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Courses

Core Courses

All nuclear engineering core courses are offered once a year. In addition to nuclear engineering courses, students are required to take the electrical engineering and engineering mechanics courses listed below.

Students must pass prerequisite courses before enrolling in a course. Please refer to the University Bulletin for prerequisites needed prior to registering for a course.

These core courses require a C or better for graduation: NUCE 301, NUCE 302, NUCE 309, NUCE 430, and NUCE 450.


Technical Electives

All nuclear engineering students are required to take 6 credits of Nuclear Engineering Technical Elective and 3 credits of General Technical Elective.

Nuclear Engineering Technical Electives (NUCE TE)

In the senior year, all nuclear engineering students enroll in two Nuclear Engineering Technical Electives (NUCE TE). NUCE TE courses are 400-level NUCE courses, except NUCE 401, that are not required in the nuclear engineering B.S. curriculum. Please refer to the University Bulletin for a list of 400-level NUCE classes. NUCE TE courses can also be taken to satisfy the GTE requirement.

General Technical Electives (GTE)

The General Technical Elective (GTE) provides the opportunity for students to enhance their technical education. To satisfy the GTE credit requirement, students can take math, science, or engineering courses not required for their program. The charts below provide a breakdown of accepted electives.

Please note of the following criteria:

  1. Some 497x (temporary) courses offered outside of nuclear engineering are eligible but require pre-approval via e-petition. The course must have substantial technical content and the student must demonstrate how the topic adds value to their academic and/or career plans.
  2. Three co-op credits or internship (or combination of both) rotations (ENGR 195, 295, 395, and 495).
  3. Six credits of ROTC training are accepted (3 credits applied as GTE and 3 credits applied as GHA).
  4. A course substitution must be submitted through e-petition for any course taken outside of nuclear engineering.
Courses in the College of Engineering
Course Prefix Accepted Courses Not Accepted
AERSP* 3XX, 4XX 308, 311
AE* 3XX, 4XX
BE 3XX, 4XX
BME* 3XX, 4XX
CHE* 3XX, 4XX 330, 350
CE* 3XX, 4XX 360
CMPEN* 3XX, 4XX
CMPSC* 3XX, 4XX
EE 3XX, 4XX
ENGR* 3XX, 4XX
EDSGN* 4XX
EMCH 3XX, 4XX 315, 416
ESC 3XX, 4XX
IE* 3XX, 4XX 312
ME* 3XX, 4XX, 497x 300, 320, 410, 440-443, 450
NucE* 3XX, 4XX, 497x 403, 430, 431, 450, 451
Courses in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Course Prefix Accepted Courses Not Accepted
EARTH 4XX
EGEE 4XX
FSC 4XX
ENVSE 4XX
GEOSC 3XX, 4XX
MATSE 4XX
METEO 3XX, 4XX
MNPR 3XX, 4XX
MNG 3XX, 4XX
PNG 4XX
Courses in the Eberly College of Science
Course Prefix Accepted Courses Not Accepted
ASTRO 2XX, 3XX, 4XX
BMB 2XX, 3XX, 4XX
BIOL 2XX, 3XX, 4XX
BIOTC 4XX
CHEM 2XX, 3XX, 4XX
ENT 3XX, 4XX
MATH 3XX, 4XX
MICRB 2XX, 3XX, 4XX
PHYS 230, 237, 3XX, 4XX
STAT 3XX, 4XX

Notes:

Departments with asterisk (*) may have controls on their course offerings. Students must contact the department to obtain permission to enroll if they cannot schedule the course in LionPATH.


button: student resources
  • Contact

  • Beth Huber
    Undergraduate Program Coordinator
    113A Hallowell Building
    bah41@psu.edu 
 
 

About

The Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State is one of the top ranked nuclear engineering programs in the United States. The department distinguishes itself with a strong focus on experimental research. The actively growing department leads four educational programs for students pursuing a bachelor of science, a master of science, a master of engineering, or a doctoral degree. The Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC) facilities, including the Breazeale Reactor, are available to nuclear engineering faculty and students at Penn State for research and instruction. RSEC houses the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, the country’s first and longest operating licensed nuclear research reactor. Having access to an operating research reactor is a key strength for the department and enables Penn State to harness research and educational opportunities that are unique in the United States. See how we’re inspiring change and impacting tomorrow at nuce.psu.edu.

Department of Nuclear Engineering

206 Hallowell Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802-4400

Phone: 814-863-6222