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University of Pittsburgh    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
 
  Nov 25, 2024
 
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Nuclear Engineering Certificate


The undergraduate certificate in Nuclear Engineering is a five-course sequence, consisting of three nuclear engineering courses and two discipline-specific courses related to nuclear engineering from the various engineering departments. Any undergraduate engineering students in the Swanson School of Engineering can earn the certificate in conjunction with an undergraduate engineering degree. Qualified students in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences can pursue the certificate with approval from the Nuclear Engineering program director.

After earning the certificate, students should be able to do the following: apply the concepts of nuclear and reactor physics, reactor kinetics, radiation protection, fuel depletion, and heat transfer to engineering problems; apply engineering skills, knowledge, and expertise to nuclear energy problems; for light water reactors, support engineering projects for the design of the reactor core and the reactor coolant system; assess important social and technical issues related to nuclear science and technology; describe and explain the nuclear fuel cycle from mining to disposal including reprocessing and waste management.

Interested students should visit http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/nuclear/ or contact either the Director or Associate/Academic Director of the Nuclear Engineering program; currently, these posts are occupied by Dr. Heng Ban (heng.ban@pitt.edu) and Dr. Tom Congedo (tvc9@pitt.edu), respectively.

Requirements


Fifteen (15) credits are required to complete the certificate. A minimum 2.5 GPA is required for students to participate in the certificate. Students must obtain a GPA of at least 2.5 for the courses taken.  All undergraduate certificate students are required to complete three (3) courses from the list below as well as two (2) department specific courses:

Plus two (2) Degree Specific Courses


Students should select two (2) courses from the list below that are appropriate to their degree of study.

Non-engineering Math and Science Majors


Non-engineering math and science majors (e.g., Math, Chemistry, Physics) must complete the three (3) core Nuclear Engineering courses, provide the Director of the Nuclear Engineering a proposal for two additional courses in the student’s major and obtain the Director’s signed approval. The one-page proposal must include the following:

  • two (2) courses from the student’s major
  • the catalog description of the two (2) courses
  • a short statement on how these two (2) courses complement the three (3) core nuclear courses and/or apply to nuclear engineering.

This proposal will be signed by the Director or Associate Director of the Nuclear Engineering program and kept on record by the MEMS Department.



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