PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE bioresources.com McAlexander et al. (2021). “Careers in bioproducts,” BioResources 16(3), 5679-5693. 5679 Measuring Undergraduate Students’ Beliefs about and Career Interest in Bioproducts and Bioenergy S. L. McAlexander, a,b, * S. M. Noble, c K. McCance, a M. R. Blanchard, a and R. A. Venditti b Two survey instruments measuring undergraduate students’ beliefs about bioproducts/bioenergy and related careers were developed and validated in this research study. The Beliefs about Bioproducts/Bioenergy (BABB) and Career Interest in Bioproducts/Bioenergy (CIBB) surveys were administered to undergraduate students enrolled in courses in a natural resources college. BABB (N = 168) and CIBB (N = 203) survey results were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Validity and reliability were demonstrated. The BABB has two related scales, Personal (P) and Societal (S), which can be used together or separately. ANOVA and t-test analyses determined that students with majors closely related to bioproducts/bioenergy held significantly more positive personal and societal beliefs about bioproducts/bioenergy, as well as related career interests. Differences were identified based on gender, but not by race/ethnicity. Measuring student beliefs about bioproducts/bioenergy and interest in related careers may help to gauge trends and changes in beliefs that influence environmentally-related choices and support efforts to prepare a diverse workforce for the bioeconomy. The authors recommend the use of these surveys to measure the impacts of academic and professional development experiences. Keywords: Undergraduate; Bioeconomy; Bioproducts; Careers; Diverse workforce Contact information: a: Department of STEM Education, North Carolina State University, 2310 Stinson Dr., Raleigh, NC 27695 USA; b: Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, 431 Dan Allen Drive, Raleigh NC 27695-8005 USA; c: Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, 2310 Stinson Dr., Raleigh, NC 27695 USA; *Corresponding author: slmcalex@ncsu.edu INTRODUCTION There is a global movement toward a bio-based economy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources (Langholtz et al. 2016). This shift enables a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, mitigation of climate change, and a contribution to energy independence (Guo and Song 2018). Bio-based products contributed $459 billion (excluding biofuels) to the US economy in 2016, and jobs in these industries grew by 17% from 2014 to 2016 (Golden et al. 2018). Additionally, biofuels represent a major component of the bioeconomy-based sectors, with the ethanol industry alone providing 10 percent of US motor fuel (Mercier and Halbrook 2020). In the United States (US), social and economic norms, consumer education and preferences, current technologies, and the existing infrastructure need to be addressed to support the transition from a fossil fuel- based society to a renewable resource-based society (Smith and Diggans 2020). This transition requires wide-ranging and interdisciplinary knowledge and skills (Knierim et al. 2018) and the development of a competent workforce of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals (Sissine 2007).