Nuclear Engineer (Nucl.E) *

The object of the Nuclear Engineer's degree program is to provide a broader knowledge of nuclear engineering than required for the Master's degree and to develop competence in engineering application or design but with less emphasis on research than that characterizing a doctoral program. The program includes completion of both an extensive and individually arranged academic course program and a special project of significant engineering value.

Requirements

General Institute requirements for the Nuclear Engineer's degree are given in Section 2 of the Catalogue and in the Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual. Candidates are required to complete an acceptable thesis and at least 162 credit units in subjects more advanced than the required undergraduate preparation for nuclear engineering. Of the 162 units, at least 120 must be "H" subjects. Not more than 24 units of graduate "H" special problem (22.901) may be counted toward the degree requirement. Undergraduate subjects may not be used to satisfy these requirements, nor may 8.04 or 18.075. Remedial courses used to satisfy the English Requirement may not be used to satisfy the 162 credit units. However, a student may petition to have up to 66 equivalent units of graduate credit obtained at other institutions transferred to satisfy partially the 162 credit unit requirement. A student who satisfies the requirement for the Engineer's degree shall be simultaneously approved for the S.M. degree by the Department.

A student with full undergraduate preparation normally needs two years to obtain the Nuclear Engineer's degree. A student registered for an S.M. degree may petition the Department Committee on Graduate students to change registration to a Nuclear Engineer's degree, provided the requirements of these instructions are satisfied. A student must have a cumulative rating of at least 3.5 exclusive of any thesis credit to qualify for the Engineer'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).

Diagnostic Tests in Physics and Math

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.

Nuclear Engineer's Degree Program

Each Nuclear Engineer's degree program is individually arranged. The principal fields of study are:

• Fission Reactor Technology
• Applied Plasma Physics
• Nuclear Science and Technology

Suitable thesis topics may be either analytical or experimental but should be "application oriented" with respect to the particular area in which the research is conducted.

Students should plan a program of study with their Registration Officers. Since a Nuclear Engineer's program is to be more comprehensive than a Master's program, the curriculum recommendations and requirements given in "Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Nuclear Science and Engineering" should be consulted.

At the time of registration for the Nuclear Engineer's degree, each student should submit for the Registration Officer's written approval a list of the subjects to be used to satisfy the 162 credit units required for this degree. Also, the general subject by title of the intended thesis or special problem research should be given. Upon registering for thesis credit, a student is required to prepare and submit two copies of an approved thesis prospectus to the Department Graduate Office by the end of the eighth week of the first term of Engineer's thesis registration. The prospectus should be a clear and well-organized preliminary report.

It should contain:

1. An introduction to the subject, giving a brief general statement of the field of interest and a concrete statement of the limited area of work which it is intended to undertake;
2. Areview of relevant background information;
3. The proposed method of solution;
4. A tentative time schedule for completion of the work;
5. The name of the faculty member who will act as thesis advisor, and a reader to be selected by the student with the concurrence of the advisor;
6. The signature of the advisor and reader to indicate approval of the proposed research project.

Either the advisor or the reader must be a faculty member of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department.

Once initiated, an Engineer's thesis-related project must be completed before a student will be allowed to start doctoral research. A student admitted for the Engineer's degree must apply to the NSE Department's Admission Committee for admission to the doctoral degree program.

Thesis and Special Problem Research

A thesis involving creative work in some applications of engineering must be presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Nuclear Engineer. The thesis required for the Engineer's degree represents a more extensive project than the normal Master's thesis. A substantial Master's thesis may be accepted partly or wholly in place of the Engineer's thesis. If the student's S.M. thesis is judged too limited to satisfy the departmental requirements for the Engineer's degree, the student may extend its scope by registering for a special problem, units of which simultaneously apply to the 162 hour total and thesis credit. The written special problem report in this case would serve as the Engineer's written thesis and therefore should be a comprehensive report of the subject investigation. It should summarize the previous work on the topic presented in the Master's thesis and conform in all editorial and administrative respects to the requirements for the S.M. thesis.

Thesis Examination for the Engineer's Degree

The candidate will be examined on the content of the thesis and on topics immediately related to it. This oral examination may be scheduled at any time after eight days have elapsed following completion of Institute and Department requirements for thesis presentation, but before the date grades are due for that term. Each candidate is expected to arrange a time for the examination to meet the convenience of the supervisor, reader, and at least one other member of the faculty of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department. A notice of thesis examination time and place should be sent via e-mail to NS&E faculty, staff, and students eight days prior to the oral examination. Oral thesis examinations are open to the public.

Exceptions: Any exceptions to these requirements require special permission of the Departmental Committee on Graduate Students. Students should file written petitions with this committee to initiate consideration of any desired exceptions to these requirements.

The following requirements are applicable to all students entering the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering after August 1, 2003. For students that entered the Department prior August 1, 2003, please download (PDF-89KB) the graduate program requirements (Rev. 17).