Nuclear Science and Technology MSc

Program Overview

This one-year MSc in Nuclear Science and Technology provides a comprehensive foundation in nuclear engineering, with a focus on decommissioning, nuclear waste management, and environmental safety. The program offers access to world-leading facilities and expertise in these areas, preparing graduates for careers in the nuclear industry. Students will be assessed through a combination of coursework, exams, and a dissertation, and the program is accredited by several prestigious engineering institutions.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This MSc in Nuclear Science and Technology is a one-year full-time program run in partnership with the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium (NTEC). The program focuses on nuclear waste immobilisation, decommissioning, and clean-up, offering access to over 90% of the UK's academic expertise in these areas. Students will be based in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering's NucleUS Immobilisation Science Laboratory, a world-leading facility. The program aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the nuclear fuel cycle, covering topics such as decommissioning, nuclear technology, and environmental and safety considerations.

Outline:

The program consists of eight modules covering various aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle.

• Nuclear Fuel Cycle: This module introduces and develops knowledge and skills related to the nuclear fuel cycle, encompassing mining, fuel manufacture, reprocessing, storage, recycling, and disposal.
• Decommissioning, Waste and Environmental Management: This module introduces the basics of nuclear decommissioning, lower activity radioactive waste, and environmental management, focusing on technical, environmental, and policy issues related to nuclear decommissioning and waste management in the UK.
• Reactor Materials and Lifetime Behaviour: This module describes the science and engineering of reactor materials, factors influencing their lifetime, including corrosion, environmentally-assisted fracture, and irradiation embrittlement.
• Policy, Regulation and Licensing: This module covers the international and national legal frameworks for nuclear power and radioactive waste management, including licensing issues, the roles of regulatory bodies, and UK radioactive waste management policies and strategies.
• Reactor Thermal Hydraulics: This module describes the thermal hydraulic processes involved in transferring energy from the reactor core to secondary systems, focusing on single-phase and multiphase fluid dynamics and heat transfer.
• Criticality Safety Management: This module provides a comprehensive introduction to nuclear criticality safety and its management in facilities where fissile materials are encountered outside a nuclear reactor.
• Management of the Decommissioning Process: This module focuses on the management of the decommissioning process, covering various aspects of decommissioning planning, execution, and regulatory compliance.
• Experimental Reactor Physics: This module, conducted in Vienna, Austria, involves hands-on training and experiments focused on reactor and neutron physics, nuclear reactor dynamics, nuclear safety, and reactor operation.
• Particle Engineering in the Nuclear Industry: This module introduces methods to characterize particle properties and explains how those properties affect the physical response of bulk fluids and powders, focusing on applications in the nuclear industry.
• N16 Chemical Aspects of Nuclear Technology: This module summarizes key aspects of chemistry in the nuclear fuel cycle, exploring the chemistry of fission and fusion fuel cycles, the chemical effects of ionizing radiation, and the chemistry of radioelements in natural and engineered environments.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed through a combination of formal examinations, coursework assignments, and a dissertation.

Teaching:

The program involves a mix of lectures, seminars, laboratory classes, and real-world projects. Students will work alongside fellow students and staff from across the globe.

Careers:

The MSc in Nuclear Science and Technology prepares graduates for careers in the nuclear industry, including roles in:

• Nuclear waste management
• Decommissioning
• Nuclear power plant operations
• Research and development
• Regulatory bodies

Other:

The program is accredited by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), The Energy Institute (EI), The Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IoM3), and The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Some modules may require overseas travel.

Home (2024 annual fee) : £13,000 Overseas (2024 annual fee) : £29,700