Nuclear Engineering

Degrees Offered

• Master of Engineering (Nuclear Engineering)
• Master of Science (Nuclear Engineering)
• Doctor of Philosophy (Nuclear Engineering)

Program Description

The Nuclear Science and Engineering program at Colorado School of Mines is interdisciplinary in nature and draws contributions from departments across the university. While delivering a traditional Nuclear Engineering course core, the School of Mines program in Nuclear Science and Engineering emphasizes the nuclear fuel life cycle. Faculty bring to the program expertise in all aspects of the nuclear fuel life cycle: fuel exploration and processing, nuclear power systems production, design and operation, fuel recycling, storage and waste remediation, radiation detection, and radiation damage as well as the policy issues surrounding each of these activities. Related research is conducted through the Nuclear Science and Engineering Center.

Students in all three Nuclear Engineering degrees are exposed to a broad systems overview of the complete nuclear fuel cycle as well as obtaining detailed expertise in a particular component of the cycle. Breadth is assured by requiring all students to complete a rigorous set of core courses. The core consists of a 13-credit hour course sequence. The remainder of the course and research work is obtained from the multiple participating departments, as approved for each student by the student's advisor and the student's thesis committee (as appropriate).

The Master of Engineering degree is a non-thesis graduate degree intended to supplement the student's undergraduate degree by providing the core knowledge needed to prepare the student to pursue a career in the nuclear energy field. The master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees are thesis-based degrees that emphasize research.

In addition, students majoring in allied fields may complete a minor degree through the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program, consisting of 12 credit hours of coursework (9 credit hours for master's students). The Nuclear Science and Engineering Minor programs are designed to allow students in allied fields to acquire and then indicate, in a formal way, specialization in a nuclear-related area of expertise.

Program Director

Mark Jensen, Jerry and Tina Grandey University Chair in Nuclear Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry

Department of Chemistry

Mark Jensen, Professor and Jerry and Tina Grandey University Chair in Nuclear Science and Engineering

Thomas Albrecht-Schönzart, Distinguished University Professor, Nuclear Science and Engineering Center Director

Jenifer Shafer, Professor

Department of Economics and Business

Roderick Eggert, Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Mark Deinert, Associate Professor

Andrew Osborne, Assistant Professor

Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Kip Findley, Professor

Jeffrey King, Professor

Ivar Reimanis, Professor, Department Head and Herman F. Coors Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Engineering

Haitao Dong, Radiation Safety Officer

Department of Physics

Uwe Greife, Professor

Kyle Leach, Associate Professor

Frederic Sarazin, Professor

Program Requirements

The Nuclear Science and Engineering Program offers programs of study leading to three graduate degrees:

Master of Engineering (ME)

Master of Science (MS)

MS students must complete and defend a research thesis in accordance with this Graduate catalog and the Nuclear Science and Engineering Thesis Procedures. The student must complete the preparation and defense of a thesis proposal as described by the Nuclear Science and Engineering Proposal Procedures at least one semester before the student defends his or her MS thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

PhD students must successfully complete the program's quality control process.

The PhD quality control process includes the following:

• Prior to admission to candidacy, the student must complete all of the Nuclear Engineering required core and elective core classes.
• Prior to admission to candidacy, the student must pass a qualifying examination in accordance with the Nuclear Science and Engineering Qualifying Exam Procedures.
• A PhD thesis proposal must be presented to, and accepted by, the student's thesis committee in accordance with the Nuclear Science and Engineering Proposal Procedures.
• The student must complete and defend a PhD thesis in accordance with this Graduate catalog and the Nuclear Science and Engineering Thesis Procedures.

Thesis Committee Requirements

The student's thesis committee must meet the general requirements listed in the Graduate Bulletin section on Graduate Degrees and Requirements. In addition, the student's advisor or co-advisor must be an active faculty member of Mines Nuclear Science and Engineering Program. For MS students, at least two, and for PhD students, at least three, committee members must be faculty members of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program and must come from at least two different departments. At least one member of the PhD committee must be a faculty member from outside the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program.

Required Curriculum

In order to be admitted to the Nuclear Science and Engineering Graduate Degree Program, students must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Baccalaureate degree in a science or engineering discipline from an accredited program
• Mathematics coursework up to and including differential equations
• Coursework in thermodynamics
• ENGY475 (or equivalent).

Students who do not meet these minimum requirements may be admitted with specified coursework to be completed in the first semesters of the graduate program. These introductory courses will be selected in consultation with the student's graduate advisor.

All degree offerings within the Nuclear Science and Engineering program are based on a set of required and elective core courses. The required core classes are:

Additionally, students pursuing a Nuclear Engineering graduate degree must take a certain number of courses from the elective core (four for a ME or PhD, two for an MS). The core electives consist of the following:

Additionally, a 500-level Nuclear Physics class counts toward the credits required to fulfill core elective requirements.  This is optional for Master's degrees but required for a PhD degree.

Students will select additional coursework in consultation with their graduate advisor and their thesis committee (where applicable). Through these additional courses, students gain breadth and depth in their knowledge the Nuclear Engineering industry.

Students seeking MS and PhD degrees are required to complete the minimum research credit requirements ultimately leading to the completion and defense of a thesis. Research is conducted under the direction of a member of Mines Nuclear Science and Engineering faculty and could be tied to a research opportunity provided by industry partners.

Graduate Seminar

Full-time graduate students in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in Nuclear Science and Engineering Seminar. Students who are concurrently enrolled in a different degree program that also requires seminar attendance may have this requirement waived at the discretion of the program director.

Mines' Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Program

Students enrolled in Mines’ combined undergraduate/graduate program may double count up to 6 credits of graduate coursework to fulfill requirements of both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. These courses must have been passed with B- or better, not be substitutes for required coursework, and meet all other university, department, and program requirements for graduate credit.

Students are advised to consult with their undergraduate and graduate advisors for appropriate courses to double count upon admission to the combined program.

Minor Degree Programs

Students majoring in allied fields may choose to complete minor degree programs through the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program indicating specialization in a nuclear-related area of expertise. Minor programs require completion of 9 credits of approved coursework (masters degree), or 12 credits of approved coursework (PhD). Existing minors and their requirements are as follows, with the first three courses listed being required for a masters degree, and the last being an additional requirement for a PhD degree:

Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear Materials Processing

Nuclear Detection

Courses