Program Structure and Requirements
Overall Program Structure
The MSc NUCE consists of a minimum 30 credit hours, distributed as follows: 12 credit hours of Program Core courses, 9 credit hours of Elective courses, 9 credit hours of Master’s Thesis and a zero credit Research Methods course. The components of the program are summarized in the table below:
| Program Component |
Credit Hours |
| Seminar in Research Methods |
0 |
| Program Core |
12 |
| Program Electives |
9 |
| Master’s Thesis |
9 |
| Total |
30 |
Program Requirements
Students seeking the degree of MSc in Nuclear Engineering must successfully complete a minimum 30 credit hours as specified in the program requirements detailed below, with a minimum CGPA of 3.0. Course selection should be made in consultation with the student’s Main Advisor. All courses have a credit rating of three credits each, except the Seminar in Research Methods and the Master’s Thesis.
Program Core (12 credit hours)
Students must complete the core courses listed below.
Core Courses
| ENGR 695 | Seminar in Research Methods | 0 |
| NUCE 601 | Thermal Hydraulics in Nuclear Systems | 3 |
| NUCE 602 | Nuclear materials, Structural Integrity and Chemistry | 3 |
| NUCE 603 | Nuclear Reactor Theory | 3 |
| NUCE 606 | Radiation Measurement and Applications | 3 |
Program Electives (9 credit hours)
Students must select any three elective courses from the list below. Subject to approval of the Main Advisor, up to two elective courses (6 credit hours) can be taken from other MSc programs in the College of Engineering at KU.
Program Elective Courses
| NUCE 611 | Nuclear Systems Design and Analysis | 3 |
| NUCE 612 | Nuclear Safety and Probabilistic Safety | 3 |
| NUCE 613 | Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Safeguards | 3 |
| NUCE 614 | Nuclear Nonproliferation and Security | 3 |
| NUCE 621 | Nuclear Instrumentation and Control | 3 |
| NUCE 622 | Thermal Hydraulics Computations & Modelling | 3 |
| NUCE 623 | Radiological Environmental Impact Assessment | 3 |
| NUCE 624 | Radiation Damage and Nuclear Fuels | 3 |
| NUCE 625 | Advanced Core Physics for Light Water Reactors | 3 |
Master’s Thesis (minimum 9 credit hours)
Students must complete a Master’s Thesis that involves creative, research-oriented work within the broad field of nuclear engineering, under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty advisor from the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department, and at least one other full-time faculty who acts as a co-advisor. The outcome of research should demonstrate the synthesis of information into knowledge in a form that may be used by others. The research findings must be documented in a formal thesis and defended successfully in a viva voce examination. Furthermore, the research should lead to publishable quality scholarly articles.
Thesis