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Graduate Degree Programs
M.P.S in Sustainable Engineering Management

The program in Sustainable Engineering Management allows students to investigate a variety of science and engineering topics together with courses in business, management, policy, law and other fields to form a Professional Science Master’s program (PSM) recognized by the Council of Graduate Schools.

Students in this program must complete a total of 36 credit hours.  The topical core of the program consists of 21 credit hours of courses in their technical field. An additional 12 credits of courses in business, management, policy, law and other areas constitute the “plus” courses in the degree. An integrative experience (3 credit hours) in the form of an internship or research experience is also required. The selection of the “plus” courses as well as technical electives allows students to develop study programs tailored to their individual interests and strengths. 

The M.P.S. program in Sustainable Engineering Management is intended for students who:

  • have a B.S. degree in an appropriate STEM field and wish to extend their technical knowledge in this area together with obtaining professional skills characterized by the “plus” courses
  • have worked in the industry and wish to return for a professional degree that incorporates business skills into the program.

Students entering the M.P.S. program should have a B.S. degree in a science- or engineering-related field. In terms of coursework, students should have the necessary prerequisites to take the courses that are required for the degree or be prepared to take these courses prior to taking the required courses. In general, students should have taken as part of their undergraduate program at least two semesters of calculus, two semesters of general chemistry, a semester of physics and a semester of biology. Additional chemistry, biology, and computer science courses, while not required, would be helpful.

Areas of Study

Bioprocess Engineering

This option encompasses both the use of renewable and sustainable resources (e.g., wood) for the production of chemicals, advanced materials, fuel, and energy, as well as the use of bioprocessing technology to produce such products. Such bioproducts extend to the production of energy from renewable resources including the use of gasification, co-firing of byproducts, anerobic digestion, solar, and the production of ethanol. Courses include chemical engineering, advanced chemistry, biotechnology, and bioengineering, building on a strong base of mathematics, chemistry, and biology. Graduates of this program will have an understanding of the technical field of bioprocess engineering together with a background in business and management.

Paper Engineering

Studies in this option deal closely with processes involved in the manufacture of pulp and paper as well as the allied industries. Courses concerned with this subject are central to a student’s program, extended and enriched with selected courses in chemistry, polymers, chemical engineering, process control, applied mathematics, and computer applications.  Supporting this work is an experimental pulp and paper mill with two complete paper machines, a pressurized refiner and extensive auxiliary equipment. Graduates of this program will have an understanding of the pulp, paper, and allied industries together with a background in business and management to understand the context of the industry in society.

The M.P.S. Degree

The M.P.S. is an innovative graduate degree designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in science or engineering while also developing skills in the areas of business, management, and other professional skills. The Sustainable Engineering Management M.P.S. in Paper and Bioprocess Engineering serves to:

  • Produce graduates who effectively practice engineering for the design and operation of systems in their particular area of Sustainable Engineering Management.
  • Produce graduates who can apply their knowledge of business, management, policy, and other areas to their particular area of Sustainable Engineering Management.
  • Produce graduates who successfully obtain professional positions requiring a strong understanding of the knowledge and skills of the engineering profession.
  • Produce graduates who are prepared to advance in the engineering profession and be successful in employment and academic opportunities.

Participating Faculty

  • Thomas E. Amidon; teamidon@esf.edu
    biorefinery, fiber properties, paper properties, management, pulping, bleaching, de-inking
  • Biljana Bujanovic; bbujanovic@esf.edu
    chemistry of lignocellulosics and products, lignin structure and reactivity, pulping, bleaching
  • Siddharth G. Chatterjee; schatterjee@esf.edu
    transport phenomena, design, simulation, pollution abatement
  • Klaus Dölle; kdoelle@esf.edu
    pulp & paper and related environmental topics, design, constructed wetlands,subsurface bioreactors, fossil energy, bioenergy, hydropower, water and waste water treatment, paper recycling, paper development, filler materials, energy savings, renewable energy & processes, engineering, machine & process design.
  • Raymond C. Francis; francis@esf.edu
    bioenergy, chemical engineering, pulping
  • Shijie Liu; sliu@esf.edu
    bioengineering, fermentation, kinetics, separation, pulping, bleaching, fiber properties, sustainability, biofuel, renewable chemicals, biomaterials
  • Bandaru V. Ramarao; bvramara@esf.edu
    chemical engineering, separation processes, adsorption, chromatography, filtration, membrane, depth filtration, columns, cellulosic materials, lignocellulosics separations, hydrolysis, papermaking, paper physics.
  • Gary M. Scott; gmscott@esf.edu
    biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, paper machine operations, recycling, modeling