Jul 30, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
2024-2025 University Catalog

Nuclear Engineering, BSNE

Location(s): West Lafayette


About the Program


The Nuclear Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear Engineering Major Change (CODO) Requirements  

Degree Requirements


131 Credits Required


Nuclear Engineering Major Courses (44 credits)


Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (87-99 credits)


If pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering, CS 15900 - Prog Appl for Engineers is required to graduate, but not required to complete the First Year Engineering program.

First-Year Engineering Requirements (29-39 credits)


Click here for First-Year Engineering  requirements.

  • Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering I (2-4 credits)
  • Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II (2-4 credits)
  • Requirement #3 - Calculus I (4-5 credits) (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) 
  • Requirement #4 - Calculus II (4-5 credits) (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) 
  • Requirement #5 - Chemistry I (4-6 credits) (satisfies Science #1 for core)
  • Requirement #6 - Physics (4 credits) (satisfies Science #2 for core)
  • Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective (3-4 credits)
  • Requirement #8 - Written and Oral Communication (6-7 credits) (could satisfy Written Communication, Information Literacy or Oral Communication for core)

Other Departmental Requirements (46-48 credits)


General Education Requirement (12 credits)


  • General Education I (20000 level Human Cultures: Humanities) - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core)
  • General Education II (30000+ level Human Cultures: Humanities) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education III (20000 level Human Cultures: Behavioral/ Social Sciences) - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Behavioral/ Social Sciences for core)
  • General Education IV (30000+ level Human Cultures: Behavioral/ Social Sciences) - Credit Hours: 3.00

See Supplemental Information for requirements and notes

Supplemental List


Grade Requirements


  • All NUCL courses must be completed with a C- or better.

GPA Requirements


  • Students must have a graduation index of 2.0

Course Requirements and Notes


  • A maximum of 6 TR, CR, DC credits can be applied to the General Elective requirements.

Pass/No Pass Policy


  • No courses can be taken as Pass/No Pass.

Transfer Credit Policy


  • A maximum of 6 TR, CR, DC credits can be applied to the General Elective requirements.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test.  The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused.  There are three different pathways:

  • Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
  • Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
  • Approved course pathway - Complete  one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample First-Year Engineering Plan of Study


Fall 1st Year


  • Requirement #1 - Intro to Engineering - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
  • Requirement #3 - Calculus I - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
  • Requirement #5 - Chemistry - Credit Hours: 4.00-6.00
  • Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

13-19 Credits


Spring 1st Year


  • Requirement #2 - Intro to Engineering II - Credit Hours: 2.00-4.00
  • Requirement #4 - Calculus II - Credit Hours: 4.00-5.00
  • Requirement #6 - Physics - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • Requirement #7 - First-Year Engineering Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • Requirement #8 - Written or Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00

16-21 Credits


Sample Nuclear Engineering Sample Plan of Study


Fall 2nd Year


16-19 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


17-18 Credits


18 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


18 Credits


Fall 4th Year


15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


12 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.