Nuclear Engineering

Contact

Engineering Student Services

308 McLaughlin Hall # 1700
Berkeley, CA 94720-1700
(510) 642-7594
ess@berkeley.edu

In-person hours: Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

4153 Etcheverry Hall, #1730
(510) 642-5010
nuc.berkeley.edu

Degree worksheet: 2024

Undergraduate programs and degree worksheets from previous years are available through the Undergraduate Guide archive.

2024-2025 Freshman Undergraduate Program in Nuclear Engineering*

Course	Fall	Spring
Freshman Year
CHEM 1A+1AL – General Chemistry, or CHEM 4A – General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis(1)	5	–
ENGIN 7 – Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers	–	4
MATH 1A – Calculus	4	–
MATH 1B – Calculus	–	4
PHYSICS 7A – Physics for Scientists and Engineers	–	4
NUCENG 10 – What Do Nuclear Engineers Do?	1	–
Reading & Composition Part A Course(2)	4	–
Reading & Composition Part B Course(2)	–	4
Humanities/Social Sciences Course(2)	3-4	–
Total	17-18	16
Sophomore Year
MATSCI 45 – Properties of Materials + MATSCI 45L – Properties of Materials Laboratory	4	–
Electronic Circuits Elective⁽³⁾	–	3-4
MATH 53 – Multivariable Calculus	4	–
MATH 54 – Linear Algebra and Differential Equations	–	4
PHYSICS 7B – Physics for Scientists and Engineers	4	–
PHYSICS 7C – Physics for Scientists and Engineers	–	4
Humanities/Social Sciences Courses(2)	3-4	3-4
Total	15-16	14-16
Junior Year
ENGIN 40 – Engineering Thermodynamics	4	–
Statistics/Data Analysis Elective(4)	3-8	–
NUCENG 100 – Introduction to Nuclear Energy and Technology	3	–
NUCENG 101 – Nuclear Reactions and Radiation	4	–
NUCENG 104 – Radiation Detection and Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory	–	4
NUCENG 150 – Nuclear Reactor Theory	–	4
Technical Elective(5)	–	4
Humanities/Social Sciences Course (with Ethics Content)(2)(6)	–	3-4
Free elective(7)	–	1
Total	14-19	16-17
Senior Year
NUCENG 170A – Nuclear Design: Design in Nuclear Power Technology and Instrumentation	–	3
Technical Electives(5)	13	12
Total	13	15

Notes

1CHEM 4A is for students intending a major in chemistry or chemical engineering.

2The Humanities/Social Sciences (H/SS) requirement includes two approved Reading & Composition (R&C) courses and four additional approved courses, with which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. R&C courses must be taken for a letter grade (C- or better required). The first half (R&C Part A) must be completed by the end of the freshman year; the second half (R&C Part B) must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year. The remaining courses may be taken at any time during the program. See engineering.berkeley.edu/hss for complete details and a list of approved courses.

³Electronic Circuits Elective: Choose one course from EECS 16A, ENGIN 11, MECENG 100, or PHYSICS 111A.

4Statistics/Data Analysis Elective: Choose one course from ENGIN 178 (recommended), DATA C8 + DATA 88 connector (must take both), DATA C100, DATA C140, EECS 126, INDENG 172, STAT 133, or STAT 134.

5Students must complete 29 technical elective units which must include at least 17 units of upper division nuclear engineering courses. The remaining 12 technical elective units must be fulfilled by taking courses in engineering and science, of which a minimum of 9 units must be upper division. Students must consult with and obtain approval from their faculty adviser no later than the fall semester of their junior year for their choices of technical elective courses. Technical electives cannot include any course taken on a P/NP basis; any course that counts as H/SS; courses numbered 24, 39, 84, 88; BIOENG 100, 153; COMPSCI C79; DATA C104; DESINV courses (except DESINV 15, 22, 23, 90E, 190E); ENGIN 125, 157AC, 180, 183 series, 185, 187, 195 series; INDENG 95, 171 (if taken SP23 or later), 172, 185, 186, 190 series, 191, 192, 195; MECENG 126, 191AC, 190K, 191K. Students may receive up to three units of technical elective credit for graded research in H194 or 196.

6Students must take one course with ethics content. This may be fulfilled within the Humanities/Social Sciences requirement by taking one of the following courses: ANTHRO 156B; BIOENG 100; ENGIN 125, 157AC, 185; ESPM 161, 162; GEOG 31; IAS 157AC; ISF 100E; L&S 160B; PHILOS 2, 104, 107; SOCIOL 116.

7Free electives can be any technical or non-technical course, any course of your interest offered by any department; there are no restrictions. Free electives may be necessary in order to obtain the minimum 120 units for graduation.

* A minimum of 120 units is required for graduation.

Upper division technical electives

The following groups of electives should help undergraduate students focus their choices on specific professional goals. The electives selected need not be from any single group.

Beam and Accelerator Applications:
NUCENG 155, 180; PHYSICS 110A, 110B (ELENG 117 may be substituted for PHYSICS 110A and 110B), 129, 139, 142

Bionuclear Engineering:
BIOENG C165; ELENG 120, C145B; NUCENG 107, 162

Computational Methods:
COMPSCI 169; MATH 104, 110, 128A; NUCENG 155; STAT 134, 150

Fission Power Engineering:
MECENG 106, 109 (CHMENG 150A may be substituted for MECENG 106 and 109); NUCENG 120, 124, 155, 161, 167, 175

Fusion Power Engineering:
NUCENG 120, 155, 180; PHYSICS 110A, 110B, 142

Homeland Security and Nonproliferation:
CHEM 143; NUCENG 102, 107, 130, 155, 175; PHYSICS 110A, 110B, 111A, 111B

Materials in Nuclear Technology:
MATSCI 102, 104, 112, 113; NUCENG 120, 124, 155, 161

Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Waste Management:
CHMENG 150A, 150B; ENGIN 120 or INDENG 120; MATSCI 112; NUCENG 120, 124, 155, 161, 175

Radiation and Health Physics:
NUCENG 102, 120, 155, 162, 180

Risk, Safety and Systems Analysis:
CIVENG 193; CHMENG 150A; ENGIN 120 or INDENG 120; INDENG 166; NUCENG 120, 124, 155, 161, 167, 175

2024-2025 Transfer Undergraduate Program in Nuclear Engineering*

Course	Fall	Spring
1st and 2nd Semesters
ENGIN 7 – Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers	4	–
MATSCI 45 – Properties of Materials + MATSCI 45L – Properties of Materials Laboratory	4	–
NUCENG 100 – Introduction to Nuclear Energy and Technology	3	–
NUCENG 101 – Nuclear Reactions and Radiation	4
Statistics/Data Analysis Elective(1)	–	3-8
NUCENG 104 – Radiation Detection and Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory	–	4
NUCENG 150 – Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Theory	–	4
NUCENG 10 – What Do Nuclear Engineers Do?	1
Humanities/Social Sciences Course( 2, 3)	–	3-4
Total	16	14-20
3rd and 4th Semesters
ENGIN 40 – Engineering Thermodynamics	4	–
Electronic Circuits Elective⁽⁴⁾	3-4
NUCENG 170A – Nuclear Design: Design in Nuclear Power Technology and Instrumentation	–	3
Technical Electives(5)	3	10
Humanities/Social Sciences Courses( 2, 3)	3-4	3-4
Total	13-15	16-17
5th Semester**
Technical Electives(5)	10
Humanities/Social Sciences Course( 2, 3)	3-4
Total	13-14

Notes

* A minimum of 120 units is required for graduation.

**Transfer students who would like to enroll for a fifth semester must contact their ESS Adviser to change their degree term.

1Statistics/Data Analysis Elective: Choose one course from ENGIN 178 (recommended), DATA C8 + DATA 88 connector (must take both), DATA C100, DATA C140, EECS 126, INDENG 172, STAT 133, or STAT 134.

2The Humanities/Social Science (H/SS) requirement includes two approved Reading & Composition courses and four additional approved courses, with which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. Reading & Composition parts A and B must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year. The remaining courses may be taken at any time during the program. See engineering.berkeley.edu/hss for complete details and a list of approved courses.

3Students must take one course with ethics content. This may be fulfilled within the Humanities/Social Sciences requirement by taking one of the following courses: ANTHRO 156B; BIOENG 100; ENGIN 125, 157AC, 185; ESPM 161, 162; GEOG 31; IAS 157AC; ISF 100E; L&S 160B; PHILOS 2, 104, 107; SOCIOL 116.

4Electronic Circuits Elective: Choose one course from EECS 16A, ENGIN 11, MECENG 100, or PHYSICS 111A.

5Transfer students must complete 26 technical elective units which must include at least 14 units of upper division nuclear engineering courses. The remaining 12 technical elective units must be fulfilled by taking courses in engineering and science, of which a minimum of 9 units must be upper division. Students must consult with and obtain approval from their faculty adviser no later than the fall semester of their junior year for their choices of technical elective courses. Technical electives cannot include any course taken on a P/NP basis; courses numbered 24, 39, 84, 88; BIOENG 100, 153; COMPSCI C79; DATA C104; DESINV courses (except DESINV 15, 22, 23, 90E, 190E); ENGIN 125, 157AC, 180, 183 series, 185, 187, 195 series; INDENG 95, 171 (if taken SP23 or later), 172, 185, 186, 190 series, 191, 192, 195; MECENG 126, 191AC, 190K, 191K. Students may receive up to three units of technical elective credit for graded research in H194 or 196.