Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate program in the Department of Nuclear Engineering strives to produce qualified engineers to work to meet the technical manpower needs in the areas of nuclear energy production, space applications, and radiological health technologies. Graduates of our program find careers in government and private labs, regulatory agencies, reactor vending, utilities, architect engineering, and the space program.

Our Mission Statement:

The mission of the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Health Engineering undergraduate programs is to prepare students for success in their professional endeavors following the baccalaureate degree. These endeavors may include direct employment in the private or public sectors, graduate studies in engineering or science, professional studies in medicine, business, law or public administration, service in the military, or entrepreneurial activities.

Degrees we offer

In order to supply these qualified engineers, the Department of Nuclear Engineering offers curricula leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering and in Radiological Health Engineering. Both degrees are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc.

The nuclear engineering baccalaureate degree programs stress engineering science fundamentals and mathematics. However, considerable numbers of elective hours are available in the curriculum to permit students to broaden their educations as desired.

Students who intend to work in the nuclear power industry immediately upon completion of their B.S. degrees may choose to follow the "Power Option Alternative," a slightly modified degree program that focuses more heavily on the skills required for this subset of our student population. For more information on the Power Option Alternative, please see the Undergraduate Guide.

Minors and Other Related Certificate Programs

Students wishing to declare a minor field of study in Nuclear Engineering or Radiological Health Engineering should fill out the appropriate forms. The College of Engineering also has a number of Engineering Certificate Programs that may be of interest to our undergraduates, including the Safety Engineering Certificate, which includes courses that are cross-listed with NUEN courses.

Facilities

Most of the facilities used in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs are also used in the undergraduate degree programs. These facilities make the Department of Nuclear Engineering one of the best equipped in the United States. Texas A&M is now the only University in the United States with two nuclear reactors on its campus.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of our Bachelor of Science program in Nuclear Engineering or Radiological Health Engineering:

• will work on the challenges of maintenance, improvement, innovation, education, and research in nuclear power and industrial utilization of nuclear radiation and radionuclides. In this work, they will fulfill independent assignments, engage in collaborations, and manage the work of others with effective communications characterizing all phases of their responsibilities;
• will conduct their professional activities with full recognition of the choices and challenges implicit to their work, to its ethical dimensions, and to their implications for matters beyond their immediate tasks;
• will take the local, global, historical, social, economic, and political settings into account in both their domestic and international endeavors; and
• will recognize and utilize both the accumulated body of results from prior work and the continuing evolution of science and technology as essential resources for the effective conduct of their work.

The overall objective of the undergraduate program is to prepare students for success in their professional endeavors following the baccalaureate degree. These endeavors may include direct employment in the private or public sectors, graduate studies in engineering or science, professional studies in medicine, business, law or public administration, service in the military, or entrepreneurial activities.

Undergraduate Research Scholars

A select group of our undergraduate students have become Undergraduate Research Scholars. Students with junior or senior standing who are currently participating in independent research are eligible to apply to this program. For more information on the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program and to see a list of present and past recipients and their projects, click here.