Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering Program
Educational Objective
The objective of the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering is to provide graduate students and professional, non-degree students from various engineering and science departments at MU with a unique opportunity to develop expertise in nuclear engineering that will enhance their job opportunities in the nuclear field.
Requirements for Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering
Students will be required to take the 12 credit hours of coursework from the Nuclear Engineering (NE) degree program curriculum. Co-listed courses with the Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute NE classes may be considered towards this requirement. As permitted by the University Policy regarding Graduate Certificate offerings, a maximum of 6 credit hours may be count for both degree course credit within their department and the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering. However, total credit hours needed to complete their degree need not exceed Departmental or Graduate School requirements. Students will be required to take courses that broaden their knowledge and understanding in nuclear engineering. A student's advisor and graduate committee from the host department and the Graduate Studies Director in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute will approve the courses. The selection of courses is restricted 7000 level or above starting and all courses must be successfully completed with a final grade of 'B' or above. Courses must be selected from the list shown in Table 1, below, and documented on the Graduate School’s “Course of Study for Graduate Certificate” form. Course credit hours for the certificate could also be applied towards the total credit hours needed for the departmental degree requirements, if accepted by the student’s department.
Course Work
Students should take at least one course from each of the three clusters listed in Table 1. The student may choose their fourth course from either Basic Radiation Science Cluster or from the other three clusters. A minimum of 12 credit hours must be documented (using the Course of Study for Graduate Certificate form) in order to qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering.
Graduate Catalog summaries for each of the courses included in the Certificate program are given below, and a syllabus for each of the Nuclear Engineering courses is included in the Appendix.
NE 7303—Radiation Safety (3). Types and origins of radiation; radiation detection and measurement; radiation interactions; shielding; dose calculations; federal, state and local regulations; and procedures for safe uses of radiation. Laboratory experiments in radiation measurements and protection. Prerequisite: college physics, calculus based.
NE 7328—Introductory Radiation Biology (3). (same as Biological Sciences 7328, Radiology 7328, Veterinary Medicine & Surgery 7328). Concepts of ionizing radiations, their actions on matter through effects on simple chemical systems, biological molecules, cell, organisms, man. Prerequisite: Graduate standing Sciences/Engineering; one course in Biological Sciences and Physics/Chemistry; or instructor’s consent.
NE 7346—Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Engineering I (3). (same as Electrical Engineering 7030). Engineering principles of nuclear power systems, primarily for the production of electrical energy. Prerequisites: Engineering 1200, 2300, or equivalent; Mathematics 304 or instructor’s consent.
NE 7391—Nuclear Radiation Detection (3). Principles and application of radiation detectors and analyzers: ionization, Geiger-Muller, proportional, liquid and solid scintillation, semiconductor, pulse height analyzers, coincidence circuits, data reduction, tracer applications, activation analysis. Lectures, laboratory. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor’s consent.
NE 8402—Nuclear Fuel Cycle (3). Covers the nuclear fuel cycle from mine through enrichment, fuel element burnup reactor physics, chemical reprocessing, waste disposal, with special emphasis on the newer proliferation-resistant fuel cycles. Prerequisite: NE 7346 or NE 7305, and instructor’s consent.
NE 8404—Nuclear Reactor Laboratory I (3). Application of reactor physics principals to operation of and experiments with the University of Missouri Research Reactor. Neutron activation analysis, instrumentation, reactivity evaluation. Prerequisite: NE 4346/7346 or NE 8411.
NE 8409—Interaction of Radiation with Matter (3). Theory/applications of radiation interaction processes. Reviews nuclear physics concepts; radioactive decay; sources/ spectra of ionizing radiation; collision mechanisms for changed particles, electromagnetic radiation, neutrons for interaction with matter. Prerequisite: Math 7100 or equivalent, Physics 2750 and 2760 or equivalent.
NE 8411—Nuclear Reactor Theory I (3). Nuclear reactions; nuclear fission; introduces neutron transport; diffusion and slowing down of neutrons; steady-state homogeneous and heterogeneous reactor theory. Prerequisite: NE 7346, or instructor’s consent.
NE 8429—Radiation Dosimetry (3). Basis and applications of conventional and microscopic radiation dosimetry. Dose concepts and quantities; biological dose-response models; dose measurement principles; photon, charged particle, and neutron dosimetry. Prerequisite: NE 8409. Recommended: NE 4328/7328.
PHYS 8200—Nuclear Physics (3). Properties of nuclei and nuclear radiation, detection methods, high-energy nuclear phenomena. Prerequisite: PHYS 4800.
NE 8453—Advanced Fusion Theory (3). Plasma stability theory, charged particle diffusion, slowing down of charged particles, interaction of radiation with matter, direct energy conversion using charged particles, and engineering considerations. Prerequisites: NE 4353/7353 and NE 4375/7375, or Physics 8450, or instructor’s consent.
NE 8461—Neutron Transport Theory (3). The Boltzmann equation; general properties and solution; numerical methods of solving the transport equation; neutron thermalization and neutron spectra. Prerequisite: NE 8412, Mathematics 4940/7940, and 4307/7307, or instructor’s consent.
CHEM 8610—Advanced Radiochemistry (3). Reviews current advances in radiochemistry, hot atom chemistry chemistry, radiation chemistry, nuclear spectrometry. Prerequisite: CHEM 8600, or equivalent.
NE 8471—Radiation Protection (3). Theory and applications of radiation protection and health physics. Radiation dosimetry methods and calculations, shielding evaluations, equipment surveys and inspection, environmental monitoring, radiation standards and regulations and administration presented. Prerequisite: NE 4303/7303, and NE 4328/7328 or equivalent.
Table 1: Courses for Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Engineering
Cluster I: Nuclear Engineering
Course # |
Course Name |
Credit Hours |
Semester Offered |
NE 7346 |
Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Engineering I |
3 |
Fall |
NE 8404 |
Nuclear Reactor Laboratory 1 |
3 |
Winter |
NE 8411 |
Nuclear Reactor Theory I |
3 |
Winter |
NE 8461 |
Neutron Transport Theory |
3 |
Fall |
NE 8402 |
Nuclear Fuel Cycle |
3 |
Winter |
Cluster II: Radiation Detection and Dosimetry
Course # |
Course Name |
Credit Hours |
Semester Offered |
NE 7391 |
Radiation Detection |
3 |
Winter |
NE 8429 |
Radiation Dosimetry |
3 |
Winter |
CHEM 8610 |
Advanced Radiochemistry |
3 |
Fall |
Cluster III: Nuclear and Atomic Physics, and Interaction of Radiation with Matter
Course # |
Course Name |
Credit Hours |
Semester Offered |
NE 8409 |
Interaction of Radiation with Matter |
3 |
Fall |
PHYS 8200 |
Nuclear Physics |
3 |
Winter |
NE 8453 |
Advanced Fusion Theory |
3 |
Fall |
Cluster IV: Basic Radiation Science Cluster
Course # |
Course Name |
Credit Hours |
Semester Offered |
NE 7303 |
Radiation Safety |
3 |
Winter |
NE 7328 |
Introductory Radiation Biology |
3 |
Winter |
NE 8471 |
Radiation Protection |
3 |
Winter |