Nuclear Engineering, MS
Whether you want to contribute to the future of electrical energy systems or produce radioactive isotopes for medication, nuclear engineering is the discipline for you. This field is continuing to grow, especially in the energy and medical sectors. You can make massive positive impacts on society as you study nuclear fission, nuclear security, or radiological engineering in our program.
Program overview
Our program continues to build an educational foundation for students who want to drive major innovations in the medical field, nuclear energy, and agriculture industry. As part of the curriculum, you will have access to first-rate facilities where you can get real-world experience in the field. Additionally, prominent industry leaders, like Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex, partner with our department, providing you with research opportunities, networking capabilities, and the advancement of your career post graduation.
Concentrations
If you choose to specialize while getting your MS in Nuclear Engineering, you have two concentrations to choose from listed below. Student can also choose to pursue a dual MS-MBA program with a major in nuclear engineering.
Nuclear Safety
Nuclear safety includes the fundamentals of nuclear criticality safety, going over the accidents that could potentially happen and the safety standards in place to prevent them from happening. This concentration also includes qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess and improve process systems for reliability and safety.
Radiological Engineering
Radiological engineering goes over the interactions of ionizing radiation with living cells and the effects of it on human health. You’ll also take a course on radiation protection that covers the standards and regulations, as well as the chemical and biological effects of radiation.
Why Study Nuclear Engineering at UT?
The nuclear field is diverse, enabling you to apply your interest in a variety of industries. To prepare you for your career, our nuclear engineering program has 27 labs where you can put research into practice, including access to a graphite pile, and offers more than $17 million in research expenditures.
Partner Facilities
Not only will you have access to labs on campus, you’ll also be provided with the opportunity to perform research in facilities with actual nuclear companies. Our department works closely with ORNL and Y-12, giving you necessary experience and networking opportunities.
What can you do with a MS in Nuclear Engineering after graduation?
With all the possible avenues, you may be wondering what you can do with your Nuclear Engineering, MS degree. Nuclear engineers work in a variety of areas, including:
- Nuclear reactor design
- Plant operation
- Radioactive waste disposal
- Medical imaging
- Fusion research
- Space nuclear power
The industries you’ll find these professions in vary from national laboratories to government agencies to industrial manufacturers.
Featured Courses
Below are some of the courses that students in our program can choose to take. For a list of courses, visit the graduate catalog.
NE 421 Introduction to Nuclear Criticality Safety
Fundamentals of nuclear criticality safety. Criticality accidents and safety standards. Overview of experiments, computational methods, and applications.
NE 542 Management of Radioactive Materials
Technology for processing, treatment, handling and storage of radioactive nuclides. Analytical and numerical methods for evaluating environmental impact of radioactive materials. Licensing and regulation issues.
NE 551 Radiation Protection
Fundamental concepts and definitions used in radiation protection. Interactions of photons, neutrons, and heavy charged particles with matter and mechanisms of energy loss. Chemical and biological effects of radiation. Introduction to current radiation protection standards and regulations.
NE 585 Process System Reliability and Safety
Qualitative and quantitative techniques for assessing and improving process systems reliability and safety. Probabilistic risk assessment, event tree analysis, fault tree analysis, statistical inference, and associated dependent failure analysis.
Related Programs
Still unsure what graduate program you want to attend? Here are some related programs to nuclear engineering:
Admissions and Aid
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