Nuclear Engineering
Utah Nuclear Engineering Program (UNEP)
Housed within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNEP has developed a Nuclear Engineering curriculum that fills critical educational and competency gaps for engineers and scientists involved in the nuclear power and radioactive waste industries, nuclear medicine, homeland security, radiation safety, and nuclear materials detection. UNEP has an undergraduate minor and two graduate degrees (M.S. non-thesis and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering). The requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree are established to meet the expectations of nuclear industry in the state of Utah, the nation, and the world.
State-of-the-Art Labs
The University of Utah's TRIGA Nuclear Reactor
About Our Nuclear Reactor
The University of Utah is one of the few institutions in the nation that houses its own nuclear reactor, right here on campus. We've been conducting research and training on the TRIGA reactor since 1975. TRIGA stands for Training, Research, Isotopes General Atomics. There are currently only 35 TRIGA reactors operating in the world, with 17 in the United States.
Having our own nuclear reactor enables us to conduct research for nuclear medicine, nuclear forensics, radiation detection, and more.
About
UNEP is responsible for educating the next generation workforce in critical nuclear engineering fields and developing innovative procedures and technologies for the advancement of nuclear applications.
Our curriculum is designed for engineers and scientists involved in the nuclear power and radioactive waste industries, nuclear medicine, homeland security, radiation safety, and nuclear materials detection.
Explore what our professors specialize in:
Mission
Our mission is to provide outstanding educational and research training that prepares students for rewarding careers and leadership positions in the development and application of nuclear processes, instrumentation, and nuclear systems while insuring proper safeguards essential for maximizing the societal benefits of nuclear energy and radioactive materials. Using our TRIGA Nuclear Research Reactor as a core training and educational facility, UNEP’s overarching goal is to continually make strides in the advancement of multidisciplinary nuclear-related fields such as
- actinide synthesis,
- electronics nesting,
- energy,
- medical isotope production,
- nuclear forensics,
- nuclear safeguards,
- and radiation detection.