弗吉尼亚理工大学

The Department of Sustainable Biomaterials is one of the leading academic programs in North America. We support a large graduate education program where students are engaged in research. Due to the nature of sustainable biomaterials, we have considerable interaction in our graduate education and research endeavors with other departments, colleges, centers and institutes on the Virginia Tech campus. Our faculty expertise is diverse and experienced in support of our graduate education mission.

We provide educational and research opportunities in the areas of sustainable biomaterials, spanning the range from nanotechnology and the basic science of wood and other renewable materials, through processing, manufacturing, marketing, management, and competitiveness aspects of the various biomaterials industries. Some of our research is done in concert with our faculty-directed research centers and is supported by these Centers and their external cooperators.

General areas of degree specialization within our graduate program include: Forest Products Marketing, Non-Timber Forest Products, Packaging Science, Pallet and Container Design, Wood Engineering, Wood Performance in Structures, Composites, Adhesion, Wood Formation, Cell Wall Architecture, Bio-Materials, Lumber Drying and Processing, Lean Manufacturing, Wood Industry Management, Packaging for Modern Supply Chains, Packaging and Unit Load Design.

The M.F. is a non-thesis degree intended to serve the needs of those who have a prior sustainable biomaterials degree and who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills, or those who have no previous degree in sustainable biomaterials.

In addition to formal course work at the graduate and senior undergraduate levels that is commensurate with the objectives of the student's degree program, a substantive paper worth three to six hours of academic credit is required. A minimum of 33 credit hours in formal course work, inclusive of hours credited towards the degree paper, must be passed with a minimum GPA of 3.0 for courses in the program of study.

The M.F. student must pass a comprehensive oral examination covering his/her course work and the degree paper. All Graduate School requirements apply to the nature and timing of the candidate's final examination.