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Master'sNuclear Engineering & Nuclear Fuel Cycle Technologies Applications open

Master’s in Fission Reactor Engineering

Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in fission reactor engineering, structured in 12 modules covering neutronics, diffusion theory and criticality, cell and fuel assembly physics, core design, core thermal-hydraulics, light water, Generation IV and small modular reactors, shielding, design safety and integrated simulation, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration1900 h
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Master the fundamentals of neutronics and neutron transport.

02

Calculate core criticality and power distribution.

03

Design loading patterns and fuel management strategies.

04

Assess the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of the core and its margins.

05

Compare light water, Generation IV and SMR technologies.

06

Apply deterministic and Monte Carlo calculation codes.

07

Analyse reactivity accidents and their regulatory acceptability.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Core design engineers looking to broaden their command of reactor physics.
  • Reactor physicists working on neutronic calculations.
  • Fuel management engineers responsible for reload design.
  • Core safety analysts assessing design margins and accidents.
  • SMR development engineers working on new reactor concepts.
  • Researchers in advanced reactors.
  • Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter nuclear engineering firms.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • IAEA SSR-2/1 Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design (IAEA design safety requirements)
  • 10 CFR 50.46 (acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems)
  • IAEA SSG-52 Design of the Reactor Core for Nuclear Power Plants (IAEA guide on reactor core design)
  • 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A General Design Criteria (US general design criteria for nuclear power plants)
  • NUREG-0800 Standard Review Plan (US NRC review plan for safety analysis reports)
  • ANSI/ANS-19.6.1 (reload start-up physics tests for PWRs)
  • ASME BPVC Section III (construction rules for nuclear facility components)
  • OpenMC
  • SERPENT
  • MCNP
  • CASMO/SIMULATE
  • PARCS
Syllabus

12 modules · 1900 h

  1. 1.1Interaction of neutrons with matter
  2. 1.2Cross-sections and resonances
  3. 1.3Slowing-down law and lethargy
  4. 1.4Flux, current and reaction rate
  5. 1.5ENDF and JEFF nuclear data libraries
  6. 1.6Neutron spectrum in thermal and fast reactors
  7. 1.7Decay chains and fission products
  8. 1.8Delayed neutrons and effective fraction
  9. 1.9The Boltzmann transport equation
  10. 1.10Workshop: cross-section calculation with evaluated libraries
  1. 2.1Diffusion approximation and boundary conditions
  2. 2.2Bare reactor: slab, cylindrical and spherical geometries
  3. 2.3Reflector and reflector savings
  4. 2.4Two-group energy theory
  5. 2.5Material and geometric buckling
  6. 2.6Power distribution and peaking factors
  7. 2.7Nodal methods for core calculation
  8. 2.8Homogenisation and group constants
  9. 2.9Monte Carlo criticality calculation
  10. 2.10Practical exercise: two-group criticality of a cylindrical reactor
  1. 3.1Unit cell and heterogeneity
  2. 3.2Resonance self-shielding
  3. 3.3Thermal disadvantage factor
  4. 3.4Cell codes: WIMS, DRAGON and CASMO
  5. 3.5Burnable poisons: gadolinium and integral boron
  6. 3.6Isotopic evolution and burnup
  7. 3.7Plutonium production in uranium fuel
  8. 3.8MOX fuel and its particular features
  9. 3.9Reactivity parameters versus burnup
  10. 3.10Laboratory: cell calculation with burnup
  1. 4.1Core design objectives
  2. 4.2Loading patterns and fuel management
  3. 4.3Low neutron leakage strategies
  4. 4.4Linear power density limits
  5. 4.5Shutdown margin and excess reactivity
  6. 4.6Design of control rod banks
  7. 4.7Cycle length and enrichment
  8. 4.8Core monitoring with in-core instrumentation
  9. 4.9Reload analysis with SIMULATE
  10. 4.10Workshop: loading pattern for an 18-month cycle
  1. 5.1Heat generation in the fuel rod
  2. 5.2Conduction in pellet, gap and cladding
  3. 5.3Forced convection and heat transfer correlations
  4. 5.4Nucleate boiling and two-phase flow
  5. 5.5Critical heat flux and DNBR
  6. 5.6Subchannel analysis with COBRA
  7. 5.7Pressure drops and flow distribution
  8. 5.8Natural circulation in the core
  9. 5.9Coupling between neutronics and thermal-hydraulics
  10. 5.10Practical exercise: DNBR calculation in the hot channel
  1. 6.1PWR design: core, primary circuit and containment
  2. 6.2BWR design: recirculation and steam separators
  3. 6.3VVER design and particular features of hexagonal fuel
  4. 6.4Evolutionary designs: EPR, AP1000 and ESBWR
  5. 6.5Passive systems in advanced designs
  6. 6.6Flow-based power control in BWRs
  7. 6.7Thermal-hydraulic stability in BWRs
  8. 6.8Coolant chemistry in LWRs
  9. 6.9Comparison of design parameters
  10. 6.10Case study: PWR versus BWR at equal power
  1. 7.1Sodium-cooled fast reactors
  2. 7.2Lead-cooled fast reactors
  3. 7.3Very high temperature reactors
  4. 7.4Molten salt reactors
  5. 7.5Supercritical water reactors
  6. 7.6Gas-cooled fast reactors
  7. 7.7The thorium cycle
  8. 7.8Generation IV International Forum roadmap
  9. 7.9Materials and licensing challenges
  10. 7.10Case study: assessment of a Generation IV concept
  1. 8.1The SMR concept and modular economies of scale
  2. 8.2Integral designs: NuScale and SMR-160
  3. 8.3BWRX-300 and Rolls-Royce SMR designs
  4. 8.4Microreactors for remote sites
  5. 8.5Modular manufacturing and transport
  6. 8.6Passive safety systems in SMRs
  7. 8.7Non-electric applications: industrial heat and hydrogen
  8. 8.8SMR licensing strategies
  9. 8.9Reduced emergency planning zones
  10. 8.10Workshop: conceptual sizing of an integral SMR
  1. 9.1Radiation sources in the core
  2. 9.2Neutron and gamma attenuation
  3. 9.3Build-up factors
  4. 9.4Shielding materials
  5. 9.5Activation of structural components
  6. 9.6Neutron fluence on the vessel
  7. 9.7Calculation with MCNP and deterministic methods
  8. 9.8Biological shielding of the reactor building
  9. 9.9Gamma heating in structures
  10. 9.10Practical exercise: calculation of fluence on the vessel
  1. 10.1Fuel acceptance criteria
  2. 10.2Rod ejection accident
  3. 10.3Boron dilution accident
  4. 10.4Reactivity from cold water insertion
  5. 10.5LOCA analysis and 10 CFR 50.46 criteria
  6. 10.6Uncertainties and BEPU methodology
  7. 10.7Analysis of severe accidents in the core
  8. 10.8Core catcher and in-vessel retention
  9. 10.9Regulatory design review
  10. 10.10Case study: analysis of a reactivity insertion accident
  1. 11.1Cell-core-system calculation chain
  2. 11.2Code verification and validation
  3. 11.3OECD/NEA benchmarks
  4. 11.4Uncertainty quantification
  5. 11.5Coupled calculation with PARCS and RELAP5
  6. 11.6High-fidelity Monte Carlo methods
  7. 11.7Quality assurance of nuclear software
  8. 11.8Documentation of design calculations
  9. 11.9Core digital twins
  10. 11.10Laboratory: PWR core benchmark with OpenMC
  1. 12.1Definition of the reactor concept to be studied
  2. 12.2Design requirements and criteria
  3. 12.3Neutronic model of the core
  4. 12.4Coupled thermal-hydraulic model
  5. 12.5Assessment of safety margins
  6. 12.6Sensitivity analysis
  7. 12.7Comparison with reference designs
  8. 12.8Conclusions and proposals
  9. 12.9Master's Thesis report
  10. 12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

The programme is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so you can combine it with your job.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is OpenMC, SERPENT, MCNP, CASMO/SIMULATE and PARCS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: neutronic calculation of a reference core, analysis of international benchmarks and conceptual design of a modular reactor. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final Master's Thesis.

Standards covered: IAEA SSR-2/1 Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design, 10 CFR 50.46, IAEA SSG-52 Design of the Reactor Core for Nuclear Power Plants, 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A General Design Criteria, NUREG-0800 Standard Review Plan, ANSI/ANS-19.6.1, ASME BPVC Section III.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of IAEA SSR-2/1, 10 CFR 50.46 and IAEA SSG-52 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:OpenMC, SERPENT, MCNP, CASMO/SIMULATE and PARCS, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Master's Thesis with defence:the design of a reactor concept with coupled neutronic and thermal-hydraulic models and assessment of its safety margins, defended before a panel.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Two-group criticality calculation
Calculate the criticality of a cylindrical reactor using two-group theory.
Cell calculation with burnup
Model a fuel cell and track its isotopic evolution with burnup.
Loading pattern and DNBR
Design a loading pattern for an 18-month cycle and check DNBR in the hot channel.
Core benchmark with OpenMC
Run a PWR core benchmark and analyse a reactivity insertion accident.
Master's Thesis
Design of a reactor concept with coupled models and safety margin assessment, defended before a panel.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Core design engineerReactor physicistFuel management engineerCore safety analystSMR development engineerAdvanced reactor researcher
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
  • Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with OpenMC, SERPENT, MCNP, CASMO/SIMULATE and PARCS, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the software, and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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