dams, farm roads, and bridges; agricultural production machinery; new and renewable energy; architectural buildings and structures; postharvest and processing technologies; climate change; and natural resources, environmental, and waste management.
Course description
The CPU BSABE curriculum has well-balanced General Education, AB Science, Basic Engineering, and Professional ABE courses aimed at developing students with appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to pursue careers principally in industry and entrepreneurship, as well as in government and in the academe.
The Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering specialization shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
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Agricultural and Biosystems Power and Machinery
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Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
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Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
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Agricultural and Biosystems Buildings and Structures
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Agricultural and Bio-process Engineering
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Food Engineering
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Renewable/Bio-Energy and Farm Electrification
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Aquacultural Engineering
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Forest Engineering
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Agricultural and Biosystems Automation and Instrumentation
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Agricultural and Bio Information System
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Agrometeorology
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Agricultural and Biological Resource Conservation and Management
A unique feature of the BSABE curriculum is the requirement for the student to complete an undergraduate thesis and an industry immersion program (IIP). This considerably enhances the student’s competencies for professional practice, entrepreneurship, employment, teaching, research, extension, and graduate study in a specific field of ABE. The curriculum has a minimum total of 198 credit units, comprising 127 units of technical courses. These technical courses include 12 units of mathematics, 8 units of natural and physical sciences, 10 units of basic engineering sciences, 26 units of basic engineering for ABE, 12 units of allied courses, 48 units of professional courses, and 11 units for seminars, industry immersions, and theses. The non-technical courses in accordance with CMO 20 s. 2013 – The New General Education Curriculum consists of 50 units distributed as 24 units of general education courses, 12 units of GEC electives, 8 units of PE, and 6 units of NSTP. Other courses under the BSABE program include 8 units of institutional courses and an additional 8 units of college courses. The BSABE program has a total of 198 credit units.
The last five years show an increasing trend in the enrolment of the program with students now focusing their thesis on technology development partnered with potential adaptors of their research output, field tests of government-installed projects like solar-powered irrigation facilities, agri-waste utilization technologies, and the emerging researches on GIS-applications to the agriculture and related sectors. As early as in their Third Year, our students are already properly guided on the rigorous process of research and development, so that by the time they graduate, they would have already mastered basic project/research development and implementation through their respective individual thesis. This training is supplemented by a 240-hour Industry Immersion Program during the summer term, in which, they are linked with government and private agencies that the College deemed it necessary for them to be exposed to. Field trips in Western Visayas and in some parts of the country are also part of the curriculum to provide more exposure for student learning.
