Program Overview
Nuclear Engineering Program
The Nuclear Engineering program at the University of California, Berkeley, is designed to educate leaders, create knowledge, and serve society. The program offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, with a focus on providing students with a comprehensive education in nuclear engineering.
Program Overview
The Nuclear Engineering program is housed in the Department of Nuclear Engineering, which is part of the College of Engineering. The program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Undergraduate Program
The undergraduate program in Nuclear Engineering is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the principles of nuclear engineering, including nuclear reactions, radiation detection, and nuclear instrumentation. The program requires a minimum of 120 units to graduate.
Freshman Undergraduate Program
The freshman undergraduate program in Nuclear Engineering is designed for students who are entering the university as freshmen. The program requires the following courses:
- CHEM 1A+1AL – General Chemistry, or CHEM 4A – General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis
- ENGIN 7 – Introduction to Computer Programming and Numerical Methods
- MATH 51 – Calculus I
- MATH 52 – Calculus II
- PHYSICS 7A – Physics for Scientists and Engineers
- NUCENG 10 – What Do Nuclear Engineers Do?
- Reading & Composition Part A Course
- Reading & Composition Part B Course
- Humanities/Social Sciences Course
Sophomore Year
In the sophomore year, students are required to take the following courses:
- MATSCI 45 – Properties of Materials + MATSCI 45L – Properties of Materials Laboratory
- Electronic Circuits Elective
- MATH 53 – Multivariable Calculus
- MATH 54 – Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
- PHYSICS 7B – Physics for Scientists and Engineers
- PHYSICS 7C – Physics for Scientists and Engineers
- Humanities/Social Sciences Courses
Junior Year
In the junior year, students are required to take the following courses:
- ENGIN 40 – Engineering Thermodynamics
- NUCENG 100 – Introduction to Nuclear Energy and Technology
- NUCENG 101 – Nuclear Reactions and Radiation
- NUCENG 104 – Radiation Detection and Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory
- NUCENG 150 – Nuclear Reactor Theory
- Statistics/Data Analysis Elective
- Technical Elective
- Humanities/Social Sciences Course (with Ethics Content)
- Free elective
Senior Year
In the senior year, students are required to take the following courses:
- NUCENG 170A – Nuclear Design: Design in Nuclear Power Technology and Instrumentation
- Technical Electives
- Free electives
Transfer Undergraduate Program
The transfer undergraduate program in Nuclear Engineering is designed for students who are transferring to the university from another institution. The program requires a minimum of 120 units to graduate.
1st and 2nd Semesters
In the first and second semesters, students are required to take the following courses:
- ENGIN 7 – Introduction to Computer Programming and Numerical Methods
- MATSCI 45 – Properties of Materials + MATSCI 45L – Properties of Materials Laboratory
- NUCENG 100 – Introduction to Nuclear Energy and Technology
- NUCENG 101 – Nuclear Reactions and Radiation
- Statistics/Data Analysis Elective
- NUCENG 104 – Radiation Detection and Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory
- NUCENG 150 – Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Theory
- Humanities/Social Sciences Course
3rd and 4th Semesters
In the third and fourth semesters, students are required to take the following courses:
- ENGIN 40 – Engineering Thermodynamics
- NUCENG 170A – Nuclear Design: Design in Nuclear Power Technology and Instrumentation
- Electronic Circuits Elective
- Technical Electives
- Humanities/Social Sciences Courses
5th Semester
In the fifth semester, students are required to take the following courses:
- Technical Electives
- Humanities/Social Sciences Course
Technical Electives
Students are required to complete 29 technical elective units, which must include at least 17 units of upper-division nuclear engineering courses. The remaining 12 technical elective units must be fulfilled by taking courses in engineering and science, of which a minimum of 9 units must be upper-division and be in one of the following departments: astronomy, chemistry, data, earth and planetary science, integrative biology, mathematics, molecular cell biology, physics, plant & microbial biology, statistics, or any engineering department (including NUCENG).
Upper Division Technical Electives
The following groups of electives should help undergraduate students focus their choices on specific professional goals:
- Beam and Accelerator Applications
- Bionuclear Engineering
- Computational Methods
- Fission Power Engineering
- Fusion Power Engineering
- Homeland Security and Nonproliferation
- Materials in Nuclear Technology
- Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Waste Management
- Radiation and Health Physics
- Risk, Safety and Systems Analysis
Humanities/Social Sciences Requirement
The Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) requirement includes two approved Reading & Composition courses and four additional approved courses, with which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. Reading & Composition parts A and B must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year. The remaining courses may be taken at any time during the program.
Ethics Requirement
Students must take one course with ethics content, which may be fulfilled within the Humanities/Social Sciences requirement by taking one of the following courses: ANTHRO 156B; BIOENG 100; ENGIN 125, 157AC, 185; ESPM 161, 162; GEOG 31; IAS 157AC; ISF 100E; L&S 160B; PHILOS 2, 104, 107; SOCIOL 116.
Free Electives
Free electives can be any technical or non-technical course, any course of your interest offered by any department; there are no restrictions. Free electives may be necessary in order to obtain the minimum 120 units for graduation.