PhD in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering in Urbana United States | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

NPRE Illinois takes great pride in its students and their accomplishments after graduation. Our alumni pursue diverse careers, conducting research at national labs, designing and managing power plants, working with agencies like the NRC and DOE, teaching at universities, attending medical school, becoming health physicists, passing the Bar Exam, launching consulting firms, serving as military officers, and returning to their home nations to advance their fields. The Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering Department (NPRE) provides Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in these specialized engineering disciplines. For the Ph.D., students must complete at least 24 graduate credit hours beyond the M.S. requirements, plus 40+ hours of doctoral thesis work, typically spanning two or more additional years. Admission to doctoral studies requires passing a departmental qualifying exam. Candidates must fulfill coursework, pass preliminary exams, develop a doctoral thesis, and successfully defend it before a faculty committee. Doctoral studies generally involve nuclear engineering courses along with specialized research area classes and foundational math/science coursework. In rare cases, with approved petitions, off-campus doctoral research may be permitted.