Traditional Nuclear Engineering programs focus on reactor design and operations. Nuclear Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines stresses the nuclear fuel life cycle: from cradle to grave.

Nuclear Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines is an interdisciplinary degree program that draws on substantial contributions from faculty across a broad spectrum of academic disciplines. These include faculty from the Division of Engineering, the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, the Department of Mining Engineering, the Department of Physics, the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, and the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies.

Faculty participating in the program have the breadth of expertise to address all aspects of the nuclear fuel life cycle; from fuel exploration and processing, through nuclear power systems production, design and operation, to fuel recycling, storage and waste remediation and radiation damage and the policy issues surrounding each of these activities.

Degree Programs

For both the MS and PhD degrees, graduates in Nuclear Engineering are exposed to a broad systems overview of the complete nuclear fuel cycle as well as having detailed expertise in a particular component of the cycle. Breadth is assured by requiring all students to complete a rigorous set of core courses. The core consists of a 21 credit-hour course sequence; initially delivered in part by a collaborating institution through distance learning. The remainder of the course and research work is obtained from the multiple participating departments, as approved for each student by the student's advisor and thesis committee.

The required core consists of the following courses:

• PHGN590 - Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Physics
• PHGN504 - Radiation Detection and Measurement
• EGES590 - Nuclear Reactor Laboratory
• MTGN590 - Materials Science and Engineering of Nuclear Materials
• ESGN590 - Radioactive Materials Management
• Reactor Design
• LAIS590 - Public Policy and Licensing

As part of the Program's quality control process, PhD students need to achieve a 3.0 grade point average in the seven core courses or pass oral examinations in areas of weakness identified by the student's Thesis Committee.

PhD and non-thesis MS students will specialize in a particular aspect of Nuclear Engineering under the guidance of a student advisory committee by selecting additional coursework beyond the required core. This additional coursework may include offerings from all of the academic units participating in the degree program: Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Geology and Geological Engineering, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Mining Engineering and Physics. Through these additional courses, students gain in-depth knowledge of one particular facet of the Nuclear Engineering industry.

Students in research-based degree programs, thesis-based MS and PhD degrees, are required to complete the minimum research credit hour requirements leading to dissertation and defense. Research is conducted under the direction of a member of CSM's Nuclear Science and Engineering program and could be tied to a research opportunity provided by industry partners.

Minor Programs

Students majoring in allied fields may choose to complete minor degree programs through the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program indicating specialization in a nuclear-related area of expertise. Graduate minor programs require completion of 12 credit hours of approved coursework. Existing minors include;

Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear Materials Processing

Nuclear Detection

Nuclear Geosciences

Combined BS/MS Program

CSM undergraduate students have the opportunity to begin work on a M.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering while completing their Bachelor's degree. The CSM Combined Degree Program provides the vehicle for students to use up to 6 credit hours of undergraduate coursework as part of their Graduate Degree curriculum. For more information please contact the Nuclear Engineering program director.

Prerequisite Requirements

Students applying to the Nuclear Engineering program must meet the following prerequisities:

• baccalaureate degree in a science or engineering discipline
• mathematics coursework up to and including differential equations
• physics coursework up to and including courses in modern physics and introductory nuclear physics
• engineering thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid flow or equivalent

Some prerequisites may be completed in the first semesters of the student’s graduate program. Applicants should have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for admission to the graduate school.

Fall Admission	Yes
Financial support priority deadline	Jan. 15
U.S. citizen application deadline	July 1
International application deadline	April 1
Spring Admission	Yes
U.S. citizen application deadline	Nov. 1
International application deadline	Sept. 1
GRE required	Yes
Subject test required	No
Average accepted Verbal	550
Average accepted Quantitative	670
Average accepted Analytical Writing	4.4

Financial Assistance

Applicants seeking financial support should indicate such within the Application for Admission. Support may be in the form of teaching assistantships (TA), research assistantships (RA), or fellowships. Generally, these awards are reserved for students pursuing a research-based program.

TAs are generally offered by March 15 for the next academic year; hence, are not usually available beginning with the spring semester. RAs are offered by individual faculty to students whom they expect will contribute quickly to a particular funded research project. Applicants interested in RAs should contact directly the faculty members whose research interests parallel their own.

Contact

Dr. Uwe Greife, Interim Program Chair
Nuclear Science and Engineering Program
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
Phone: 303-273-3770
FAX: 303-273-3795