Agricultural engineers are often called biological and agricultural engineers, and most agricultural engineering careers require not only technological and engineering knowledge and skills, but also a thorough familiarity with the sciences. At the University of North Carolina, for example, the agricultural engineering concentration includes three chemistry courses, including a lab, two biology courses and two courses in physics. These basic science courses are supplemented with more specialized science classes, such as soil science and thermodynamics.
All engineering careers require training in higher mathematics. At the undergraduate level, most agricultural engineering students will be required to complete courses in calculus and statistics. The University of North Carolina requires three semesters of calculus and two semesters of specialized mathematics courses.
Courses in technology and mechanics will combine the agricultural engineering major's knowledge of mathematics and science. Courses might include engineering mechanics, engineering dynamics, hydraulics, fluid mechanics, geomatics, mechanics of solids, bioinstrumentation and engineering design. These specialized courses are usually introduced in the latter part of the degree program, after basic requirements have been met. Students will take courses in computer technology and systems modeling.
At the graduate level, students will work in more specialized areas of agricultural engineering. Courses at Iowa State University include watershed modeling, natural resource management, applied computational intelligence courses, air pollution, crop and livestock management, and food and grain processing and handling classes.