About

Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering first was established as the Department of Nuclear Engineering in 1958 as an inter-disciplinary program and was granted departmental status in 1986. In 1999, the department's name was changed to Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, reflecting the wide variety of courses available to students.

NPRE is the only nuclear engineering department in Illinois, a state that has re-committed its support for nuclear energy, and is home to more nuclear power plants than any other state in the union. Built on a tradition of excellence, NPRE claims these among its many achievements:

• Our faculty and students routinely gain national recognition for teaching, research and service
• NPRE houses HIDRA, a one-of-a-kind plasma/fusion facility
• NPRE has partnered with many industries that support faculty research and/or students.

Undergraduate studies

NPRE undergraduates choose among three paths of study: nuclear power, plasma/fusion, and radiological sciences. See "Why NPRE?" for more details.

Graduate research is broadly classified in five areas:

• Material Science (nuclear fuels, structural materials)
• Nuclear Power (reactor physics, thermalhydraulics, fuel cycle, radiation transport, I&C)
• Plasma and Fusion (modeling, plasma-material interactions)
• Radiological Sciences (detectors, imaging, health physics, medical applications)
• Risk and Policy (Probabilistic Risk Assessment, safety, energy, arms controls, disarmament, security).