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Join Us Change of Degree Application (CODA)

Students who complete first-year engineering requirements can apply to CODA and declare a major in one of our department’s degree programs.

Undergraduate Inquiries: Lisa Marshall

Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering

Career Focus Nuclear engineers develop designs for nuclear power plants, apply radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, build alternative energy systems, and develop power systems to fuel satellites and deep space probes.
Jobs and Salary Nuclear Engineers Occupational Outlook and Salary – Bureau of Labor Statistics
NE Curriculum

Students who complete first-year engineering requirements can apply to CODA into the BS degree program in nuclear engineering.
Minor in NE? Yes. Our department offers a minor in nuclear engineering, typically to students in science, math or engineering majors. The nuclear industry hires graduates who may not have an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering but have sufficient knowledge in nuclear engineering basics.
Accelerated Tracks Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s (ABM) Program for BS-MS and BS-MNE. The ABM program is open to nuclear engineering majors 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 Lisa Marshall for paperwork completion.
Total Credit Hours to Graduate 123
Mission The mission statement for the Nuclear Engineering Department, which embraces the missions of both the college and university, states that the Department of Nuclear Engineering has four primary missions, these being:

  • Provide a quality education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to students who desire to pursue careers in nuclear science and engineering;
  • Develop research programs in areas of emphasis related to applications of nuclear science and engineering;
  • Assist industries and government in North Carolina, nationally and internationally in their efforts to apply these nuclear technologies to the betterment of the economy and the environment – in a safe, effective, and innovative manner;
  • Enhance, promote, and utilize the PULSTAR research reactor and associated facilities in an exemplary manner, leading to national recognition as a premier 1 MW Nuclear Reactor Program dedicated to research, teaching, and extension.
Program Focus In collaboration with representatives of the significant constituency groups, the faculty of the department developed the following educational objectives for the program in Nuclear Engineering. Within a few years after graduation, alumni of this program will attain:

  • A track record of solving technical challenges facing the field of nuclear engineering through the detailed process of engineering design and the advance of nuclear engineering practice and research
  • A reputation of adhering to the highest professional and ethical standards in the field, holding both the societal and environmental impact of their field’s practices in the highest regard.
  • Written and oral communication skills that are highly effective in a diverse, cross-disciplinary, and global community of colleagues and stake holders.
  • The professional responsibility of continued self-improvement and education through professional licensing, graduate and professional education, and continued lifelong learning.
Student Outcomes The outcomes for the nuclear engineering program correspond to those prescribed by ABET in “Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs” and are listed below. Each outcome is further defined with respect to expected accomplishments of graduates of the nuclear engineering program (see bullet items). The program Outcomes are documented in the ABET assessment plan of the Department of Nuclear Engineering. Graduates of the nuclear engineering program at North Carolina State University have:

  • An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering:
    • Graduates should show that they can employ mathematics, physics and the thermal sciences in solving a wide range of nuclear engineering problems.
    • Graduates should show they can relate the concepts of modern and nuclear physics to applications in nuclear engineering and technology.
    • Graduates should show they understand the basic physical and mathematical models of particle transport (neutron transport, diffusion, and slowing down theories) and the areas of application of these models to nuclear and radiological systems and processes
  • An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data:
    • Graduates should show they have the ability to measure nuclear and radiation processes.
    • Graduates should show they have the ability to conduct measurements of heat transfer and fluid flow processes.
    • Graduates should show that they can design experiments in terms of collecting data, specifying which parameters are to be measured, and how many measurements to take.
    • Graduates should show that they can measure and record raw test data and analyze those data for the purposes of understanding and explaining the data. Graduates should be able to represent data in both verbal and visual forms (equations, tables, graphs, figures, etc.) in a way that is both an accurate and an honest reflection of the data.
  • An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs:
    • Graduates should show that they can establish the goal of the design project.
    • Graduates should show that they can define the project by identifying the criteria that the project must meet, the standards against which the success of the outcome will be measured and the parameters or boundaries within which the designers must work.
    • Graduates should show they can create a prototype or model of the chosen solution and test the model against the criteria for the project.
    • Graduates should show that they can justifying to an appropriate audience the final system, component, or process.
    • Graduates should show they can employ principles of Engineering Economics to engineering decision making.
  • An ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams:
    • Graduates should show that they participate effectively as team members working, where appropriate, with people who bring different skills, expertise, and perspectives to a project; and with people from different sub-disciplines including those within nuclear engineering.
  • An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems:
    • Graduates should show that they can isolate and describe the important components of a problem–what is given, what is known, and what is unknown–and apply engineering principles and mathematics to find the unknowns and arrive at appropriate and effective solutions.
  • An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility:
    • Graduates should be able to identify an ethical dilemma, identify resources to cope with ethical and moral conflict, and understand the implications of engineering decisions for employers, colleagues, family, environment, and local and global communities.
  • An ability to communicate effectively:
    • Graduates should be able to use forms of discourse appropriate to nuclear engineering, including oral presentations, visual presentations, and written communications. Examples include written, visual, and mathematical solution statements and summaries, laboratory reports, progress reports, technical reports, summaries, technical presentations, charts, graphs, figures, design drawings, and tables, etc.
  • The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context:
    • Graduates should have been exposed to the vital interactions among science, technology, and social values, developing an understanding of the influence of science and technology on civilizations and of the way that science and technology have been applied to the betterment of humankind.
  • A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning:
    • Graduates should show that they appreciate the need for further education and self-improvement, understand the value and necessity of continuing professional development, and understand the value of membership in appropriate professional organizations.
  • A knowledge of contemporary issues:
    • Graduates should show that they understand contemporary technical and societal issues relevant to their field of study.
  • An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice:
    • Graduates should show that they can use modern approaches to engineering analysis and design.
    • Graduates should show that they can use computer-aided analysis, design, and presentation tools appropriate to nuclear engineering.
    • Graduates should show that they can apply laboratory and field data-collection tools and techniques appropriate to current practice.

What else adds value to our degrees?

Assistant Dean and CCEE Professor, David Parish, addresses students at the College of Engineering Introduction to the Profession ceremony. Photo by Marc Hall.