Master of Science (M.S.)

Overview

Students can register in the M.S. Program at either Blacksburg or Greater Washington DC Area Campus. For a quick review of the M.S. Program, click here.

The M.S. designation requires completing a 30 credit-hour program subject to the following requirements. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 ("A" = 4.0) is required for all coursework taken at the University. This policy is consistent with Mechanical Engineering department policy and University policy. No grade below B is allowed for any M.S. core course. Failure to earn a grade of B in a M.S. core course requires retaking the course. Courses must be taken for a letter grade--not Pass/Fail (unless the course is only offered as Pass/Fail).

If a student is entering from another graduate program, not more than 50% of required grade course work from another institution may be transferred. These transfer credits may be applied to the core course requirements including the mathematics requirement, or to the elective requirements. All transferred course credits must have the grade of "B" or higher and have been earned while enrolled as a graduate student. All transfer credits must be accompanied by transcripts which verify the grades earned. Course descriptions might also be required. Transfer courses on the Plan of Study must be approved by the student's Advisory Committee. Enrollment in 6000-level and 7000-level courses typically consists of only Doctoral students.

Degree Requirements

1. 1. Core courses

   All Master's students will complete the following five courses (total of 15 credit hours):

   -NSEG 5124 Nuclear Reactor Analysis (3 cr)
   -NSEG 5204 Nuclear Fuel Cycle (3 cr)
   -NSEG 5424 Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (3 cr)
   -NSEG 5604 Radiation Detection and Shielding (3 cr)
   -Mathematics course from Appendix A (3 cr)*

   *The "Mathematics course from Appendix A (3 cr)" represents a minimum of 3 graded credit-hours of mathematics or statistics courses. Appropriate input is provided by the Advisor to determine which mathematics/statistics course(s) is/are to be taken by the student in support of their thesis.

2. 2. Elective Courses

   Six credit-hours of NSEG 5000-level or higher courses as approved by the Advisory Committee are required. However, if only six credit-hours of NSEG 5994 are applied toward the degree instead of nine credit-hours (see Research and Thesis below), the student must take an additional 3 credits of any science, engineering or mathematics 5000-level or higher course, as approved by their Advisor, to satisfy the requirement for a total of 30 credit-hours for the M.S. degree.

3. 3. Research and Thesis

   A minimum of 6 credits of NSEG 5994 Research and Thesis (variable) not to exceed 9 credits which can be applied toward the degree.

4. 4. Seminar Program

   All students must participate in the nuclear engineering program seminar series. The seminars will consist of periodic presentations by on- and off-campus speakers to address both technical issues and policy issues. Policy issues should address public concerns and controversies of nuclear energy and science, nuclear weapons proliferation, national energy policy, nuclear security, public education on radiation, cybersecurity, etc. One purpose of the seminars is to broaden student interest in the policy arena and encourage them to take elective policy courses outside the nuclear engineering discipline such as in international policy, nuclear security, science and technology in society, political science, etc. In addition, each student is expected to give one seminar on their research/project topic before they graduate.

5. 5. Formation of Advisory Committee

   Before registration for the second semester of study, each graduate student must confer with the members of the faculty and obtain the agreement of one to serve as the student's advisor. Students are expected to take the initiative in selecting their advisor. Advisors are not assigned to students; rather, they are determined by mutual agreement between individual students and professors. A student's advisor provides guidance in many areas including defining a plan of study and monitoring the student's progress toward his or her degree. The advisor must be a faculty member in the nuclear engineering program. Alternatively, the student's co-advisor must be a faculty member in the nuclear engineering program. The Master's student and his or her advisor jointly select the other members of the Advisory Committee. The composition of the committee is intended to reflect the scientific expertise needed to advise the student during their training. For a Master's degree, there must be three members on the Committee counting the student's advisor, two of whom must be in the Mechanical Engineering Department. The Master's student and his or her advisor are responsible for arranging meetings of the Advisory Committee at appropriate times. It is strongly recommended that the Advisory Committee meets when the student is starting his or her research to discuss the undertaking. As a minimum, each student should arrange a meeting with his or her Advisory Committee at least once per semester. Each student should meet with the advisor regularly to discuss the status of the graduate progress towards the degree.

6. 6. Final Examination

   The final examination is comprised of a written thesis and an oral defense. It is required that all Master's candidates prior to graduation take an oral final examination, covering not only their thesis or engineering project, but also their general engineering knowledge. A student will have completed all 30 credit-hours required of their program by the end of the semester that the Final Examination is scheduled. All members of a student's Advisory Committee are required to participate in that student's final examination. If suitable communication resources are available, committee members may participate from a remote location. In accordance with University policy, all graduate examinations are open to the faculty and faculty members are encouraged to attend and participate in such meetings. The examination is oral in nature, during which the candidate gives a brief review of his or her work, and answers questions on the work that follows. To pass the final examination, a student is allowed at most one Unsatisfactory vote from a program committee member. If a student fails an examination, one full semester (a minimum of 15 weeks) must elapse before the second examination is scheduled. Not more than two opportunities to pass the final examination are allowed. A student failing the final examination two times will be dismissed from graduate studies by the Graduate School.

Admission Requirements

1. 1. Program Requirements

   In general, the Nuclear Engineering Program requires that applicants:

   -Have a minimum TARGET grade point average of 3.2/4.0, or better for either the B.S. degree program or in the last 60 hours of course work
   -Have GRE TARGET scores of 150 verbal, 155 quantitative, and 4.5 analytical
   -Students whose native language is not English, must also take the internet-based TOEFL, IELTS, or have COMPLETED a degree from an English speaking institution. Minimum TARGET scores 105 total, 26 reading and speaking areas.

   Final admissions decisions are made based on a holistic evaluation of a candidate's application materials; research experience and the three letters of recommendation are a significant part of the evaluation of the application.

   The Nuclear Engineering Program and the Department of Mechanical Engineering process applications on a rolling basis. However, to be given full consideration for admission and assistantships/fellowships, complete application materials must be received by:

   -January 15th, for the Fall Term
   -October 1st, for the Spring Term

   All application materials should be received by the deadlines for admission. Please be aware that the Graduate School has different application deadlines. Refer to their website for those deadlines and submit your application to meet the earlier of the deadlines. The online application and additional information about requirements and how to apply may be found on the Graduate School website and on the Mechanical Engineering website.

   Applicants are encouraged to contact faculty members whose research areas most interests them by sending a resume and a cover letter via e-mail.

   Depending on desired degree path, there may be different requirements. See below for additional information:

   Direct Ph.D

   For those students possessing a Bachelor's degree (but not an advanced degree), graduation from an accredited college or university or its equivalent, with an undergraduate overall grade point average (GPA) exceeding 3.5 ("A" = 4.0) is required. It is expected that exceptional undergraduate students would have a higher success rate in completing the Ph.D. program. If an undergraduate student has a GPA lower than 3.5, that student should apply instead to the Master's degree program. This 3.5 GPA requirement exceeds the Mechanical Engineering department requirement of a 3.2 GPA and the University requirement of a 3.0 GPA. In addition, the most competitive applicants will have an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering, or have an emphasis or minor in nuclear engineering. However, other relevant science and engineering disciplines will also be considered.

   Master' to Ph.D

   For those students already possessing a Master's degree, a graduate-level grade point average of at least 3.2 is required. This is consistent with the Mechanical Engineering department policy, but exceeds the University requirement of a 3.0 GPA. In addition, the most competitive applicants will have a Master's degree in nuclear engineering, or have a graduate certificate or significant course work in nuclear engineering. However, other relevant science and engineering disciplines will be considered for top applicants with the understanding that it may take an extra year to complete the Ph.D. degree requirements to make up for the missing core background.

2. 2. Application Package Requirements

   If all materials submitted with the online application are clearly legible, the Nuclear Engineering Program does not require hard copy materials. It is highly recommended that you keep hard copies of all materials that you have submitted, since applications and supplemental information cannot be retrieved or altered once they are submitted.

   Complete departmental applications consist of:

   • Undergraduate Transcripts - Front and back scans of official transcripts are required. Once the application is complete, a final official transcript should be mailed directly to the Graduate School in a sealed envelope.
     -Graduate Transcripts - If applicable, front and back scans of official transcripts are required. Once the application is complete, a final official graduate transcript should be mailed directly to the Mechanical Engineering Department in a sealed envelope.
     -Letters of Reference - Three letters of reference are required. On-line references are preferred; however, if the online reference form is not used, references should be mailed in sealed envelopes directly to the Mechanical Engineering Department.
     -GRE/TOEFL Scores - Self reported scores can be used for the evaluation process until official scores arrive to the Graduate School from the Educational Testing Service. GRE scores should be less than two years old. Please see the Graduate School website for information on how to report scores to Virginia Tech.

   After filling out the online application, hard copy references should be sent in one large envelope to:

   Nuclear Engineering Program
   Department of Mechanical Engineering, MC 0238
   Graduate Coordinator
   100A Randolph Hall
   Blacksburg, VA 24061

   Online Supplemental Materials

   -Resume - 1 page preferred
   -Statement of Purpose - 2 pages, maximum
   -Publications - if applicable

   Additional Application Notes

   Please do not send e-mails requesting advice on your chances of acceptance, as we do not have the staff to review these requests. Out of professional courtesy to other universities, we do not accept mid-program transfers without a letter of release from the current advisor and or department head. You will be able to view the status of your application on the Banner website. For your protection, information on application status cannot be release by telephone or to third parties. The ME Department and the NEP can only recommend admission. Official notification from the Graduate School will be sent by postal mail. Estimated date for decisions to be posted for applicants in the US is March 15th for complete applications received by January 15th. Estimated date for decisions to be posted for applicants outside the US is May 15th for complete applications received by January 15th. Please be aware that the online status only indicates if the application is complete at the VT Graduate School, not necessarily with the Department or Program.

   This list of frequently asked questions may prove useful.

Courses

core

• NSEG 5124

  Nuclear Reactor Analysis

  3cr

  spring

  Nuclear reactions and fission process. The fission chain reaction. Neutron diffusion and moderation. One-speed diffusion model of a nuclear reactor. Neutron slowing and multigroup diffusion theory. Nuclear reactor kinetics. Introduction to reactor core physics design.

• NSEG 5204

  Nuclear Fuel Cycle

  3cr

  spring

  Uranium nuclear fuel cycle: mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel manufacturing, in-core fuel management and refueling, spent fuel storage, reprocessing/recycling and final disposition as waste in a geologic repository. Introduction to nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation as applied to each step of the cycle.

• MSE 5384G

  Advanced Nuclear Materials

  Either

  3cr

  fall, summer*

  Materials for nuclear applications with emphasis on fission reactors. Fundamental radiation effects on materials; material properties relevant to structural, moderator, reflector, blanket, coolant, control related structural systems. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required

• NSEG 5424

  Reactor Thermal Hydraulics

  Either

  3cr

  fall

  Fundamental processes of hear generation and transport in nuclear reactors. Heat generation by fission and radiation interactions; spatial distribution of heat generation; heat transport by conduction and convection. Effects of boiling and critical heat flux. Fundamentals of reactor thermal and hydraulic design.

• NSEG 5604

  Radiation Detection & Shielding

  3cr

  spring

  Radioactive decay, interaction of charged particles and photons with matter, methods of radiation detection and radiation dosimetry, counting statistics, external radiation protection using time, distance and shielding.

elective

• NSEG 5114

  Nuclear Engineering Fundamentals

  3cr

  fall, summer*

  A foundation course in nuclear engineering. Neutron physics, reactor theory and kinetics, basic reactor design and operation, and overall power plant operation. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required.

• NSEG 5134

  Monte Carlo Methods for Particle Transport

  3cr

  fall, summer*

  Basic particle transport concepts. Random processes, random number generation techniques, fundamental formulation of Monte Carlo, sampling procedures, and fundamentals of probability and statistics. Monte Carlo algorithms for particle transport, non-analog Monte Carlo method, formulations for different variance reduction techniques, and tallying procedures. Methodologies for parallelization and vectorization of the Monte Carlo methods, and examples of the Monte Carlo method for simulation of various real-life applications.

• NSEG 5214

  Nuclear Plant Systems & Ops

  3cr

  spring

  Pressurized and boiling water reactors, detailed system functions and operation, reactor plant startup and shutdown procedures, reactor trip and casualty procedures, reactor transient response analysis, reactor plant licensing, ethics and integrity in the nuclear industry.

• NSEG 5284

  Nuclear Nonproliferation, Safeguards, and Security

  3cr

  spring

  Technical essentials, policy analysis, theoretical perspectives of nuclear energy and nuclear nonproliferation. Fundamentals of the nuclear fuel cycle, management of international safeguards, threat of nuclear terrorism, and challenges for global nuclear industry.

• NSEG 5504

  Radiation Effects on Metals and Alloys

  3cr

  spring

  Radiation effects on metals and alloys. Interaction between particles and atoms, radiation damage, displacement of atoms, diffusion of point defects, radiation-induced segregation, phase instability, transmutation products, irradiated material mechanical properties.

• NSEG 6124

  Advanced Nuclear Reactor Analysis

  3cr

  spring, summer*

  Neutron transport theory. Neutron slowing down and resonance absorption. Neutron thermalization. Perturbation and variational methods. Homogenization theory. Space-time neutron kinetics.

• NSEG 6334

  Nuclear Reactor Safety

  3cr

  spring

  Hazards of nuclear reactors; analysis of hypothetical design basis accidents; engineered safeguards and safety design principles; nuclear criticality safety; reactor containment; reactor safety codes; and probabilistic risk assessment.

*check with the instructor for availability

More Information

Contact: Ms. Allison Jones (Program Coordinator) arjones@vt.edu, or
Prof. Alireza Haghighat (Program Director) haghighat@vt.edu

Do you want to apply?
Fill-out the on-line application.