MASTER OF ENGINEERING IN ENGINEERING: NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM NUMBER OF UNITS TO COMPLETE DEGREE: 24 Semester Units
Restrictions:
• Courses must be in 200 series
MINIMUM NUMBER OF NUCLEAR ENGINEERING UNITS IN AREA OF CONCENTRATION
12 Semester Units (must be in 200 series and letter-graded)
MINIMUM NUMBER OF CORE LEADERSHIP CURRICULUM UNITS
7 Semester Units (must be in 200 series). These must consist of:
•
•
•
1 Semester Unit - Innovation Lecture Series (taken S/U)
3 Semester Units - Engineering Leadership I (taken for a letter grade)
3 Semester Units - Engineering Leadership II (taken for a letter grade)
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CAPSTONE PROJECT UNITS (296M A-B)
5 Semester Units of 296M A-B (letter graded) can be counted towards the 24 unit total
requirement. The semester enrollment restrictions for these courses are as follows:
•
•
2 Semester Units - Fall
3 Semester Units – Spring
Students are required to complete a capstone project. The project enables the student to integrate
the core leadership curriculum with the concentration and gain hands-on industry experience.
ORAL PRESENTATION AND REPORT
An oral presentation and a written report of the capstone project are required by the end of the
Spring Semester. The audience at the oral presentation must consist of NE Advisor,
instructor(s), peers and industry partners.
Two committee members are needed for the report:
•
•
Your NE Advisor
NE or outside Professor
•
•
At least one committee member must be from NE
Both members must also be members of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate
MINIMUM GRADE POINT AVERAGES (GPAS)
All students are required to have a minimum overall Grade Point Average of 3.0.
NORMATIVE TIME
9 months or 2 semesters
MINIMUM UNITS YOU ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO BE REGISTERED EACH SEMESTER
•
Full time graduate students must enroll in 12 Semester units each semester.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF UNITS YOU CAN TRANSFER TOWARDS YOUR MASTERS OF
ENGINEERING DEGREE
A master of engineering student may petition to transfer up to 4 semester units or 6 quarter units
of 200-level courses completed as a graduate student at another UC campus. They may not
present course work previously used to satisfy requirements for another degree program at
another institution.
Berkeley undergraduates who take graduate course work during their last undergraduate
semester may petition to backdate graduate standing in order to receive graduate credit for that
course work. Graduate standing may be backdated from the last semester, and students may
petition for credit only for the course work that was not required for the undergraduate degree.
All petitions to have units transferred must be first approved by the Graduate Adviser. He then
forwards the petitions to Graduate Division.
Detailed restrictions can be found in Graduate Division’s Guide to Graduate Policy:
http://grad.berkeley.edu/policies/ggp/ggp.pdf
ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY
Students should apply for Advancement to Candidacy at the beginning of their second semester.
The form can be found on the department website.
In 2011-12 the following NE Graduate Courses will be offered (descriptions follow):
Fall 2011
Spring 2012
NE 204
NE 265
NE 275
NE 282
NE 290G
NE 201
NE 220
NE 230
NE 225
NE 250
NE 281
NE 201
Nuclear Reactions and Interactions of Radiation with Matter (4) (Spring)
Eric Norman
Interaction of gamma rays, neutrons, and charged particles with matter, nuclear structure and
radioactive decay, cross sections and energetics of nuclear reactions, nuclear fission and the
fission products, fission and fusion reactions as energy sources.
NE 204
Advanced Concepts in Radiation Detection and Measurements (3)
(Fall) Kai Vetter
Advanced concepts in the detection of ionizing radiation relevant for basic and applied sciences,
nuclear non-proliferation, and homeland security. Concepts of signal generation and processing
with advantages and drawbacks of a range of detection technologies. Laboratory comprises
experiments to compare con-ventional analog and advanced digital signal processing,
information generation and processing, position-sensitive detection, tracking, and imaging
modalities.
NE 220
Irradiation Effects in Nuclear Materials (3) (Spring) Peter Hosemann
Physical aspects and computer simulation of radiation damage in metals. Void swelling &
irradiation creep. Mechanical analysis of structures under irradiation. Sputtering, blistering and
hydrogen behavior in fusion reactor materials.
NE 225
Nuclear Fuel Cycle (Spring) Joonhong Ahn
Foundation in nuclear fuel cycle with topics ranging from nuclear-fuel reprocessing to waste
treatment and final disposal. The emphasis is on the relationship between nuclear-power
utilization and its environmental impacts. The goal is for graduate engineering students to gain
sufficient understanding in how nuclear-power utilization affects the environment, so that they
are better prepared to design an advanced system that would result in minimized environmental
impact. The lectures will consist of two parts. The first half includes mathematical models for
individual processes in a fuel cycle, such as nuclear fuel reprocessing, waste solidification,
repository performance, and nuclear transmutation in a nuclear reactor. In the second half, these
individual models are integrated, which enables students to evaluate environmental impact of a
fuel cycle.
NE 230
Analytical Methods for Non-Proliferation (3) (Spring) Edward Morse
Use of nuclear measurement techniques to detect clandestine movement and/or possession of
nuclear materials by third parties. Nuclear detection, forensics, signatures, and active and passive
interrogation methodologies will be explored. Techniques currently deployed for arms control
and treaty verification will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on common elements of
detection technology from the viewpoint of resolution of threat signatures from false positives
due to naturally occurring radioactive material. Laboratory will involve experiments conducted
in the Nucleonics Laboratory featuring passive and active neutron signals, gamma ray detection,
fission neutron multiplicity, and U and Pu isotopic identification and age determination. Students
should be familiar with alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation and basic concepts of nuclear
fission.
NE 250
Nuclear Reactor Theory (4). (Spring) Jasmina Vujic.
Fission characteristics, neutron chain reactions, neutron transport and diffusion theory, reactor
kinetics, multigroup methods, fast and thermal spectrum calculations, inhomogeneous reactor
design, effects of poisons and fuel depletion
NE 265
Design Analysis of Nuclear Reactors (3) (Fall) Ehud Greenspan
Principles and techniques of economic analysis to determine capital and operating costs, fuel
management and fuel cycle optimization, thermal limits on reactor performance, thermal
converters, and fast breeders; control and transient problems, reactor safety and licensing, release
of radioactivity from reactors and fuel processing plants.
NE 275
Principles and Methods of Risk Analysis (4). (Fall) Per Peterson
Principles and methods for assessing and managing technological risks. Probabilistic safety
assessment, environmental and public health risk assessment, risk-based decision making and
risk-based regulation. Application to aerospace, chemical, energy, environmental,
manufacturing and nuclear systems, with consideration of institutional issues.
NE 281
Fully Ionized Plasmas (3) (Spring) Edward Morse.
Introduction to warm and hot magnetized plasmas. Single partial motion in electric and
magnetic fields. Collective particle oscillations, waves and instabilities. Magnetohydrodynamic
equilibria, stability and transport. Magnetically confined plasmas for controlled fusion. Space
plasmas.
NE 282
Ion Source and Beam Technology (3) (Fall) Ka Ngo Leung
Topics in this course will include the latest technology of various types of ion and electron
sources, extraction and formation of charge particle beams, computer simulation of beam
propagation, diagnostics of ion sources and beams, and the applications of beams in fusion,
synchrotron light source, neutron generation, microelectronics, lithography, and medical therapy.
This is a general accelerator technology and engineering course that will be of interest to
graduate students in physics, electrical engineering, and nuclear engineering.
NE 290G
Scientific and Regulatory Basis for Environmental Protection in Nuclear Fuel
Cycle. (3) (Fall) Joonhong Ahn
This course is intended for graduate students interested in acquiring a foundation in scientific and
regulatory basis for environmental safety for nuclear fuel cycles, including basic computational
capability. The course contents consist of 1) the standards and regulations, 2) technical bases for
assessing environmental impacts of nuclear fuel cycle facilities under normal operation and
accidental situations, 3) interpretation of environmental impact assessment results, and 4) student
mini-projects.