Master’s in Fuel, Materials & Corrosion Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in nuclear fuel, materials & corrosion engineering. 12 modules covering fuel behaviour, structural materials, radiation damage, reactor water chemistry, corrosion and SCC, accident behaviour and structural integrity, with ASME BPVC Section III and XI and TRANSURANUS, with an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Understand the behaviour of nuclear fuel in operation.
Select structural materials for nuclear applications.
Explain the mechanisms of radiation damage.
Control reactor water chemistry.
Assess corrosion and stress corrosion cracking mechanisms.
Analyse fuel behaviour in accidents.
Apply structural integrity methods and in-plant materials management.
Who it's for
- Nuclear materials engineers.
- Corrosion specialists moving into nuclear applications.
- Fuel engineers at utilities and fuel manufacturers.
- Nuclear power plant chemists.
- Structural integrity engineers.
- Radiation damage researchers.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the nuclear power industry.
What you'll work with
- ASME BPVC Section III (design of nuclear components)
- ASME BPVC Section XI (in-service inspection and flaw evaluation)
- 10 CFR 50.46 (ECCS acceptance criteria for LOCA)
- 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix G (fracture toughness requirements)
- ASTM E185 (reactor vessel surveillance programmes)
- ASTM E900 (embrittlement trend prediction)
- EPRI PWR Primary Water Chemistry Guidelines (primary chemistry control)
- Regulatory Guide 1.99 (radiation embrittlement of vessel materials)
- TRANSURANUS
- FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN
- Thermo-Calc
- Abaqus
- CHECWORKS
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1UO2 pellets: fabrication and microstructure1.2Zirconium alloy cladding1.3PWR and BWR fuel assembly design1.4Fuel conductivity and temperature1.5Fission gas release1.6Swelling and densification1.7Pellet-cladding interaction (PCI)1.8Cladding creep and growth1.9High-burnup behaviour1.10Workshop: calculation of the internal pressure of a fuel rod
2.1Ferritic reactor vessel steels2.2Austenitic stainless steels2.3Nickel alloys 600 and 6902.4Zirconium alloys Zircaloy, ZIRLO and M52.5Cast steels and welds2.6Nuclear graphite in gas-cooled reactors2.7Containment concretes and steels2.8Materials for advanced reactors2.9Materials selection by function2.10Case study: materials selection for reactor internals
3.1Atomic displacements and dpa3.2Point defects and cascades3.3Hardening and embrittlement3.4Irradiation-induced precipitation3.5Irradiation-induced segregation3.6Void swelling3.7Irradiation creep3.8Helium embrittlement3.9Effects on zirconium alloys3.10Practical exercise: dpa calculation for a component
4.1PWR primary chemistry4.2pH control with lithium and boron4.3Dissolved hydrogen and radiolysis4.4BWR chemistry: HWC and NobleChem4.5Zinc injection4.6Secondary chemistry and AVT4.7Corrosion products and CRUD4.8Activation radiation sources4.9EPRI chemistry guidelines4.10Laboratory: primary pHT control
5.1Corrosion thermodynamics and Pourbaix diagrams5.2Electrochemical kinetics and polarisation5.3Passivity and oxide layers5.4General corrosion of steels5.5Localised corrosion: pitting and crevice corrosion5.6Galvanic corrosion between dissimilar materials5.7Intergranular corrosion and sensitisation5.8Flow-accelerated corrosion5.9Electrochemical measurement techniques5.10Practical exercise: potentiodynamic test of a stainless steel
6.1SCC in stainless steels6.2PWSCC in Alloy 6006.3IASCC in internals6.4Crack growth and da/dt curves6.5Environmental fatigue and the Fen factor6.6Corrosion fatigue in piping6.7Mitigation: peening and coatings6.8Replacement with Alloy 6906.9Flaw evaluation6.10Case study: PWSCC in vessel head nozzles
7.1In-service zirconium oxidation7.2Hydrogen pickup and hydrides7.3Hydride reorientation7.4Nodular corrosion in BWRs7.5CRUD-induced fuel failures7.6Lithium-accelerated corrosion7.7High-temperature oxidation in accidents7.8Accident-tolerant cladding: chromium coatings7.9SiC/SiC and FeCrAl7.10Laboratory: oxide thickness measurement on cladding
8.1RIA and LOCA criteria8.2Cladding ballooning and burst8.3Fragmentation, relocation and dispersal8.4Oxidation embrittlement8.5CABRI, NSRR and Halden tests8.6ATF fuels and their behaviour8.7Fission product release8.8Models in TRANSURANUS and FRAPTRAN8.9Recent regulatory revisions8.10Practical exercise: simulation of an RIA transient
9.1Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics9.2RT_NDT toughness curves9.3Pressurised thermal shock9.4Reactor vessel surveillance programme9.5ASME XI flaw evaluation9.6Leak before break9.7Fatigue of primary components9.8Steam generator integrity9.9Integrity of internals9.10Workshop: pressurised thermal shock assessment
10.1Phased array ultrasonics10.2Eddy current testing of tubes10.3Radiography and visual testing10.4Hot cells and post-irradiation examination10.5Electron microscopy and APT10.6Tensile and Charpy testing10.7J-R toughness testing10.8Crack growth testing10.9Hardness and indentation measurements10.10Case study: interpretation of a post-irradiation examination
11.1Corrosion management programmes11.2Steam generator integrity programme11.3Alloy 600 management11.4Erosion-corrosion: FAC programme11.5Chemistry and its operational control11.6Fuel failure management11.7Materials ageing for LTO11.8International operating experience11.9Materials databases11.10Practical exercise: FAC inspection plan with CHECWORKS
12.1Selection of the component or phenomenon12.2State-of-the-art review12.3Material characterisation12.4Modelling of the degradation mechanism12.5Integrity or performance assessment12.6Mitigation proposals12.7Implications for operation12.8Conclusions and technical recommendations12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
100% online training 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, making it compatible with full-time work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is TRANSURANUS, FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN, Thermo-Calc, Abaqus and CHECWORKS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied using real procedures for characterising irradiated materials, assessing stress corrosion cracking and analysing fuel behaviour during transients. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: ASME BPVC Section III, ASME BPVC Section XI, 10 CFR 50.46, 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix G, ASTM E185, ASTM E900, EPRI PWR Primary Water Chemistry Guidelines and Regulatory Guide 1.99.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme 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.
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 TRANSURANUS, FRAPCON/FRAPTRAN, Thermo-Calc, Abaqus and CHECWORKS, 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 programme 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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