Nuclear Engineering

Degree requirements for the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for the Nuclear Engineering graduate program are detailed below. In order to graduate with an MS or a PhD in the Mechanical Engineering graduate program a student must meet all requirements established by the program (as outlined in the MAE Graduate Programs Handbook) and the University (as outlined in the Graduate School Handbook).

Master's Degree Requirements

There are two paths for students seeking a MS degree in the Nuclear Engineering graduate program: a thesis path and a non-thesis path. A minimum of 30 credit hours, including coursework and a satisfactory thesis or non-thesis project is required to obtain a MS degree. The entire work for the MS degree must be completed within a period of six calendar years.

Click here for a downloadable PDF version of these requirements. 

The specific requirements for both the thesis and non-thesis paths are as follows:

Thesis Path

Students who wish to pursue the thesis path must meet the following requirements in order to graduate:

  • NUCLREN 5001 (Interaction of Radiation with Matter)
  • NUCLREN 5002 (Reactor Physics)
  • NUCLREN 5003 (Nuclear Reactor Systems and Analysis)
  • NUCLREN 5004 (Material in Nuclear Systems)
  • 6 hours nuclear engineering 5000+ courses beyond the core courses 
  • 3 hours Math 4000+, Stats 5000+ or program approved Math Equivalency courses (not Math 4504)
  • At least 9 hours of NE 8998 with your faculty advisor
  • NUCLREN 6881 (Nuclear Engineering Seminar) every semester
  • A Master's Thesis

 

Non-Thesis Path

Students who wish to pursue the non-thesis path must meet the following requirements in order to graduate:

  • NUCLREN 5001 (Interaction of Radiation with Matter)
  • NUCLREN 5002 (Reactor Physics)
  • NUCLREN 5003 (Nuclear Reactor Systems and Analysis)
  • NUCLREN 5004 (Material in Nuclear Systems)
  • 12 hours nuclear engineering 5000+ courses beyond the core courses 
  • 3 hours Math 4000+, Stats 5000+ or program approved Math Equivalency courses (not Math 4504)
  • At least 3 hours of NE 8998 with your faculty advisor
  • NUCLREN 6881 (Nuclear Engineering Seminar) every semester

  • A non-thesis project as decided upon by your MS committee

Doctoral Degree Requirements

A minimum of 80 graduate credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, including coursework and a dissertation, are required to obtain a doctoral degree. If a student has obtained a master’s degree at Ohio State or elsewhere, then a minimum of 50 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s is required. The entire work for the PhD degree must be completed within a period of nine calendar years.

Click here for a downloadable PDF version of these requirements.

The specific requirements for the PhD in Nuclear Engineering are below. 

PhD Coursework Requirements 

  • NUCLREN 5001 (Interaction of Radiation with Matter)
  • NUCLREN 5002 (Reactor Physics)
  • NUCLREN 5003 (Nuclear Reactor Systems and Analysis)
  • NUCLREN 5004 (Material in Nuclear Systems)
  • 6 hours nuclear engineering 5000+ courses beyond the core courses 
  • 3 hours NE 6000+ courses
  • 6 hours of advisor approved elective coursework
  • 3 hours Math 4000+, Stats 5000+ or program approved Math Equivalency courses (not Math 4504)
  • 50 hours of NE 8999 with advisor
  • NUCLREN 6881 every semester until candidacy 
  • First author journal submission
  • Successful completion of the Qualifying and Candidacy Exams
  • Submission and successful defense of a Doctoral Dissertation

Important Notes

  • Students who have not taken NUCLREN 4505 (Introduction to Nuclear Engineering) or an introductory Nuclear Engineering course at another institution are required to take NUCLREN 4505 immediately upon starting their graduate studies. NUCLREN 4505 does not count towards the required number of hours for a graduate in Nuclear Engineering.