University Bulletin
Undergraduate Degree Programs
University Park, College of Engineering (NUC E)
PROFESSOR KAREN A. THOLE, Head, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
PROFESSOR JACK S. BRENIZER, JR., Program Chair, Nuclear Engineering Program
The overall educational objective of the Nuclear Engineering program is to prepare our graduates to function effectively in the marketplace in a wide range of career paths in Nuclear Engineering. The technical part of the curriculum, emphasizes power engineering, which refers to complex systems used to generate electricity. Because our emphasis in power engineering is strong, and because a shortage for this expertise exists in the industry, generally the industry values our graduates highly. We recognize that nuclear science is an important growth area. We constantly assess and review the needs of our undergraduate students and their most frequent employers and use this feedback to consider revisions to our curriculum so that it is responsive to the needs of our constituents.
Accordingly, we will maintain and provide a curriculum that prepares our graduates such that:
The first two years of the program stress fundamentals in mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer programming, and engineering sciences such as mechanics, materials, and thermodynamics. The last two years provide the breadth and depth in nuclear science, behavior of heat and fluids, reactor theory and engineering, and radiation measurement. The laboratory work includes experiments using the University's 1,000-kilowatt research reactor. Engineering design is incorporated in many courses from the freshman year to the senior year, but is particularly emphasized in the senior capstone design course, which integrates the critical elements of reactor theory, reactor engineering, safety considerations and economic optimization into a reactor design.
Many graduates are employed by electric power companies that use nuclear power plants, or by companies that help service and maintain those plants. They use their knowledge of engineering principles, radioactive decay, interactions of radiation with matter, and nuclear reactor behavior to help assure that the power plants meet the demand for reliable, economic electricity while ensuring a safe environment. To do this, graduates must be problem solvers who can develop and use complex computer models and sophisticated monitoring systems, design systems to handle radioactive waste, determine if the materials in the plant are becoming brittle or corroded, or manage the fuel in the reactor to get the maximum energy from it. Other graduates work in industries that use radioactivity or radiation to detect problems or monitor processes. Jobs are also found in branches of the government as designers of the next generation of reactors for submarines, aircraft carriers, or space probes, or to manage and clean up contaminates wastes. They could also be involved with regulation of nuclear power or radiation uses, or in research to develop advanced technologies that will be used in next-generation power plants. Graduates who want to further their education in the fields of health physics, radiation biology, or nuclear medical applications find this degree to be a useful preparation.
For the B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering, a minimum of 129 credits is required. This baccalaureate program in Nuclear Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; telephone 410-347-7700; or www.abet.org.
Scheduling Recommendation by Semester Standing given like (Sem:1-2)
GENERAL EDUCATION: 45 credits
(27 of these 45 credits are included in the REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
(See description of General Education in front of Bulletin.)
FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR:
(Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
UNITED STATES CULTURES AND INTERNATIONAL CULTURES:
(Included in GENERAL EDUCATION course selection)
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM:
(Included in REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR)
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR: 111 credits
(This includes 27 credits of General Education courses: 9 credits of GN courses; 6 credits of GQ courses; 3 credits of GS courses; 9 credits of GWS courses.)
PRESCRIBED COURSES (89 credits)
CHEM 110 GN(3)[1], CHEM 111 GN(1), EDSGN 100(3), MATH 140 GQ(4)[1], MATH 141 GQ(4)[1], PHYS 211 GN(4)[1], PHYS 212 GN(4) (Sem: 1-2)
E MCH 211(3), E MCH 212(3), E MCH 213(3), M E 300(3), MATH 230(4), MATH 251(4)[1], PHYS 214 GN(2) (Sem: 3-4)
E E 212(3), E MCH 315(2), E MCH 316(1), M E 320(3), M E 410(3), NUC E 301(4)[1], NUC E 302(4)[1], NUC E 309(3)[1], NUC E 450(3)[1] (Sem: 5-6)
ENGL 202C GWS(3), NUC E 310W(2), NUC E 403(3), NUC E 430(3)[1], NUC E 431W(4), NUC E 451(3) (Sem: 7-8)
ADDITIONAL COURSES (19 credits)
Select 1 credit of First-Year Seminar (Sem: 1-2)
ECON 002 GS(3), ECON 004 GS(3), ECON 014 GS(3) or E B F 200 GS(3) (Sem: 1-2)
ENGL 015 GWS(3) or ENGL 030 GWS(3) (Sem: 1-2)
CAS 100A GWS(3) or CAS 100B GWS(3) (Sem: 3-4)
CMPSC 201 GQ(3) or CMPSC 202 GQ(3) (Sem: 3-4)
Select 6 credits, of which 3 credits must be designated as design, from BIOE 406(3), NUC E 405, NUC E 407(3), NUC E 408, NUC E 409, NUC E 420, NUC E 428, NUC E 444, NUC E 445, NUC E 460(3), NUC E 470(3), NUC E 490, NUC E 496(1-18), NUC E 497(1-9) or 500-level NUC E courses with approval of adviser (Sem: 7-8)
SUPPORTING COURSES AND RELATED AREAS (3 credits)
(These courses may have to be chosen so that the engineering design or engineering science requirements for the major are met.)
Select 3 credits in General Technical Elective (GTE) courses from department list. (Sem: 7-8)
(Students who complete Basic ROTC may substitute 6 of the ROTC credits for 3 credits of GTE and 3 credits of GHA.)
[1] A student enrolled in this major must receive a grade of C or better, as specified in Senate Policy 82-44.
Last Revised by the Department: Spring Semester 2008
Blue Sheet Item #: 36-01-040
Review Date: 8/28/07
UCA Revision #1: 8/9/06
UCA Revision #2: 7/30/07
Dept head update by Publications: 8/1/06
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