Graduate Program

Graduate Faculty Advisor
Adam Hecht

Application Deadlines

Fall semester:	July 15
Spring semester:	November 10
Summer session:	April 29

NOTE: Deadlines for international applicants are given elsewhere in this Catalog.

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering (M.S.)
Concentrations: Medical Physics, Radiation Protection Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (Ph.D.)
Concentration: Nuclear Engineering

The Department of Nuclear Engineering offers programs in nuclear engineering leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. A GPA of 3.0 in the last two years of undergraduate study, and/or in previous engineering graduate study, is normally required for admission. In addition, the GRE is required of all Nuclear Engineering applicants.

Information

The nuclear engineering research graduate programs at the University of New Mexico include nuclear criticality safety, radiation transport, reactor theory, single and two-phase flow in microgravity, space nuclear power, thermal-hydraulics, fusion energy, accelerator physics and engineering, occupational and environmental radiation protection, plasma physics, nuclear activation diagnostics, high energy density physics, reactor and shielding design, nuclear fuel irradiation behavior, theoretical and numerical methods in neutral and stochastic transport theory, charged particle transport, model-reference adaptive control of nuclear power plants, heat pipes for space application, computational methods for heat transfer and fluid flows, single phase laminar and combined flows, two-phase flows and probabilistic risk assessment.

The nuclear engineering laboratories are equipped with an AGN-201M nuclear training reactor; a hot cell facility with remote manipulators; a graphite pile; several solid state detectors for alpha, beta and gamma radiation; computer based data acquisition, analysis and control systems; and supporting radiation measurements systems. In addition to the well-equipped laboratories on campus, the advanced reactors and radiation equipment of Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, and the Air Force Research Laboratory are utilized for instruction and research. The laboratories provide not only experimental facilities but access to high performance super computers for carrying on advanced computational physics.

The department maintains a computer pod for student use, equipped with PCs with a wide selection of software.

Additional information on programs and facilities may be obtained by contacting either the graduate advisor or the department chairperson.

Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Nuclear Engineering is a “traditional” nuclear engineering program. Graduates in engineering or science from any recognized college or university may apply for admission to graduate study in nuclear engineering. Students planning to do graduate work in nuclear engineering should focus on physics, mathematics and nuclear engineering in their undergraduate course work in addition to acquiring competence in one of the branches of engineering or science. Undergraduate course work in the following is recommended: atomic and nuclear physics, advanced applied mathematics, computer programming, thermodynamics and heat transfer, fluid mechanics, principles of circuits, materials science, nuclear measurements, reactor physics and instrumentation.

Students in this program are required to take NE 525 Methods of Analysis in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Engineering and NE 501 Nuclear Engineering Seminar. A maximum of 3 credit hours of Graduate Seminar can be applied toward the 30 credit hours degree requirement. Those students who do not have a background in nuclear reactor theory are also required to take NE *410 Nuclear Reactor Theory.

Additional course work is chosen with the approval of the Graduate Advisor according to student interest in fusion, fission, or waste management areas. Students with undergraduate degree fields other than nuclear engineering may be required to take certain undergraduate background courses determined by the graduate advisor.

The M.S. is offered under Plan I, Plan II, and Plan III options. Under Plan I (thesis), 30 credit hours are required with 24 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours of thesis. Of the 24 credit hours of course work, a minimum of 9 credit hours is required at the 500-level with a maximum of 3 credit hours in problems courses. Plan II (non-thesis) requires 33 credit hours of course work including a maximum of 6 credit hours for problems courses and a minimum of 12 credit hours in 500-level courses. Completion of a Master's project under the direction of a faculty member is also required. Plan III (course work only) requires 30 credit hours of course work including a maximum of 6 credit hours of problems courses.

A program that allows the Plan II to be completed in one calendar year is also offered. This program should be requested at the time of application and should begin in the summer or fall semester. The program typically includes a course load of 14 credit hours in the fall semester (two core courses, two electives and graduate seminar), 13 credit hours in the spring semester (two core courses, two electives and graduate seminar) and 6 credit hours in the summer semester (elective courses and/or individual problems).

All candidates for the M.S. degree must satisfactorily pass a final examination which emphasizes the fundamental principles and applications in nuclear engineering. This examination is normally the thesis defense for Plan I students, and is normally based on a short term project for Plan II students, including those in the one-year program. The examination is conducted by a committee of at least three faculty members. This committee is formed in consultation with the student’s research advisor or project advisor and is approved by the Department Chairperson.

Concentration in Medical Physics

The department offers a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Program (CAMPEP) accredited masters-level concentration in Medical Physics. This concentration is intended to train people to work in the areas of medical imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy. The prerequisites, in addition to a technical bachelor’s degree, are: One year of general college physics with laboratory (purely descriptive courses are insufficient; calculus-based courses are desired), one year of general college chemistry with laboratory, one year of differential and integral calculus, a semester of differential equations, 32 total credit hours of mathematics (calculus level or above) and science, and a survey course in general biology, human biology or mammalian physiology.

Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering in the Medical Physics concentration requires 35 graduate credit hours. No electives are included in this curriculum. The Medical Physics concentration is a Plan II program and does not have a thesis option.

Requirements

		Credit Hours
First Year	Fall
RADS *480	Human Cross Sectional Anatomy	3
MPHY 516	Medical Imaging I X-ray Physics	3
MPHY 517L	Medical Imaging Laboratory I X-ray Physics	1
NE 524	Interaction of Radiation with Matter	3
	Total	10
	Spring
MPHY 540	Radiation Oncology Physics	3
MPHY 541L	Radiation Oncology Physics Laboratory	3
NE 528	External Radiation Dosimetry	3
	Total	9
Second Year	Fall
MPHY 518	Medical Imaging II MR Ultrasound and Nuclear Medicine Physics	3
MPHY 519L	Medical Imaging Laboratory II MR Ultrasound and Nuclear Imaging Physics	1
NE 523L	Environmental Measurements Laboratory	3
	Total	7
	Spring
MPHY/NE 527	Radiation Biology for Engineers and Scientists	3
NE 591	Practicum	6
	Total	9

Concentration in Radiation Protection Engineering

The department offers a masters-level concentration in Radiation Protection Engineering (RPE). This concentration is intended to train people to work in the area of occupational and environmental health physics and leads to a terminal, professional master’s degree. The admissions requirements for this concentration differ from those of the traditional program. The prerequisites are: a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program OR a Bachelor’s degree including a minimum of one year of general college chemistry with laboratory, one year of general college physics with laboratory, one year of differential and integral calculus, a semester of differential equations, and 32 total credit hours of mathematics (calculus level or above) and science.

Students concentrating in the RPE program are required to take five core courses in health physics:

NE 523L - Environmental Measurements Laboratory
NE 524 - Interaction of Radiation with Matter
NE/MPHY 527 - Radiation Biology for Engineers and Scientists
NE 528 - External Radiation Dosimetry
NE 529 - Internal Radiation Dosimetry

Another 12 credit hours of electives are required to complete the RPE course work. These electives are chosen from areas of interest such as waste management, nuclear power or calculational methods. In addition to the 30 credit hours of courses, students must take 6 credit hours of NE 591 Practicum. The practicum involves a semester long project in the area of health physics usually under the supervision of a certified health physicist. After completing the course work and practicum, the student is awarded a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering with a radiation protection engineering (health physics) concentration. Graduates of the RPE concentration do not qualify for automatic admission to the Ph.D. program. They must fulfill all prerequisite requirements for the Ph.D. program before they may be admitted. The Radiation Protection Engineering concentration is a Plan II program and does not have a thesis option.

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering

Concentration in Nuclear Engineering

Course Requirements

In addition to the general University doctoral degree requirements listed in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog, students pursing a Ph.D. in Engineering with a concentration in Nuclear Engineering must meet the following criteria:

The course work applied to the degree must include a minimum of 18 credit hours of 500-level or higher courses.
A maximum of 6 credit hours of problems courses (NE 551/552) are allowed beyond the Master’s degree.
All students are required to enroll in NE 501 every semester up to a maximum of eight semesters beyond the B.S.N.E., or four semesters beyond the Master’s degree.
Up to 3 credit hours of NE 501 (not previously applied to the M.S.), or 6 credit hours total beyond the Bachelors degree, may be applied toward the 48 credit course work requirement for the Ph.D.
Students are required to complete the nuclear engineering core courses listed below. Otherwise no specific courses are required for doctoral students. Courses are selected by the student in consultation with the research advisor and Committee on Studies.

Core Courses

The following core courses are required of all Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. students:

		Credit Hours
NE *410	Nuclear Reactor Theory	3
NE 525	Methods of Analysis in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Engineering	3

Equivalent graduate-level courses taken at another institution may be used to satisfy this requirement, but this must be decided on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate Advisor or Graduate Committee in the Nuclear Engineering department.

Comprehensive Examination: The Comprehensive examination must be administered and passed in the same semester the Candidacy form is approved by the program faculty and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Defense of Dissertation: All candidates must pass a Final examination (Defense of Dissertation). The Dissertation Committee conducts the defense of the dissertation.

Keys and Symbols Reference