Qualifying Examination

The Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE) Qualifying Examination is offered twice a year in August and January on the Friday prior to the first day of instruction for the fall and spring semesters. The exam is administered by the NPRE Qualifying Exam Committee, which is made up of three faculty appointed from the general NPRE faculty body on a rotating basis. A letter is delivered outlining steps to register for the NPRE qualifying examination 2-3 weeks prior to the end of the semester for the corresponding NPRE Qual Exam.

Recent changes to the Qualifying Examination, effective January 2025

Written Examinations:  Previously, students were allotted 2 hours to complete questions 1 and 2, and 2 hours to complete question 3 for a combined total of 4 hours to complete the written exam.  Students will have 2 hours to complete each question on the written exam for a combined total of 6 hours to complete the written exam.  The written exam sessions are listed below.

8:00am - 10:00am -  Question 1
10:30am -12:30pm -  Question 2
1:30pm - 3:30pm – Question 3

Research Oral Examinations:  Students will now receive their research article 4 weeks in advance instead on the date the written exams are taken. 

Make-Up Oral Exams:  On a student’s first attempt, only students who pass 2 questions with a pass (P) or marginal pass (MP) AND score a marginal fail (MF) for the third question will be eligible for a make-up oral. Students taking the exam for the second time will only be eligible for a make-up oral exam in the sections scored as marginal fail (MF). 

Students will now have access to a repository of selected previous exam questions.
Calculators will now be provided by the department and only for questions that explicitly require a calculator.
Food:  No food will be permitted in the exam room, unless there is a medical necessity.  Water is still permitted.

The grading rubric for the research oral examination has been amended to better communicate expectations and improve consistency in evaluations. Students are advised to carefully consider this rubric when preparing for the Research Oral.

1. Scheduling Timeframe

Scheduling Timeframe: It is important for both the Department and the student that an early decision is made on admission to the doctoral program. The timeframe below allows the student the opportunity to take coursework to adequately prepare for the exam, while sitting for it as early as possible.

1. Students entering with a BS in Nuclear Engineering will take the exam no later than just after three (3) semesters or no later than the beginning of the fourth semester in residence, i.e. a student entering in Fall 2024 with a BS in Nuclear Engineering will sit for the exam no later than January 2026.
2. Students entering with a BS in a non-nuclear field of study will take the exam no later than just after four (4) semesters or no later than the beginning of the fifth semester in residence, i.e. a student entering in Fall 2024 with a BS in a non-nuclear field of study will sit for the exam no later than August 2026.
3. Students entering with an MS degree in Nuclear Engineering will take the exam no later than just after two (2) semesters or no later than the beginning of the third semester in residence, i.e. a student entering in Fall 2024 with an MS in Nuclear Engineering will sit for the exam no later than August 2025.
4. Students entering with an MS degree in a non-nuclear field of study will take the exam no later than just after three (3) semesters or no later than the beginning of the fourth semester in residence, i.e. a student entering in Fall 2024 with an MS in a non-nuclear field of study will sit for the exam no later than January 2026.

Early attempts: Students may elect to take the exam earlier than normally scheduled in cases where they are sufficiently prepared. Students are encouraged to discuss their specific situation with their faculty adviser.

Failure to sit for the exam per schedule: A failing grade will be recorded if the exam is not taken by a student in accordance with the scheduled first take. Exemption from the schedule may be requested by petition on the basis of reasonable grounds, such as situations beyond the student’s control, and require approval of the student’s adviser before being submitted to the Qualifying Examination Committee.

2. Format

Written Examination: Question 1 and Question 2 will be administered separately and an allotment of 2 hours to complete each question is permitted. Question 1 will be offered from 8-10am, Question 2 from 10:30-12:30, and Question 3 from 1:30-3:30.

Question 1: Heat and mass transfer (NPRE 501 material)
Question 2: Radiation interactions with matter (NPRE 521 material)
Question 3: Research technical area (see Table 1)

Research Oral Examination: A technical paper is assessed by the student during a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation to the oral exam committee. Technical paper assignments for the research oral will be provided four weeks prior to the date of the written exam.  Students will receive their assigned paper, a grading rubric, and instructions either via email or physical copies may be obtained from the graduate student services office. Research oral presentations will be conducted in the week following the written exam, typically the first week of classes, pending faculty availability. (The grading rubric for the research oral examination has been amended to better communicate expectations and improve consistency in evaluations. Students are advised to carefully consider this rubric when preparing for the Research Oral.) 

The technical paper is selected by the QE committee on a specific topic related to the research interest of the student. This topic must be the same as that chosen for Question 3 above. The oral presentation has two components: 1) an assessment of the paper, and 2) an extension. The student is expected to suggest a possible extension with the goal of demonstrating original thought and development related to the research topic. A sample rubric for the assessment, extension, and overall performance of the research oral examination is provided to the student after registration for the NPRE qualifying examination and selection of the specific research technical area. The research oral exam is graded either as a Pass or Fail, and independent of the written-exam component.

Make-up Oral Examination Eligibility: Under certain conditions, a student who fails one or more written exam questions may be eligible for a make-up oral examination.  A failed written exam will be assigned a letter grade of ‘Fail’ or ‘Marginal Fail.’  Students must obtain a 'Marginal Fail' to be eligible for a make-up oral exam. In the student’s first attempt, a makeup oral exam is only offered if the student has at most the score of ‘Marginal Fail’ in only one question. Students appearing in their second attempt are eligible for make-up oral exams for those sections that are scored as ‘Marginal Fail.’  Scores of ‘Fail’ on any section are not eligible for an oral make-up exam.  Performance in the written exam and make-up oral are evaluated holistically to determine the final grade in that section of the written exam.   

3. Outcomes

The overall outcome of the QE will have two results, each corresponding to the written exam and research oral exam.  Students must pass all three sections of the written exam to pass the qualifying written examination. The written-exam component and research oral exam component are both graded separately. A student must pass both components to obtain an overall pass of the QE. 

4. Re-testing

When a student does not pass both the written exam and the research oral exam in their first attempt, they will have the opportunity to pass the components failed in the first attempt at the next offering of the QE.  This is designated as the ‘second attempt.’ For the written portion of the exam, students will be re-tested only on those components that were failed. Likewise, students failing the research oral portion of the QE will be re-tested at the next QE offering. All components of the NPRE Qual Exam must be passed for PhD qualification after taking the QE for the second time. A third opportunity to retake the QE will require a formal petition to the NPRE Qualifying Exam Committee.

Table 1. Suggested topics available for Question 3 of the written examination and the research oral examination

Technical Area	Suggested Courses
Reactor Physics	NPRE 455, 501
Materials and nuclear materials	NPRE 431, 432
Health physics, radiation detection physics, radiological	NPRE 451, 435, 441, 498-DC (new course in detector physics)
Fusion and plasma physics	NPRE 421, 423, 429
Risk and Policy	NPRE 461, 561

Table 2. Suggested textbooks to supplement preparation for written-exam Question 3.

Technical Area	Suggested Textbooks (partial list)
Reactor Physics	R. L. Murray and K. E. Holbert, 7th edition Nuclear Energy, J.J. Duderstadt and L.J. Hamilton, Nuclear Reactor Analysis, J.Lamarsh, Intro to Nuclear Engineering
Materials and nuclear materials	J. Olander, Fundamental Aspects of Nuclear Fuel G. Was, Fundamentals of Radiation Materials Science
Health physics, radiation detection physics, radiological	Bevington, Cember, Introduction to Health Physics, Knoll Radiation Detection and Measurement, ZH Cho, Foundation of Medical Imaging
Fusion and plasma physics	J. Freidberg, Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy, M. Lieberman and A.J. Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing
Risk and Policy	M. Modarres, M.P. Kaminskiy, and V. Krivtsov, Reliability Engineering and Risk Analysis: A Practical Guide, Third Edition, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, 2016 M. Modarres, Risk Analysis in Engineering: Techniques, Tools, and Trends, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, 2006. T. Bedford and R. Cooke, Probabilistic Risk Analysis: Foundations and Methods, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Table 3. Suggested topics (partial list) to guide preparation for written-exam Question 3.

Technical Area	Suggested Topics
Reactor Physics	Fission processes, reactor technology, reactor theory, time-dependent behavior, radioactive decay
Materials and nuclear materials	Fundamental aspects of radiation damage, kinetic processes, diffusion and transport phenomena, defect creation and mobility
Health physics, radiation detection physics, radiological	Detector physics, counting statistics and data analysis medical imaging, health physics, Interaction of ionizing radiation with matter
Fusion and plasma physics	Fusion and plasma physics, plasma engineering, plasma particles and waves, fusion energy, plasma sources, plasma-material interactions
Risk and Policy	Fundamentals of Probability and Statistics for Risk Analysis, Systematic Risk Scenario Modeling, Risk Assessment, Risk Management, Risk-informed Regulation

Additional Notes

Past exam questions: A set of representative past exam questions will be provided by the department. These questions are available to the students registered for the exam and can be given access by contacting the graduate student services office.

Calculators: No calculators will be allowed (unless the test question explicitly mentions that a calculator is needed to answer the question, in which case the department will provide students with a calculator).

Food: No food will be allowed during the exam without medical reason and the approval of the qualifying exam committee. Water will still be permitted. The department will provide snacks and beverages in between questions 1 and 2. 

In the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as questions or clarifications, students are directed to first reach out to their faculty advisors. Alternatively, students can always bring issues, questions, and concerns to the qualifying exam committee, DGS, or department head.

Additionally, students petitioning the qualifying exam committee should focus their petition on detailing any extenuating circumstances that may have contributed to their need for  a petition.  This should include describing their research progress since joining the program and providing a detailed discussion of their PhD plans. 

Revised 11/1/2024