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MSc in Nuclear Engineering Program
About the Program
The M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering degree is awarded for candidates who successfully complete the taught courses, field trips, and project requirements of the program. The program is targeted for students with various backgrounds such as graduates of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Material Science, Mathematics or other pertinent specializations. Hence the program starts with common core courses that cover essential Nuclear Engineering topics. Afterwards, there are two themes that allow the students to choose an area of specialisation. Subsequently, there are electives which cover extra topics to broaden the student’s knowledge in areas not covered in the core. In addition to taught courses, students are required to complete a field trips component. In this component the student is required to carry out a series of experiments to consolidate theory lessons given in class as well as visit selected nuclear facilities to gain an overall appreciation of nuclear energy technology at the front and back end of the fuel cycle as well during reactor operations. Finally, the candidates work on a M.Sc. project on their chosen area. The project may be undertaken in several topics corresponding to the focus areas identified by the relevant supervisors. Alternatively, where applicable, students may propose project topics of their own or work on solving problems of their respective sponsoring organisations.
Program Goals
The goals of the programme are:
- To provide graduates with deep knowledge and specialization in nuclear engineering.
- To enable graduates to relate nuclear engineering theory to practice.
- To equip graduates with design, problem solving, and research skills in nuclear engineering.
- To prepare graduates for careers as nuclear engineering professionals.
- To encourage graduates to pursue self-learning and personal development experiences.
- To produce graduates who will be able to contribute substantially to academia, industry, and the community.
Program Outcomes
A student graduating with an M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering will be able to:
- demonstrate a high level of understanding and specialization in nuclear engineering.
- practice a high level of nuclear safety awareness and culture.
- analyse and characterise existing nuclear engineering systems.
- design a nuclear engineering system, component, or process to meet desired needs.
- use the techniques, skills and modern tools necessary for nuclear engineering practice.
- conduct independent investigation in the field of nuclear engineering with rigour and discrimination.
- communicate and write appropriately in the area of nuclear engineering.
- understand legal, regulatory and ethical issues and professional responsibility related to nuclear engineering.
- realize the impact of nuclear engineering in a global and societal context.
- recognize the need for, and engage in, life-long learning.
Career Opportunities
Nuclear Engineering is of paramount importance for the safe construction, operation, maintenance and eventual decommissioning of nuclear reactors. The historic decision by the UAE Government to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program therefore places nuclear engineering education and training at the forefront of priorities for capacity building of the workforce necessary to advance the country’s civil nuclear program.
The M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering programme offers strong employment and career development prospects for graduates in the aforementioned areas and many others. The skills developed in graduates are particularly attractive to entities where nuclear engineering is crucial, such as the nuclear energy implementation organisation, the nuclear safety regulator, and those entities charged with ensuring nuclear security and a multitude of contractors, subcontractors and technical support organisations.
Admission Requirements
The university general graduate studies admission requirements apply for admission to the MSc in Nuclear Engineering program.
Bachelor degrees relevant for admission to the program are Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or Mathematics. Candidates with degrees in other pertinent specializations may also be considered. In such cases, candidates will be asked to submit course descriptions along with their transcripts.
Applicants with no or insufficient prior background to meet the prerequisites of the program may be admitted to the program but will be assigned undergraduate courses and/or one or more of the following specially tailored remedial courses: NUCE501 Nuclear and Radiation Science, NUCE502 Neutronics and Nuclear Systems, NUCE503 Engineering Mathematics and Computation, NUCE504 Introduction to Engineering Principles.
Conditionally admitted students must produce by the end of the first semester of registration satisfactory evidence that they have the ability to carry out the program of work effectively.
This will be assessed as follows:
- The student must pass all first semester courses, with a minimum pass grade of C in every course, and achieve a semester GPA of at least 3.0.
- The student must achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 79 iBT or its equivalent (e.g. a minimum IELTS score of 6.0) by the end of the first semester of registration.
If the student fails to satisfy the above conditions, then his/her registration will be terminated.
Duration of Study
The minimum period of study will be 1.5 years(3 regular semesters) from the date of first registration in the case of full-time registration and 2.5 years(5 regular semesters) from the date of first registration in the case of part-time registration.
The maximum period of study will be 2 years (4 regular semesters) from the date of first registration in the case of full-time registration and 3 years(6 regular semesters) from the date of first registration in the case of part-time registration. In exceptional cases, an extension of registration may be granted.
Programme Structure
Programme Components
The M.Sc. in Nuclear Engineering programme is equivalent to 36 credit-hours. The programme consists of three main components:
- Taught Courses Component: in this component the student is required to complete a programme of advanced study in Nuclear Engineering. This component is equivalent to 24 credit-hours and consists of 8 courses, with 3 credit-hours each. The 8 courses (24 credit-hours) are: 4 core courses (12 credit-hours), 2 theme courses (6 credit-hours) and 2 optional courses (6 credit-hours) selected from a list of electives. The taught courses component contributes 2/3 of the overall graduation grade point average.
- Field Trips Component: in this component the student is required to carry out a series of experiments to consolidate theory lessons given in class as well as visit selected nuclear facilities to gain an overall appreciation of nuclear energy technology at the front and back end of the fuel cycle as well during reactor operations. By necessity, the field trips will be undertaken outside the UAE (e.g, in the Republic of South Korea) until such time that nuclear laboratories and facilities are available in the UAE.
- Project Component: in this component the student is required to carry out an independent project in Nuclear Engineering. This component is equivalent to 12 credit-hours (4 courses) and as such contributes 1/3 of the overall graduation grade point average.
Number of Courses and Curricular Offerings
As already discussed, the taught courses component of the programme is equivalent to 24 credit-hours and contributes 2/3 of the overall graduation grade point average. It consists of 8 courses, with 3 credit-hours each, as follows:
- 4 core courses (12 credit-hours). These are:
- 2 theme courses (6 credit-hours) that belong to one of the following themes:
| Theme | Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
| Reactor Design and Analysis | NUCE611 | Nuclear Systems Design and Analysis | 3 |
| NE612 | Nuclear Safety and Probabilistic Safety Assessment | 3 | |
| Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Security | NUCE613 | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | 3 |
| NUCE614 | Nuclear Security and Safeguards | 3 |
- 2 optional courses (6 credit-hours) selected from the following list of electives:
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
| NE621 | Nuclear Instrumentation and Control | 3 |
| NE622 | Advanced Thermal Hydraulics | 3 |
| NE623 | Radiological Environmental Impact Assessment | 3 |
| NE624 | Radiation Damage and Nuclear Fuels | 3 |
Applicants with no or insufficient prior background to meet the prerequisites of the program may be admitted to the program but will be assigned undergraduate courses and/or one or more of the following specially tailored remedial courses:
| Course Code | Course Name | Credits |
| NUCE501 | Nuclear and Radiation Science | 3 |
| NUCE502 | Neutronics and Nuclear Systems | 3 |
| NUCE503 | Engineering Mathematics and Computation | 3 |
| NUCE504 | Introduction to Engineering Principles | 3 |
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Khalifa University of Science Technology & Research,
PO.Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, UAE