University of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

Nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering is a branch of engineering that is concerned with the development and use of nuclear energy and radiation sources for a wide variety of applications in energy production, in materials processing and science, and for biomedical and industrial uses. Areas of interest include the continued safe and reliable application of fission reactors as central electric power plant thermal sources; plasma processing applications and the longer term development of fusion reactors for electric power generation; and the use of radiation sources in such areas as materials, biological systems, medical treatment, radiation instrumentation, environmental systems, and activation analysis.

The first two years of the curriculum provide a strong foundation in basic sciences (physics, mathematics, and chemistry), engineering sciences (analytical mechanics and thermodynamics), an introduction to computer use, and introduction to nuclear energy systems. Most technical concentration takes place in the third and fourth years of the curriculum according to the educational and career interest of the students. The curriculum provides three professional concentration areas: power, safety and the environment; plasma and fusion science and engineering; and radiological, medical, and instrumentation applications. Each concentration area allows flexibility in developing advanced technical expertise but also requires depth of understanding in the area. The third path meets pre-med requirements and facilitates the minor in bioengineering. To complete this concentration area, students should take certain chemistry and biology courses in the first two years of the curriculum.