Nuclear technology plays a crucial role in a wide variety of contexts and sectors in Belgium, including power production, waste management, nuclear fuel production, etc. The Belgian Nuclear Higher Education Network (BNEN) combines the expertise in nuclear education and research of six major Belgian universities (KU Leuven, UGent, VUB, UCL, ULG and ULB) with the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN.
Nuclear technology plays a crucial role in a wide variety of contexts and sectors in Belgium, including:
The Belgium Nuclear Higher Education Network combines the expertise in nuclear education and research of six major Belgian universities (KU Leuven, UGent, VUB, UCL, ULG and ULB) with the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre.
The current programme can be divided into three core blocks:
The collaboration with SCK*CEN makes it possible to include actual use of facilities in the curriculum, supporting the development of skills and competences in a research environment. All subjects are taught by academics appointed by the partner universities, whereas the practical exercises and laboratory sessions are supervised by the experts of SCK*CEN. The Master’s thesis offers an opportunity for internship in industry or in a research laboratory.
All teaching activities take place on the premises of SCK*CEN. Courses are organised in English and in a modular way; teaching in blocks of one to three weeks for each module allows optimal time management for students and lecturers, facilitates registration for individual modules, and allows easy exchange with international students.
BNEN has served as a role model for the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN) which now has become an association of over 60 members (universities, industry, regulators, research centres), aiming at facilitating mobility in Europe for students in nuclear engineering.
One particular aspect of the BNEN degree is that it automatically leads to the recognition as Class I Expert by the Federal Agency of Nuclear Control. In order to receive this accreditation the programme must at least offer 24 credits in Nuclear Safety and 12 credits in Radioprotection.
The Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering programme is an internationally oriented, interuniversity programme organised by BNEN in close collaboration with nuclear research centres and industry. The aim of the BNEN programme is to provide students with all the skills and scientific and technical background necessary to carry out duties at a high level of responsibility in order to ensure the safe and economical operation of nuclear power plants, the regulation and control of nuclear installations or to design new nuclear systems.
A major strength of the BNEN programme, as to its sustainability, is that it allows providing high quality academic education by experts from (or appointed by) the main Belgian universities at low individual cost and thus very efficiently harmonised/rationalised. In addition, the participation of the nuclear research centre SCK*CEN in the consortium provides superb realistic experimental facilities in a difficult (radioactive) environment at low cost for the universities.
A further fundamental strength of the programme can be found in the fact that a well-balanced curriculum is offered where the contents and format have been discussed at length with representatives of the major nuclear companies that are the first potential employers of the graduates. Objectives and programme outcomes were defined that encompass in depth disciplinary specific competences as well as, but in a less pronounced way, transferable skills and competences that are needed for an efficient integration of a graduate in a larger engineering team. There is a nearly complete overlap between objectives and realised competences in courses, electives, exercises and Master’s thesis. This can be ascribed to the following contributing factors:
Graduates possess the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out duties at a high level of responsibility in:
In addition, the degree itself is an important part of the legal qualifications necessary to become a safety professional in a major nuclear installation.
As a healthcare professional, this course offers you a valuable multidisciplinary opportunity to participate in continuing professional development.
During your time with us, you'll tackle five compulsory modules that will develop a deep understanding of the theory of nuclear medicine imaging. Practically, it will allow you develop skills in nuclear medicine that will allow you to practice competently and deal with complex and challenging situations
The course takes a blended approach to learning where you have blocks of attendance at Universtiy for lectures, tutorials and workshops. Supporting these learning activities are online learning through our virtual learning environment (BlackBoard).
The opportunity to come to university and meet your peers is important as it helps develop a sense of community and you are able to support each other through the programme. The time at university is highly valued by students.
You must have a UK-based clinical placement before commencing the course and spend a minimum of 3 days per week in clinical practice (excluding annual leave and weeks at the University). We can advise on this should you not have a placement but please note we cannot arrange it for you. Please contact the programme leader for advice
This course is made up of five compulsory modules which integrate theory with the clinical application and practice of nuclear medicine. There is a clinical practice requirement for the duration of the PgDip and you will be required to work closely with a nominated clinical supervisor.
The PGDip runs over one year making use of the three trimesters. The dissertation module continues in year 2 if you wish to continue. There is the option of retuning to complete the MSc after a break in your studies. You are advised to discuss with the programme leader the best option for you.
The course structure provides you the chance to exit with the following awards:
Your learning will be delivered through lectures, seminars, onlnie learning and group work.
You'll receive support from course tutors over email and via our virtual learning environment, Blackboard, where you can access discussion boards, online lectures, podcasts, videos and other learning materials.
Fundamentals of Nuclear Medicine
Advanced concepts of Nuclear Medicine
Scientific Principles of Hybrid Imaging in Nuclear Medicine
Clinically based practices in Nuclear Medicine
Statistics and Research Methods in nuclear medicine
Your learning will be delivered through lectures, seminars, onlnie learning and group work.
You'll receive support from course tutors over email and via our virtual learning environment, Blackboard, where you can access discussion boards, online lectures, podcasts, videos and other learning materials.
During the scientific principles of hybrid imaging module you will have access to the University’s CT scanner where you will be able to undertake practical workshops.
We have an extensive collection of anatomical and physics phantoms and dosimetry equipment that is available to students undertaking the dissertation module.
This course will equip you with the skills and knowledge that will qualify you for additional roles and responsibilities, which, in turn will enhance your career opportunities. You will have the knowledge and skills to be able to work in any nuclear medicine department. You will have developed knowledge and skills in research and will be able to evaluate critically published literature and use this to inform practice. You will have skills in creating and disseminating original.
Graduates of this programme have gained senior positions in clinical departments, industry and in education and research.
The programme team is made up of academic and clinical staff form a range of professional backgrounds including radiographers, clinical technologists, physicists, radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians. Staff have a wealth of experience in practice and research to ensure the course content is current.
We have strong links with industry especially in the North West, for example, during the SPECT and Fundamentals module there will be practical session at the Nuclear Medicine Department in the Christie Hospital and the Central Manchester Nuclear Medicine Department. Likewise during the Hybrid Imaging module there will be a practical session at the Central Manchester Nuclear Medicine Department.
At the University of Surrey, our MSc in Nuclear Science and Applications is a new and innovative programme, taught by a combination of world-leading nuclear physics academics and leading experts from the UK’s nuclear industries.
Drawing upon our existing expertise and supported by our MSc in Radiation and Environmental Protection, one of UK’s longest running programmes in its field, our programme will give you a thorough grounding in nuclear science and its applications. This new programmes differs from our existing MSc in Radiation and Environmental Protection as both the group project and the summer dissertation project will be on nuclear science and application topics.
The substantial practical element of this programme enables you to relate taught material to real-world applications. Formal lectures are complemented with work in specialist radiation laboratories that were recently refurbished as part of a £1m upgrade to our facilities.
Here you will work with a wide range of radioactive sources and radiation detectors. There is also an extended project in the spring and an eleven-week MSc dissertation project in the summer and students will have the opportunity to complete their dissertation on a topic specialising in nuclear research.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year. Part-time students study over two academic years, within which the workload is evenly distributed.
The course consists of eight taught modules and a dissertation.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The programme material is taught by a combination of academics from the Department of Physics at Surrey and specialists provided by industrial partners. The Surrey academics are part of the Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics which houses the largest academic nuclear physics research group in the UK.
In addition to the formal lectures for taught modules, the programme provides a wide range of experimental hands-on training. This includes an eight-week radiation physics laboratory which takes place in the specialist radiation laboratories within the Department of Physics at the University of Surrey.
These were recently refurbished as part of a £1 million upgrade to the departmental teaching infrastructure. Within the Department, we also have a common room and a departmental library, which contains copies of earlier MSc dissertations.
As well as the laboratory training, you will also undertake a research group project at the beginning of the Spring semester as a precursor to the eleven-week research dissertation project which makes up the final part of the MSc.
There are many opportunities for the summer dissertation project to be taken in an external industrial environment.
Completion of this programme will result in strong job opportunities in the nuclear industry, a growing international industry.
The programme will also naturally lead into further study, such as completion of a PhD.
The programme integrates the acquisition of core scientific knowledge with the development of key practical skills with a focus on professional career development within medical physics and radiation detection, and related industries.
The principle educational aims and outcomes of learning are to provide participants with advanced knowledge, practical skills and understanding applied to medical physics, radiation detection instrumentation, radiation and environmental practice in an industrial or medical context.
This is achieved by the development of the participants’ understanding of the underlying science and technology and by the participants gaining an understanding of the legal basis, practical implementation and organisational basis of medical physics and radiation measurement.
Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual / cognitive skills
Professional practical skills
Key / transferable skills
The Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering allows students to acquire a deep degree of knowledge in nuclear energy’s theory and practical fundamentals as well as in the technology that is associated to the production of energy by means of nuclear fission’s mass production.
The Master benefits itself from the existing collaboration with ENDESA and with the -CSN- (Nuclear Security Council). Furthermore, other institutions that are involved in the sector’s research ambit also participate in the Master, both in the educational ambit and in reception of students that are willing to carry out internships. An example of these institutions would be the CIEMAT and Spanish companies such as ENUSA, TECNATOM, ENSA, Initec-Westinghouse and ENRESA, amongst others.
The master is addressed to people with scientific-technological university studies in the following sectors:
This master degree is a combination of theory and practical activities (lecturing classes, autonomous study, resolution of exercises, use of calculus codes and practical sessions in laboratories) with guided visits to several nuclear installations.
An important part of the students’ learning process will come from the resolution of a series of synthesis exercises or transversal projects, by means of PBL activities: Every quarter there will be one subject that will be dedicated to the realization of a project, case or problem, with a transversal character, and with the coordinated participation of the teachers from the different subjects that will be involved.
During the last quarter, the student will carry out a compulsory internship in a company from this sector or in a research and development center. Through the before mentioned quarter, students will also carry out their End of Master Project, preferably with a topic that is related to their internship period.
In Europe, nuclear engineering graduates are in high demand, and not just because of the need to replace those who retire from employment at European nuclear power plants. Economic globalization and the growing presence of European companies in a variety of projects have contributed considerably to the need for qualified staff within the sector. The increased demand for qualified staff that is foreseen is a cause for concern not only for Spanish companies but also for the Nuclear Safety Council, the Spanish regulatory body.
This master’s degree focuses on preparing students for positions of responsibility within the nuclear power sector and producing qualified graduates for employment in research and development, and even teaching, in this field.
Generic competencies
Generic competencies are the skills that graduates acquire regardless of the specific course or field of study. The generic competencies established by the UPC are capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship, sustainability and social commitment, knowledge of a foreign language (preferably English), teamwork and proper use of information resources.
Specific competencies
On completion of the course, students will:
Our Nuclear Medicine: Science & Practice course will give you the skills to deliver safe, high-quality nuclear medicine services based on training in a strong scientific and academic framework in an approved structured service environment.
This course draws on professional expertise from many disciplines. Our lectures will instruct you in clinical practice, radiopharmaceutical, scientific and regulatory issues in nuclear medicine, as well as providing a solid foundation in diagnostic nuclear oncology and radionuclide therapy. The course features practical components, ranging from clinical observations, audit, physics and radiopharmacy experiments and original research.
This course will develop your skills so that you can provide safe, high-quality nuclear medicine services.
This programme develops skills for the provision of safe, high-quality nuclear medicine services by offering nuclear medicine training with a strong scientific and academic framework in an approved structured service environment.
Teaching
If you are an MSc student, you will have 222 hours of lectures. The amount of time you will spend on work placement will typically be around 60 days each year. We expect you to undertake 10 hours of self-study each week.
If you are a PG Dip student, you will have 174 hours of lectures. The amount of time you will spend on work placement will typically be around 60 days each year. We expect you to undertake 10 hours of self-study each week.
If you are a PG Cert student, you will have 120 hours of lectures. The amount of time you will spend on work placement will typically be around 60 days each year. We expect you to undertake 10 hours of self-study each week.
Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Assessment
We will assess you through a variety of methods, including:
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they may change if the course modules change.
This course is primarily taught at the King’s College London St Thomas’ Campus. All teaching materials are accessible on line via the KEATs eLearning platform to support distance learning and revision. Lectures are delivered at St Thomas’ Hospital with a short mini module at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Work placements are usually undertaken in the students’ own institution (UK students) or in major London Teaching hospitals.
Students continue to work in a range of nuclear medicine services.
The Masters in Physics: Nuclear Technology provides an understanding of the application of nuclear processes and technology to energy generation, medical physics and environmental monitoring, and at a level appropriate for a professional physicist.
*For suitably qualified candidates
Modes of delivery of the MSc Physics: Nuclear Technology include lectures, seminars and tutorials and allow students the opportunity to take part in lab, project and team work.
The programme in Physics: Nuclear technology lasts 1 year and contains a minimum of 180 credits. You will undertake a minimum of 120 credits in Semesters 1 and 2 and be assessed on these courses either via continuous assessment, or unseen examination in the May/June examination diet, or a combination thereof. The remaining 60 credits will take the form of an extended MSc project, carried out on a specific aspect of theoretical, computational or experimental physics which has current or potential application in the areas of nuclear technology, nuclear energy, radiation detection or environmental monitoring. You will conduct this project while embedded within a particular research group – under the direct supervision of a member of academic staff.
Your curriculum will be flexible and tailored to your prior experience and expertise, particular research interests and specific nature of the extended research project topic provisionally identified at the beginning of the MSc programme. Generally, however, courses taken in Semester 1 will focus on building core theoretical and experimental/computational skills relevant to the global challenge theme, while courses taken in Semester 2 will build key research skills (in preparation for the extended project).
Career opportunities in academic research, based in universities, research institutes, observatories and laboratory facilities; industrial research in a wide range of fields including energy and the environmental sector, IT and semiconductors, optics and lasers, materials science, telecommunications, engineering; banking and commerce; higher education.
This course is run in partnership with fellow members of the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium (Sheffield is one of the lead partners, along with Manchester and Liverpool) and gives you access to more than 90 per cent of the UK’s academic expertise in nuclear waste immobilisation, decommissioning and clean-up.
You'll be based in the department’s world-leading NucleUS Immobilisation Science Laboratory, and will take eight modules on the nuclear fuel cycle. Topics include reactor materials and nuclear waste management with each module including one week at one of our partner universities.
A friendly, forward-thinking community, our students and staff are on hand to welcome you to the department and ensure you settle into student life.
Your project supervisor will support you throughout your course. Plus you’ll have access to our extensive network of alumni, offering industry insight and valuable career advice to support your own career pathway.
Prospective employers recognise the value of our courses, and know that our students can apply their knowledge to industry. Our graduates work for organisations including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the National Nuclear Laboratory and Saint-Gobain. Roles include materials development engineer, reactor engineer and research manager. They also work in academia in the UK and abroad.
90 per cent of our graduates are employed or in further study 6 months after graduating, with an average starting salary of £27,000, the highest being £50,000.
We have invested in extensive, world-class equipment and facilities to provide a stimulating learning environment. Our laboratories are equipped to a high standard, with specialist facilities for each area of research.
Tools and production facilities for materials processing, fabrication and testing, including wet chemical processing for ceramics and polymers, rapid solidification and water atomisation for nanoscale metallic materials, and extensive facilities for deposition of functional and structural coatings.
Our £3million advanced nuclear materials research facility provides a high-quality environment for research on radioactive waste and disposal. Our unique thermomechanical compression and arbitrary strain path equipment is used for simulation of hot deformation.
You’ll have access to newly refurbished array of microscopy and analysis equipment, x-ray facilities, and surface analysis techniques covering state-of-the-art XPS and SIMS. There are also laboratories for cell and tissue culture, and facilities for measuring electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties.
The Kroto Research Institute and the Nanoscience and Technology Centre enhance our capabilities in materials fabrication and characterisation, and we have a computer cluster for modelling from the atomistic through nano and mesoscopic to the macroscopic.
An interdisciplinary research-led department; our network of world leading academics at the cutting edge of their research inform our courses providing a stimulating, dynamic environment in which to study.
Working alongside students and staff from across the globe, you’ll tackle real-world projects, and attend lectures, seminars and laboratory classes delivered by academic and industry experts.
You’ll be assessed by formal examinations, coursework assignments and a dissertation.
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