Information for current BSE Majors considering a switch to the Sustainable Bioresource Systems Engineering Major (SBSE)

Items to Consider in Your Decision: Major Start

Current BSE majors are either starting year 3 (Junior year) or year 4 (Senior year) of the major.  While all student situations are different, by and large, most Seniors will likely find it advantageous to stay in the BSE major, whereas many Juniors will likely find it advantageous to switch to the SBSE major.  In the end though, it comes down to which set of requirements you would prefer to complete and which major title you would prefer.  Please reach out to SEFS Advising if you have specific questions about your particular situation.

How to switch from the BSE major to the SBSE major

Current BSE Majors who know they wish to switch to the SBSE curriculum can do so by emailing a request to be switched to SEFS Advising.

Comparison Table: BSE vs SBSE

The table compares the present BSE major requirements to the SBSE major requirements.  

All UW Courses are listed in the UW Course Descriptions. Departments with specific courses identified below: A A, AMATH, BSE, CHEM, CSE, ECON, ENGL, ESRM, INFO, MATH, PHYS, Q SCI, SBSE,  

 Basic Skills 

 Areas of Inquiry: Arts and Humanities (A&H) and Social Science (SSc) 

 Areas of Inquiry: Natural Sciences (NSc)

 Core Engineering Requirements 

Note: the BSE Course Prefix will be replaced by the SBSE course prefix in Autumn 2025.  Most SBSE-prefixed course titles are the same as the BSE course titles in the Catalog; any exceptions can be found in the SBSE course listings. 

 Elective Requirement