SEFS launches Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering (SBSE) Major
The Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering (SBSE) major launched Fall Quarter 2025. The major will give graduates the knowledge and tools to be successful process engineers, especially with processes that have biomass feedstocks, and have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of sustainability. Graduates of the major will have multiple employment opportunities with corporate sustainability departments, consulting firms, NGOs, and government agencies that have sustainability assessment needs; as well as forest products manufacturing firms and allied industries that typically hire our students. The SBSE major will have a bioresource-focused process engineering curriculum, but will also include important elements of sustainability such as lifecycle assessment, systems engineering, and a computational/data component; all topped off with a capstone design project that will have a heavy sustainability emphasis. Students in the SBSE major will be supported by the Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation (WPPF) with scholarships and with securing internships and permanent employment.
The new SBSE Major is the next iteration of the current BSE Major – the major is undergoing incremental and necessary changes as the pulp and paper industry diversifies. As the circular economy, recycling, reuse and sustainable deployment of bioresource materials pave the way for the future of pulp and paper engineering, the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences coupled with the support of the Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation is making the necessary changes to stay relevant and provide our students with a competitive degree in an increasingly competitive field.
SBSE melds sustainability and engineering together in important ways. At the intersection of chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, and environmental engineering, the SBSE Major integrates these fields by looking at the entire system holistically. The new SBSE curriculum gives students a deep understanding of the processes that transform biomass into high-value products that impact lives. In addition, with this evolution we are eliminating certain admissions barriers and broadening the pool of eligible applicants.