Graduate Programs
Program Contacts
Director of Graduate Program: Steven Shannon
Assistant Director of Graduate Program: Mario Milev
Program Resource
Graduate Degrees & Certificates
Graduate Certificate in Health Physics
The Graduate Certificate in Health Physics (GCHP) is intended to support industry, government, military and the national laboratories with expertise in radiation safety for workers who have not had formal education in the same. Many engineers and specialists work in the nuclear field who might be mechanical, electrical or civil engineers, etc. and may seek to supplement this education with radiation safety science and technology. Even graduate nuclear engineering students often have interest in health physics and obtaining this credential will enable them to demonstrate to future employers a meaningful commitment and basic competence in the same. It is further intended that this curriculum will assist students seeking to eventually become certified as health physicists through the American Board of Health Physics. This certificate is intended to help prepare students for the Board exam, and to qualify them to obtain professional experience that is also required for certification.
Total Credit Hours to Graduate
To earn the certificate, students must complete a four semester-long courses (12 total credit hours) in Nuclear Engineering.
Required Courses
- NE 504 – Radiation Safety and Shielding
- NE 590 – Health Physics and Radiological Emergency Response
Additional Courses (Select two courses from the following:)
- NE 520 – Radiation and Reactor Fundamentals
- NE 521 – Principles of Radiation Measurement
- NE 531 – Nuclear Waste Management
- NE 777 – Radiological Assessment
Program Contact
Dr. Robert Hayes, Program Director of Graduate Certificate in Health Physics (GCHP)
919.515.2321
rbhayes@ncsu.edu
Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Policy
The Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Policy (NNSP) is intended to support the demand in the government, private, and academic sectors for experts with an interdisciplinary education in both the science enabling nuclear nonproliferation regimes and the policies that create and implement those regimes. North Carolina State University (NCSU) has created an interdisciplinary graduate certificate program in Nuclear Engineering and Political Science focused on Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Policy to meet this demand.
Total Credit Hours to Graduate
To earn the certificate, students must complete a four semester-long courses (12 total credit hours) in Nuclear Engineering.
Required Courses
- PS 560 – Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy & Process
- PS 561 – Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation
Additional Courses (Select two courses from the following:)
- NE 501 – Reactor Analysis and Design
- NE 504 – Radiation Safety and Shielding
- NE 505 – Reactor Systems
- NE 512 – Nuclear Fuel Cycles
- NE 520 – Radiation and Reactor Fundamentals
- NE 541 – Nuclear Nonproliferation Technology and Policy
- NE 723 – Neutron Transport Theory
- NE 770 – Nuclear Radiation Attenuation
- NE 795 – Advanced Topics In Nuclear Engineering I
Program Contact
Dr. John Mattingly, Program Director of Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Policy
919.515.0224
jkmattin@ncsu.edu
Degrees and Requirements
The Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering (MSNE) requires 15 credit hours of graduate courses in nuclear engineering, 9 credit hours in an interdisciplinary breadth area, and 6 credit hours of research, for a total requirement of 30 credit hours. Submission of an acceptable thesis is required based on original research followed by an oral examination completes the MS degree program. Students generally take 21 months to complete this degree.
A minimum of 30 credits hours (CH) is required with a GPA of 3.0 or greater with the following breakdown:
- 15 CH in NE graduate level courses (5XX level and above with atleast one course at the 7xx level);
- 6 CH of NE 695-Master’s Thesis Research to complete a thesis;
- 9 CH in graduate level courses other than NE (interdisciplinary breadth) with at most 3 CH at the 4XX level;
The Master of Nuclear Engineering (MNE) requires 18 credit hours of graduate courses taken in nuclear engineering, 9 credit hours in an associated interdisciplinary breadth area and 3 credit hours of research. Completion of a project dealing with a current topic of interest to the nuclear industry is required. A well-prepared student can complete all of the requirements for the MNE degree, on-campus option, in 15 months. An online MNE degree is also available through Engineering Online. The MNE online option can take up to 6 years to complete, depending on course load per semester.
A minimum of 30 credits hours (CH) is required with a GPA of 3.0 or greater with the following breakdown:
- 18 CH in NE graduate level courses (5XX level and above with atleast one course at the 7xx level);
- 3 CH of NE 693 to complete a project, usually taken during the final semester.
- 9 CH in graduate level courses other than NE (interdisciplinary breadth) with at most 3 CH at the 4XX level;
The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (ABM) Program (BS-MSNE and BS-MNE) is open to nuclear engineering undergraduates with a 3.5 overall GPA average and a 3.25 average in science, math and engineering courses. It allows students to complete two degrees in a shorter time. Students are advised on what graduate-level courses to take in their undergraduate senior year; these courses will count for undergraduate and graduate-level graduation requirements. Once enrolled in NE 301, contact Ms. Lisa Marshall for paperwork completion.
Distance Education
Available for the Master of Nuclear Engineering (MNE) non-thesis degree only. Learn more.
International Applicants
International applicants are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores, the requirements can be seen here.
Applicants with a transcript that is not in English and does not display the US grading system are encouraged to use a credential evaluation service to translate their transcripts.
- Educational Credential Evaluations
- Educational Perspectives
- International Education Evaluations
- World Education Services
If one is not used, then their transcript will be translated by the department (As applicable).
About the Doctoral Program
The Ph.D. degree in Nuclear Engineering is primarily a research degree that represents attainment of a high degree of scholarship in a special field. The course program for the Ph.D. is designed to give every student a general background in fundamental areas of nuclear engineering and advanced knowledge in a selected area of research and in other subjects as dictated by the student’s interests and career needs. A doctoral degree is generally sought by those who are motivated towards careers in industrial, academia or national laboratories.
Qualifying Exam
- To satisfy the proficiency requirement in the QE examination “Part 1: Proficiency in NE course-work”, PhD students have to select 4 courses from the list of named graduate classes (which includes all permanently named 5xx and 7xx level classes with the exception of 591/592 and 795/796) and declare them as selected core classes and complete them by their third semester of enrollment in the program. The three courses with the highest grades from the selected 4 courses will be used to calculate a minimum average 3.5 GPA or higher with no course grade less than (B-) in these 3 courses is required to advance to the written/oral examination “Part 2: Competency and Aptitude in NE research”.
- To satisfy the requirement for “Part 2: Competency and Aptitude in NE research”, the student completes a written report on a journal article, conference paper or a selected research topic, and provides an oral presentation within 8 weeks from the date of the assignment on; The student’s adviser initiates Part 2 assignment and the formation of the graduate Committee of 3 members.
Total Credit Hours to Graduate
The Ph.D. program typically contains 72 credits of which a minimum of 21 credits is needed in NE graduate courses (with 2 courses being above 750 level), a minimum of 21 credits in NE research and the rest can be in additional NE courses, NE research or other STEM courses such as engineering, sciences, math or other courses related to the students plan of work.
International Applicants
International applicants are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores, the requirements can be seen here.
Applicants with a transcript that is not in English and does not display the US grading system are encouraged to use a credential evaluation service to translate their transcripts.
- Educational Credential Evaluations
- Educational Perspectives
- International Education Evaluations
- World Education Services
If one is not used, then their transcript will be translated by the department (As applicable).
Application Deadlines
Applications and all supporting documents must be received on or before the priority deadlines. The Departmental Priority Deadlines are shown below. Note that applications must be submitted to the Graduate School by midnight Eastern Standard Time on the deadline.
| Application | Fall | Spring | Summer 1/2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Citizens: | January 15 | September 15 | January 15 |
| Internationals: | January 15 | September 15 | January 15 |
Please be aware that departmental deadlines are different to Graduate school deadlines. All application fees are totally non-refundable.
Application Required Documents
- Transcript: Upload official college transcripts. Unofficial transcripts can be initially uploaded for review. However, upon admission, official transcripts must be provided to the Graduate School.
- Personal Statement: A statement about your desired academic interest, possible research area(s), and future career goals is required. Potential faculty you would like to work with should be included in this statement.
- Resume/CV
- Three recommendation letters: On your online application, list the name and email address for EACH referee. They will be notified by email message with a link to respond. Paper recommendations will not be considered.