VCU School of Engineering to Offer Nuclear Engineering Track

By Anne Buckley and Georgia Esposito

In response to a growing national interest in nuclear energy for future electrical production, the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering has added a nuclear engineering track to its master's degree program.

The program, which started in the Fall of 2007, already enrolls 25 students and has been sponsored by Dominion. Students will earn a non-thesis master of science degree in engineering with a nuclear engineering track.

Nuclear energy currently produces about 20 percent of the electricity in the United States, and there is a renewed global interest in such a source of energy, according to Dominion. The nuclear engineering track is designed to provide the nuclear industry with a new generation of nuclear engineers to support this demand.

"The School of Engineering was the result of the corporate and community need to build a skilled workforce of engineers in this region, and the partnership with Dominion is a perfect example of that," said VCU president Eugene P. Trani.

"Dominion is excited to support Virginia Commonwealth University in this new endeavor," said David Christian, chief nuclear officer and president-Dominion Nuclear. "This program will provide Dominion with a new pipeline of highly qualified nuclear engineers, and will also provide our existing employees with advanced educational opportunities, so that Dominion will continue to be a leader in providing safe and reliable nuclear-generated electricity to our customers."

"The establishment of an MS degree with a track in nuclear engineering will absolutely give our graduates more employment opportunities," said Russell Jamison, dean of the VCU School of Engineering. "It's good for Dominion, and very good for the School of Engineering since programs like this attract a highly qualified group of students," he said.

Many of the students currently enrolled in the program are engineers working full-time. The students' backgrounds are as diverse as statistics, chemistry or biology. The 30-credit course of study includes nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering and business and finance subjects. The program will take approximately 10 semesters to complete.