Required Curriculum

1. The candidate should earn credit for at least 6 credit hours of Master’s Thesis Research (NE 899 ) culminating in a successfully defended thesis. A student may substitute NE 899  for ME 899  with permission of the supervisory committee.
2. At least 18 hours, of the required minimum of 30 hours, should be at the 700 level and above, including ME 800  Graduate Seminar/Research Paper, and the thesis/research and the report/problems hours required by the thesis and report options. 
3. The MS candidate must satisfy the 75% attendance requirement for on-campus students in at least two semesters of ME 800  (0 credit hours). Graduate Seminar/Research Paper. Refer to ME 800  course requirements.
4. Courses at the 600-level may be included in the Program of Study, but 500-level courses in the student’s major area are expected to have been completed as undergraduate prerequisites to graduate study or as undergraduate deficiency courses assigned upon admission. The use of 500-level supporting courses in master’s programs is therefore restricted as follows: 
   1. No course in the student’s major area may be at the 500 level.
   2. Normally, no more than 6 credit hours may be at the 500 level.
5. A minimum of 18 credit hours of graded coursework (i.e., courses in which a letter grade is assigned)
6. The graded coursework should include at least one 3 credit hour course in engineering mathematics or applied mathematical analysis. Courses that may be used to meet this requirement are:

• MATH 632 - Elementary Partial Differential Equations Credits: 3
• MATH 713 - Advanced Applied Matrix Theory Credits: 3
• MATH 740 - Calculus of Variation Credits: 3
• MATH 745 - Ordinary Differential Equations Credits: 3
• MATH 855 - Methods of Applied Mathematics I Credits: 3
• MATH 856 - Methods of Applied Mathematics II Credits: 3
• MATH 864 - Theory of Ordinary Differential Equations I Credits: 3
• MATH 865 - Theory of Ordinary Differential Equations II Credits: 3
• ME 760 - Engineering Analysis I Credits: 3
• ME 860 - Engineering Analysis II Credits: 3
• PHYS 801 - Mathematical Methods of Physics Credits: 3
• PHYS 802 - Computational Methods in Physics Credits: 4

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  7. A student obtaining the master’s degree must take the following core courses:

• NE 612 - Principles of Radiation Detection Credits: 3
• NE 620 - Problems in Nuclear Engineering Credits: 3
• NE 630 - Nuclear Reactor Theory Credits: 3
• NE 690 - Radiation Protection and Shielding Credits: 3

Options for Completing the 30-hour Requirement

In addition to the minimum graded coursework requirement (18 credit hours) and the minimum Master’s Thesis Research requirement (6 credit hours), the candidate must complete 6 more credit hours to meet the minimum credit requirement of 30 credit hours. This can be done through any combination of the following:

• Up to 2 additional credit hours of Master’s Thesis Research (NE 899 ) 
• Up to 3 credit hours of ME 800  Seminar/Research Paper (refer to ME 800  course requirements) 
• Up to 3 credit hours of independent study 
• Up to 6 credit hours of additional coursework

Bettis Reactor Engineer School (BRES) graduates who enter the master’s program may transfer up to 4 courses (12 credits) toward fulfillment of degree requirements. The department maintains a list of course equivalencies. Naval Nuclear Power School graduates may be awarded transfer credits for Introduction to Nuclear Engineering (NE 620 ). Applicants with an undergraduate degree in NE may have this requirement waived.