The School of Nuclear Science and Engineering has launched a sweeping redesign of its undergraduate curriculum. The new program offers students unparalleled freedom to customize their academic path to reflect individual interests, goals, and career aspirations, and to develop a knowledge base that interests a wide range of employers or prepares them for graduate school.  

New curriculum built for flexibility

“We’ve shifted from a traditional and highly prescriptive curriculum to one that’s far more flexible,” said Todd Palmer, University Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering and chair of the school’s curriculum committee. “Previously, upwards of 95% of classes were determined by the school, leaving few elective options. When recent graduates told us that they would have preferred less rigidity, we listened.”  

The fundamental structural change is the elimination of the program’s two existing majors — nuclear engineering and radiation health physics. A single major — nuclear science and engineering — will take their place, along with three transcript-visible options: reactor engineering, health physics, and nuclear materials. 

New transcript-visible options

Reactor engineering follows a traditional nuclear engineering curriculum focused on thermal hydraulics, neutronics, and fission reactor design. Health physics, a revitalized version of radiation health physics, emphasizes radiation protection, occupational safety, and applications in medicine and industry. Nuclear materials is a new specialization centered on materials science, particularly for advanced reactor technologies and nuclear fusion.  

A fourth academic track allows students to earn the NSE degree without committing to a formal option. This “no-option” track lets students design an academic plan reflecting their interests in diverse topics, such as nuclear forensics, radiochemistry, artificial intelligence, environmental science, and public policy.  

All incoming first-year students will automatically follow the new curriculum when it takes effect this fall. Second-year students are encouraged to shift to the revised program. 

Expanding career opportunities for students

“The new curriculum offers a more expansive view of what it means to be a nuclear engineer and expands career opportunities for students who aren’t interested in studying traditional nuclear energy systems,” said Camille Palmer, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering. “Students are not boxed in, and unlike under the previous curriculum, changing academic tracks no longer risks delaying graduation.”  

For instance, if a student starts out focusing on reactor science but then discovers an interest in nuclear security or radiological medicine, they can pivot within the major without losing time or incurring academic penalties. This flexibility is largely due to the expanded emphasis on elective coursework. After completing two years of a common curriculum, students following any of the three options can take up to 28 credit hours of restricted elective courses. Under the previous curriculum, students were allowed up to 12 credit hours of restricted electives. NSE majors who don’t declare an option are permitted 36 credit hours of restricted electives to tailor their educational experience.  

Several factors motivated the redesign, including the preservation of the health physics discipline (formerly known as radiation health physics). Despite low undergraduate enrollment nationally, demand for health physicists remains high in hospitals, national laboratories, industry, and regulatory agencies, according to Camille Palmer.  

“Oregon State is committed to maintaining this vital field and ensuring the talent pipeline remains open, rather than phasing it out as other institutions have done,” she said. 

Modernizing for a broader nuclear future

Also influencing the curriculum’s redesign was the desire to modernize the role of nuclear science and engineering to reflect the profession’s evolving scope, Todd Palmer added. While the outgoing curriculum focused primarily on science connected to fission reactors, the restructured program embraces a future-focused vision of applications aligned with the school’s research strengths. It aims to produce a new generation of graduates prepared to meet the needs of industry and government in a range of traditional and emerging specialties, including radiation transport, advanced materials development, plasma physics, nuclear forensics, artificial intelligence, environmental remediation, radioactive waste management, and fusion technology, among others. Importantly, when students receive specialized training during their degree program, employers will not need to take on that role upon hiring graduates, as they have in the past.  

“We’ve done more than simply update the curriculum,” Todd Palmer said. “We’ve changed our philosophy and created a new vision for nuclear science and engineering education. This is about training professionals who are technically proficient, curious, flexible, and creative, and who want to work across disciplines. We also think these changes broaden the appeal of the program, helping more students see themselves and their interests align with a career in the field and resulting in healthy enrollment in the school.”