2026-2027 Academic Catalog

Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.

View Undergraduate Section View Graduate Section

Explore Programs

Explore programs to find a fit for you.

Search Courses

Explore courses by subject and keyword.

Previous Publications

Navigate to previous publications.

Nuclear Science & Engineering (NSEG)

NSEG 3145 - Fundamentals of Nuclear Engr (3 credits) 
Application of fundamental principles of neutron physics and reactor theory. Introduction to nuclear cross-section data, neutron scattering, nuclear fission, and diffusion theory. Examination of current and next generation nuclear power.
Prerequisite(s): MATH 2214 or MATH 2214H or MATH 2406H 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 3146 - Fundamental of Nuclear Engr (3 credits) 
Application of fundamental principles of neutron physics and reactor theory. Calculation of critical mass and dimensions of a reactor using modified one-group theory; reactivity changes in the core due to control rods, chemical boron shim, temperature changes, and fissioin production poisons. Determination of reactor thermal design criteria. Introduction to radiation protection and reactor accident analysis. Nuclear enginering ethics principles.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 3145 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 3604 - Radiation Detection, Protection and Shielding (3 credits) 
Radioactive decay, interaction of charged particles and photons with matter, methods of radiation detection and radiation dosimetry, counting statistics, radiation protection criteria and exposure limits, external radiation protection using time, distance and shielding.
Prerequisite(s): PHYS 2306 
Corequisite(s): MATH 2214 or MATH 2214H or MATH 2406H. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 4204 - Nuclear Fuel Cycle (3 credits) 
Uranium nuclear fuel cycle: radiation basics, uranium reserves, mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel manufacturing, in-core fuel management and refueling, spent fuel storage, reprocessing/recycling and final disposition as waste in a geologic repository. Introduction to nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation as applied to each step of cycle. Alternative fuel cycles.
Prerequisite(s): MATH 2214 or MATH 2214H or MATH 2406H 
Corequisite(s): NSEG 3146 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 4214 - Nuclear Power Plant Operations (3 credits) 
Emphasis on pressurized water reactor plant operations. Review of boiling water reactor operations. Detailed system functions and operation, reactor plant startup and shutdown procedures, reactor refueling, reactor plant safety analysis, reactor plant licensing, ethics and integrity in the nuclear industry.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 3145 
Corequisite(s): NSEG 3146 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 4424 - Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (3 credits) 
Fundamental processes of heat generation and transport in nuclear reactors: reactor coolant systems and components, heat generation and spatial distribution, heat transport by conduction and convection, single-phase flow, two-phase flow and boiling, critical heat flux.
Prerequisite(s): MATH 2214 or MATH 2214H or MATH 2406H 
Corequisite(s): NSEG 3145 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 4974 - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 4984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 4994 - Undergraduate Research (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 4994H - Undergraduate Research (1-19 credits) 
Honors Section
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 5104 - Applied Mathematics for Nuclear Engineers (3 credits) 
Mathematical modeling. Complex numbers and operations. Matrix theory. Vector analysis and multivariable operators. Review of ordinary differential equations. Analytical methods for solving partial differential equations. Computational methods for solving partial differential equations in spatial and time dimensions including finite differences, finite volume, and discrete ordinates methods. Emphasis on applications associated with reactor physics and reactor thermal hydraulics. Pre: Graduate standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5114 - Nuclear Eng Fundamentals (3 credits) 
A foundation course in nuclear engineering. Neutron physics, reactor theory and kinetics, basic reactor design and operation, and overall power plant operation. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5124 - Nuclear Reactor Analysis (3 credits) 
Nuclear reactions and fission process. The fission chain reaction. Neutron diffusion and moderation. One-speed diffusion model of a nuclear reactor. Neutron slowing and multigroup diffusion theory. Nuclear reactor kinetics. Introduction to reactor core physics design.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 5114 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5134 - Monte Carlo Particle Transport (3 credits) 
Basic particle transport concepts. Random processes, random number generation techniques, fundamental formulation of Monte Carlo, sampling procedures, and fundamentals of probability and statistics. Monte Carlo algorithms for particle transport, non-analog Monte Carlo method, formulations for different variance reduction techniques, and tallying procedures. Methodologies for parallelization and vectorization of the Monte Carlo methods, and examples of the Monte Carlo method for simulation of various real-life applications. Graduate standing required
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5204 - Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles (3 credits) 
Processing of spent nuclear fuel, material separation (volatilization and electrochemical separations), separation equipment, actinide chemistry, aqueous reprocessing, liquid/liquid extraction, and pyrochemical reprocessing. Introduction to safeguards and nonproliferation during processing. Pre: Graduate Standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5214 - Nuclear Plant Systems & Ops (3 credits) 
Pressurized and boiling water reactors, detailed system functions and operation, reactor plant startup and shutdown procedures, reactor trip and casualty procedures, reactor transient response analysis, reactor plant licensing, ethics and integrity in the nuclear industry.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 5114 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5284 - Nuclear Nonproliferation, Safeguards, and Security (3 credits) 
Technical essentials, policy analysis, theoretical perspectives of nuclear energy and nuclear nonproliferation. Fundamentals of the nuclear fuel cycle, management of international safeguards, threat of nuclear terrorism, and challenges for global nuclear industry. Pre: Graduate standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: SPIA 5284, STS 5284 
NSEG 5424 - Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (3 credits) 
Fundamental processes of heat generation and transport in nuclear reactors. Heat generation by fission and radiation interactions; spatial distribution of heat generation; heat transport by conduction and convection. Effects of boiling and critical heat flux. Fundamentals of reactor thermal and hydraulic design.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 5114 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5504 - Radiation Effects on Metals and Alloys (3 credits) 
Radiation effects on metals and alloys. Interaction between particles and atoms, radiation damage, displacement of atoms, diffusion of point defects, radiation-induced segregation, phase instability, transmutation products, irradiated material mechanical properties. Pre: Graduate Standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: MSE 5504 
NSEG 5514 - Structural Materials Degradation in Nuclear Power Systems (3 credits) 
High temperature failure mechanisms and corrosion in applications of nuclear engineering to include material compatibility and materials selection for nuclear power systems. In-depth treatment of high-temperature corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, and the effect of non-aqueous coolants. Pre: Graduate standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5604 - Radiation Detect & Shielding (3 credits) 
Radioactive decay, interaction of charged particles and photons with matter, methods of radiation detection and radiation dosimetry, counting statistics, external radiation protection using time, distance and shielding. Pre-requisite: Graduate Standing required.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 5904 - Project and Report (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 5944 - Nuclear Engineering Graduate Seminar (1 credit) 
A series of seminar lectures or panels on various nuclear engineering topics by invited U.S. and international guests from industry, government organizations, national laboratories, other universities, or Nuclear Engineering program PhD students and faculty. May be repeated 5 times with different content for a maximum of 6 credits. Pre: Graduate standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (1 Lec, 1 Crd) 
Repeatability: up to 6 credit hours 
NSEG 5954 - Study Abroad (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 5974 - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 5984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 5994 - Research and Thesis (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 6124 - Particle Transport Theory, Methods and Applications (3 credits) 
Neutral particle interactions and related cross sections. Linear Boltzmann equation in “forward” and “adjoint” forms and their applications. Perturbation and variational techniques for particle transport problems. Different numerical methods for solving the linear Boltzmann equation; limitations of these methods for solving real-life problems, and parallel and serial computational implementations.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 5124 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 6334 - Nuclear Reactor Safety (3 credits) 
Hazards of nuclear reactors; analysis of hypothetical design basis accidents; engineered safeguards and safety design principles; nuclear criticality safety; reactor containment; reactor safety codes; and probabilistic risk assessment.
Prerequisite(s): NSEG 5114 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
NSEG 6984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
NSEG 7994 - Research and Dissertation (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course