MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
The object of the Master's degree program is to give the student as thorough a knowledge of some phase of nuclear engineering as can be obtained in a minimum of one academic year of full-time study. The Master's program may serve either as the first part of the student’s work for a more advanced degree or as training for professional employment in nuclear engineering.
General Institute requirements for the Master of Science degree are given in Section 2 of the Catalogue and in the Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual. Candidates for the degree of Master of Science in Nuclear Science and Engineering are required to complete an acceptable thesis and at least 66 credit units in subjects more advanced than the required undergraduate preparation for nuclear engineering. Of these units at least 42 must H-level graduate subjects and at least 34 must be H-level graduate subjects in nuclear engineering. Undergraduate subjects may not be used to satisfy the 66 credit unit requirement, nor may 8.04 or 18.075, nor may graduate subjects taken at other institutions. Remedial courses taken to satisfy the English Requirement may not be used to satisfy the 66 credit unit requirement. Not more than 12 units of graduate H-level graduate special problems (22.901 – 22.904) may be counted toward the degree requirement. A student must have a cumulative rating of at least 3.5 exclusive of thesis to qualify for the Master's degree, and the average of course work plus thesis must also be at least 3.5. (5.0 is an A average for MIT GPA scale.)
All incoming students in the graduate programs of NS&E (doctoral, masters, engineering, and the five-year) are required to take diagnostic exams in both math and physics. These exams are purely diagnostic and the results will not become part of the student’s permanent record. The purpose of the diagnostics is to assist students with adequate preparation to fully participate in the core courses of NS&E. The diagnostic exams will normally be offered during orientation week. Following the exam the student will meet with their registration officer to discuss the outcome and plan a suitable program of study.
Students should plan programs of study with their Registration Officers, keeping in mind prior educational background and principal professional interests.
22.101 Applied Nuclear Physics or its equivalent is required for all Master’s degree candidates. Other subjects may be selected in accordance with the student’s particular field of interest.
Most Master’s candidates specialize in one of three alternative fields:
For students specializing in Fission Reactor Technology, additional subjects recommended are:
22.211 Nuclear Reactor Physics I
22.38 Probability and Its Applications to Reliability, Quality Control, and Risk Assessment
22.312 Engineering of Nuclear Reactors
22.71 Modern Physical Metallurgy
For students specializing in Applied Plasma Physics or Fusion technology, subjects recommended in addition to 22.101 are:
22.62 Fusion Energy
22.611 Introduction to PlAsma Physics
22.105 Electromagnetic Interactions
Students specializing in Nuclear Science and Technology should select subjects in addition to 22.101 from:
22.51 Interactions of Radiation with Matter
22.55J Radiation Biophysics
22.56J Principles of Tomographic Imaging
22.90 Nuclear Engineering Laboratory
22.105 Electromagnetic Interactions
22.106 Neutron Interactions and Applications
Students with full undergraduate preparation normally need 12-18 months to obtain the Master of Science degree. Under ordinary circumstances students are expected to take a full load of 45 units (including thesis units) per regular term (a regular term is any Fall or Spring term).
General information relating to advanced degrees is to be found in the Graduate Policies and Procedures. Research may be undertaken in nuclear engineering or in a related field under the supervision of a member of the faculty of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department or another Institute department. Theses can be primarily theoretical or experimental, or can combine both approaches.
A Master's thesis is normally completed within 12 - 18 months. Students should use this as a guide in planning their research schedule. No student will be allowed to register for more than three semesters of Master's thesis work without petitioning for and receiving the express consent of the Departmental Committee on Graduate Students. Once initiated, Master's theses must be completed before a student may start doctoral research.
Careful initial planning is essential for successful completion of a research project. Each thesis student is required, therefore, to turn in two copies of a brief thesis prospectus to the Department Graduate Office by the end of the eighth week of the first term of Master's thesis registration. Thesis registration may be canceled if this requirement is not satisfied.
The prospectus should be a clear and well-organized preliminary report. It should contain:
Either the advisor or the reader must be a member of the faculty of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department.
It is the responsibility of the student to maintain a rate of progress that will insure completion of the thesis within the three semesters allowed. The frequency of conferences with the thesis supervisor should be determined with this goal in mind. The thesis supervisor may require periodic, written reports on the progress of the thesis. Students should be prepared to submit these if requested.
Special regulations and directions on graduate theses are to be found in the Graduate Policies and Procedures; each graduate student preparing a thesis is responsible for compliance with Institute and Department instructions regarding thesis preparation. Three copies of the thesis in final form are to be submitted to the Department Graduate Office: two copies for the MIT Library and one copy for the Department Reading Room. In addition, one copy should be furnished the advisor, the reader if requested, and to satisfy any other obligations incurred (e.g., sometimes copies are required for non-government fellowship sponsors.)
A student admitted for a S.M. degree must apply to the NSE Department's Admissions Committee for admission to the doctoral degree program. Note that all pre-qualifying eam requirements for the doctoral degree program must be met before taking the qualifying exam.
