The Ohio State University

The Nuclear Engineering Program at OSU is designed to prepare students for successful careers in many different specialty areas such as nuclear power, nuclear medicine, radiation safety, and environmental management. Our graduates are in demand and work for a variety of employers including electric utilities, research laboratories, universities, medical facilities, regulatory agencies, and providers of equipment and services for the nuclear industry. Students benefit from the practical research orientation of the program, which operates on nearly one million dollars in research grants from a variety of sponsors such as the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Electric Power Research Institute, American Electric Power, the National Academy for Nuclear Training, and the National Institutes of Health. Students work side-by-side with faculty on real world problems and get to know the industry and government sponsors for whom the research is being conducted. The excellent record of publications and patents by faculty and students illustrates the broad scope of the program. The MSc in Nuclear Engineering can be completed in 5 quarters, allowing the student to move quickly to his or her career.

Summary of Requirements for Admission to the Graduate Program in Nuclear Engineering

1. Bachelors degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Nuclear Engineering, Engineering Physics, or related fields such as Physics or Mathematics
2. A grade point average of 3.0/4.0 or better in all previous undergraduate and graduate work
3. All applicants must take the Graduate Record Exam
4. A TOEFL score of at least 213 for the computer–based exam is required of international students  

Summary of Requirements for the Master of Science Degree

• At least 45 hours of graduate level courses beyond the Bachelors degree including at least 6 hours of mathematics, statistics, and/or engineering analysis and no more than 12 hours of credit for thesis research
• A thesis and a final oral exam which emphasizes an exposition and defense of the thesis investigation

-or-

• An acceptable task report or submission of a journal article for publication, and final written comprehensive examination (In this case, the student must complete a minimum of 50 hours of course work.)

Summary of Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

1. Passing a qualifying examination before 70 hours of graded graduate credit have been completed
2. At least 135 quarter hours of graduate level courses beyond the Bachelors degree (A MSc degree in an acceptable field, counting as 45 quarter hours, may be transferred from another institution.) 
3. Successful completion of a Candidacy Examination, taken after a majority of course work is completed
4. A dissertation and a final oral examination which emphasizes an exposition and defense of the dissertation investigation

Financial Assistance Available

Financial assistance is available to Nuclear Engineering graduate students. Previous academic performance, GRE scores, and work experience are considered when selecting students for research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships. Fellowships are available through OSU, the Department of Energy, the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the National Science Foundation. Research assistantships are available on projects with faculty members as well as through cooperative agreements between the Nuclear Engineering Program and the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Stipends for all positions start at $1,650.00 per month; for a current listing of tuition and fees visit www.ureg.ohio-state.edu and on the right side under Quick Links click on Tuition & Fees.

The deadline for fellowship applications is January 1 for US students and November 28 for international students.

Application for all forms of financial assistance administered by the Nuclear Engineering Program as well as the Graduate School may be made by simply completing the appropriate portion of the application form for admission to the Graduate School. Application materials may be obtained electronically http://www-afa.adm.ohio-state.edu).

Nuclear Engineering home page: http://www.nuclear.osu.edu
The Ohio State University Graduate School home page: http://www.gradsch.ohio-state.edu/
Nuclear Engineering e-mail address: nuclear@osu.edu

The Nuclear Engineering Faculty and Their Research Interests

• Aldemir, Tunc, PhD, The University of Illinois, Professor, Numerical methods, probabilistic analysis of dynamic systems, reactor physics, reliability and risk assessment. 

•  Blue, Thomas E., PhD, University of Michigan. Professor. Radiation Protection, Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), development of an accelerator-based neutron source for BNCT, nuclear instrumentation, radon transport and measurement.

• Christensen, Richard N., PhD, Stanford University. Professor Emeritus. Inherently safe reactor design, thermodynamics, two-phase flow and enhanced heat transfer, nuclear waste management, reactor design, reactor safety and ammonia absorption technology.

• Denning, Richard S., PhD, University of Florida, Professor, Reactor Safety, probabilistic risk assessment, behavior of severe accidents in nuclear plants, design of inherently safe reactors.  

• Hajek, Brian K., MSc, The Ohio State University. Research Scientist, Associate Chair. Reactor operations, reactor licensing and safety, reactor operator training.

• Miller, Don W., PhD, The Ohio State University, Professor Emeritus, Nuclear Engineering. Reactor instrumentation, reactor dynamics and control, advanced technologies applied to plant control and operation, performance of fiber optic components and sensors in radiation environments. In-core power sensors.

• Smidts, Carol S., PhD, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, Engineering Physics. Probabilistic risk assessment, dynamic methodologies, continuous event trees, Markov analysis, software reliability modeling, automated software testing, software safety, human reliability modeling, digital systems reliability and risk assessment. 

• Sun, Xiaodong, PhD, Purdue University, Nuclear Engineering. Thermal-hydraulics and reactor safety, and two-phase flow experimentation and modeling, including boiling and condensation, advanced instrumentation in two-phase flow application, interfacial structure characterization and bubble dynamics

Areas of Study, Research and Specialization

The Ohio State University Nuclear Engineering Program has established and developed five broad areas of technical specialization. These areas are listed below with specific members of the faculty and staff who are providing leadership.    

1. Reactor Instrumentation, Control and Operations – B.K. Hajek, A.C. Kauffman, D.W. Miller, G. Rizzoni, J.W. Talnagi, T.E. Blue, T. Aldemir.

2. Reactor Design, Reactor Physics, and Related Computational Methods – T. Aldemir, R.S. Denning, D.W. Miller, S. Nakamura, J.W. Talnagi, X Sun,

3. Probabilistic Risk Assessment – T. Aldemir, R.S. Denning, D.W. Miller, C. S. Smidts, R.N. Christensen  

4. Thermal Hydraulics and Heat Transfer – T. Aldemir, R.N. Christensen, R.S. Denning, S. Nakamura, V. Subramaniam, X Sun.

5.  Radiation Physics, Medical and Industrial Applications, Waste Management and Radiation Protection – T.E. Blue, R.S. Denning, N. Gupta, B.K. Hajek, R.D. Myser, D.W. Miller, V. Subramaniam.

•  500kW Research and Training Reactor
•  Subcritical Graphite Reactor
•  Neutron Howitzer
• Neutron Activation Analysis System
•  Gamma Ray Spectroscopy Systems
•  Instrumentation Laboratory
• Engineering Workstations (SGI)
• Thermal Hydraulics Laboratory
• Computer Aided Design Laboratory