Bioresource engineering is a unique branch of engineering encompassing biological, agricultural, food, and environmental engineering disciplines, as well as many traditional engineering fields; its focus is the application of professional engineering skills to biological systems. The fundamental basis of bioresource engineering is the transdisciplinary interaction between engineering science and design, with biological, physical, chemical, and other natural sciences. Bioresource engineers strive to design and implement solutions for food sustainability and the well-being of society while maintaining the high-quality of the environment for generations to come.

Together with other B.Eng. programs offered by peer engineering departments in the Faculty of Engineering, Bioresource Engineering is accredited through the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Therefore, graduates of the bachelor bioresource engineering program are eligible for registration as professional engineers (P.Eng.) in any province in Canada, as well as some international jurisdictions. The optional Bioresource Engineering Professional Agrology program qualifies graduates to apply for registration to the Ordre des agronomes du Québec and similar licensing bodies in other provinces in addition to the P.Eng. license.

The complementary portion of the Bioresource Engineering curriculum is organized according to three non-restrictive streams, including: Bio-Environmental Engineering, Bio-Process Engineering, and Bio-Production Engineering.

Students who follow the Bio-Environmental Engineering stream will learn to be responsible stewards of the environment and natural resources. This stream includes the study of soil and water quality management and conservation, organic waste treatment, urban and rural ecology, sustainability engineering, biodiversity preservation, climate change adaptation, and many other related topics.

Students who follow the Bio-Production Engineering stream use natural sciences and engineering skills to design systems and machines for the production of different types of crops, animal-based products, and biomass. Students learn about the design of machines and structures, different production systems and technologies, instrumentation and controls, geospatial data management, precision agriculture, and emerging intelligent bio-production concepts.

Through the Bio-Process Engineering stream, students apply engineering principles to transform agricultural commodities and biomass into products such as food, fiber, fuel, and biochemicals. Topics include the engineering of foods and food processes, physical properties of biological materials, post-harvest technology, fermentation and bio-processing, the management of organic wastes, biotechnology, the design of machinery for bioprocessing, etc.

In addition, students may choose to follow the Bioresource Engineering Professional Agrology as well as the Bioresource Engineering Honors Program. Multiple minors are also available. For details related to curriculum options and to select the most suitable stream, please refer to the Departmental website at mcgill.ca/bioeng.

All required and complementary courses must be passed with a minimum grade of C. Bioresource Engineering students spend one term on the Downtown Campus of McGill University taking courses from the Faculty of Engineering.

Students can also pursue a minor. Several possibilities are: Agricultural Production, Environment, Ecological Agriculture, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Construction Engineering and Management, Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Engineering. Details of some of these minors can be found under Faculty of Engineering > Undergraduate > Browse Academic Units & Programs > Minor Programs. To complete a minor, it is necessary to spend at least one extra term beyond the normal requirements of the B.Eng.(Bioresource) program.

See Bachelor of Engineering (Bioresource) – B.Eng.(Bioresource) for a list of B.Eng.(Bioresource) programs offered.