This program provides each student with a broad foundation in nuclear engineering at the graduate level. The unique combination of coursework and laboratory practice provides the student with the background for work involving the proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear detection, nuclear weapon effects, the nuclear fuel cycle, and nuclear power.
Program Educational Objectives
Our graduates, in their first (and subsequent) assignments within the military nuclear science and engineering career field, will be called upon to perform some or all of the following tasks. The educational objectives of the GNE program are that they will be able to perform these tasks successfully.
- Perform, direct, and coordinate technical work involving the military applications of nuclear technologies.
- Learn the details of programs and technologies in their new areas of responsibility and apply the skills and tools learned at AFIT to these tasks.
- Apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems that arise in the technical work they conduct or supervise.
- Study an issue, identify and evaluate alternative actions, propose appropriate courses of action, and identify optimal choices.
- Develop and implement programs, working within their organizations, to implement the chosen solutions.
- Write, edit, and/or supervise the preparation by contractors or subordinates, of written reports, journal articles, military briefings, and professional presentations that clearly communicate their work and that support the needs of decision makers; present their ideas effectively and defend them appropriately.
- Develop and implement, or sustain and improve, programs that entail multidisciplinary research, simulation, modeling, engineering design, production, and/or fielding of engineered systems.
Program Outcomes
- GNE students will demonstrate a high level of understanding of mathematics, science, and engineering as it applies to nuclear weapons and effects areas.
- GNE students will research, develop, and conduct nuclear science and engineering related research to meet a specified objective or goal.
- GNE students will demonstrate their ability to measure, analyze, and report the results of nuclear and radiation processes and measurements.
- GNE students will adapt their education to meet future defense needs of the nation as those needs become known.
Curriculum
Students normally enter as a class in September and are scheduled to graduate in March after 18 months. The program is normally six quarters in length. Five quarters are devoted to coursework and one to thesis research. The research is normally conducted at AFIT. The first two quarters of work stress fundamentals: mathematics and physics. The next two quarters provide advanced courses in nuclear applications areas and prepare the student for thesis research in one of these areas. The fifth quarter is then devoted to independent research for the thesis. In the final quarter, the thesis is defended and revised as necessary, while final courses cover additional application areas.
Requirements in Nuclear Engineering
A student in this program is required to submit at least 48 graduate credit hours for the degree. These credit hours must include the following:
12 credit hours Independent Study
4 credit hours Mathematics at the 500 or higher level
12 credit hours Nuclear Engineering Core
12 credit hours Nuclear Applications Courses, two of which are considered a sequence
8 credits of the Nuclear Engineering Capstone