Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Engineering Sciences

Students must complete:

• Complete 90 credit hours of coursework
• Take four core NE courses
• Professional Development and Supervised Teaching courses
• Individual Development Plan (IDP)
• Formation of a Supervisory Committee
• A Qualifying Examination
• A Doctoral Dissertation and Final Defense

Students without a Nuclear background are required to take ENU 5005 – Introduction to Nuclear Engineering in their first Fall term.

All work for the doctorate must be completed within five years after passing the Qualifying Examination.

Transfer Credits: Up to 9 graduate-level credit hours from another university may transfer with approval. All transferred courses must have a grade of B or better. Submit transcripts to the advising team. 

90 Credits Distribution

• 21 credits overall must be graded (A–E) 5000+ lecture or laboratory courses
  • Of those 21 credits, 15 credits must have the ENU prefix
    • Excluding:
    • ENU 6936 – Special Projects in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Sciences
    • ENU 6905 – Individual Work
  • 6 credits of professional development courses
  • Remaining credits are a combination of additional grade courses and research

Coursework Requirements

• Four ENU prefix core courses
  • PhD students select their four core courses based on their research
• ENU 6935 – Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Seminar (every Fall and Spring)
  • Required each semester unless enrolled in 9 graded credits or are in the final semester, with a waiver
• EGS 6056 – Learning and Teaching (Spring) – 1 credit
• ENU 6941 – Professional Development (Fall) – 1 credit
• ENU 6940 – Supervised Teaching (Fall and Spring) – 2 credits
  • Must complete 4 credits of EMA 6941
  • Students are assigned to courses by the Nuclear Director, typically starting in the second year

For a full list of PhD course offerings, see the MSE Course Descriptions.

Each Ph.D. student is guided by a supervisory committee responsible for overseeing the student’s research program and approving the doctoral dissertation.

The Committee

• Evaluate your research progress.
• Conduct and report required oral examinations.
• Review and approve your doctoral dissertation.

Students should meet at least annually with their supervisory committee to review their progress.

Committee Composition

The supervisory committee must include four members:

• The chair (research advisor)
  • A graduate Materials Science faculty member or an out-of-department graduate faculty with Materials Science affiliate status
• Two additional Materials Science faculty members
• One external member outside the MSE graduate faculty (no affiliated status)

Important Deadlines

Students must:

• Select a research advisor by November 1^st of the first semester
• Form their supervisory committee by the end of the second semester or after 12 credits

• Students without a research advisor by November 1st will be assigned departmental teaching assistant duties in their second semester and have until March 15^th to find a research advisor to stay in the PhD program.

The IDP is required for all Ph.D. students by the Graduate School. The IDP is intended to support professional growth, goal setting, and timely degree completion.

Students are required to complete set assignments every Fall and Spring semester until graduation.

EGS 6056 – Learning and Teaching in Engineering (1 credit)
Learn and apply evidence-based teaching and assessment techniques. Understand how to create course content based on the student-centered learning approach to teaching. Be introduced to methods to foster an inclusive classroom environment to support diverse learners in your classroom. Develop teaching philosophy based on the principles provided through this course. This course should be taken before or in conjunction with a student’s first ENU 6940 assignment and is offered every Spring term.

ENU 6941 – Professional Development (1 credit)
To develop required skills for and demonstrate readiness for the Ph.D. proposal defense in materials science or nuclear engineering.

ENU 6940 – Supervised Teaching (2 credits)
This is a practicum course to provide students with supervised teaching experience on developing effective instructional methods and materials in engineering education as well as effective mentoring skills in a professional setting.

Students receiving unsatisfactory evaluations must repeat the teaching assignment.

Admission to candidacy requires students to complete both the written qualifying requirement and the oral qualifying examination.

The written qualifying requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Engineering is comprised of successful completion of core coursework.

The Oral Qualifying Examination determines whether a student has the knowledge and research skills necessary to complete a Ph.D. dissertation.

The exam includes

• A written research proposal
  • Students must prepare a Ph.D. research proposal modeled after proposals submitted to federal funding agencies such as National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Energy.
• An oral defense of the proposal
  • The oral portion of the Qualifying Examination allows students to present and defend their proposed research before their supervisory committee.
• Evaluation of knowledge in the four core subject areas

The oral exam includes

• Public presentation of the research proposal (~30 minutes)
• Questions from the audience and committee
• A closed examination session with the supervisory committee

During the closed session, the committee evaluates

• The proposed research
• The written proposal
• The student’s knowledge of core materials science topics

The written and oral components are graded separately as pass/fail. Students must pass both components to pass the exam. Following the exam, the committee will deliberate and issue a pass or fail decision.

Students who fail a component may retake that component in the following academic term.

Timeline

Students must:

• Take the exam within two years of entering the program
• Have a maximum of two attempts
• Complete the exam no later than the sixth academic term (including summer)
• Students converted from the M.S. program must attempt the qualifying exam at the end of their second year as an NE graduate student or one year after entering the PhD program, whichever is later.

The final examination for the Ph.D. degree is a public dissertation defense.

The defense consists of

• A public presentation and open questioning
• A closed session with the supervisory committee

Students must submit the Electronic Thesis or Dissertation (ETD) to the Graduate School according to university deadlines.

For more information, visit the Graduate Success Center website.

The defense should be no more than three semesters, including the term in which the defense is completed, before the degree is awarded.

If the student fails the Final Examination, the exam must be retaken in the next semester. The Final Examination may be retaken only once. If a student fails a second final exam, they will be released from the program.

NE Graduate Coordinator

Yong Yang, Ph.D.
Email: NE Graduate Coordinator

Advising Office

Allyson Beatty
Academic Advisor II

Tahara Franklin
Academic Advisor III

Nabby Rivera
Academic Assistant II

Phone: 352-846-3312
Email: Email Advising Office