Online Programs

Requirements: Students must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours. More information about courses are below, or you can read the ME academic program section of the Graduate Catalog.

Plan of Study

1. Core Courses: Students must take at least three three-credit hour courses from within the ME Department (ESM, ME, NSEG).
2. Math: Students must take at least one three-credit hour course that meets the mathematics requirement. A list of eligible courses is available in the ME Graduate Handbook, appendix C, and includes courses from the College of Engineering as well as the Math and Statistics programs.
3. Additional Course Requirements: Students must take a minimum of 30 credit hours of technical courses, which includes the core courses. The majority of courses should be at the 5000 and 6000 level and can be from any College of Engineering or College of Science department. Specific courses are approved through the plan of study.
4. Seminar: All full-time students will enroll in a one-credit hour ME Seminar each semester. These hours do not count toward the technical credit hours.

Additional Requirements

1. Attend orientation.
2. Complete the Graduate School’s requirements for (1) scholarly ethics and integrity and (2) diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3. Submit a plan of study.
4. Pass the final evaluation.

Restrictions

1. No more than six credit hours of 4000 level courses may count toward the PhD.
2. No more than six credit hours each of independent study or special study may count toward the MS. No more than nine hours in total may count toward the degree.
3. No more than 50% of graded coursework may be transferred from another graduate program. Transfer credit is approved when the plan of study is submitted.

• What is it? The MSnt is a course-based master’s degree with flexibility to support part-time and full-time students. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students build their own elective-based curriculum using graduate-level online courses. The degree culminates in a final project, but there is no publication requirement. This is a great option for working professionals interested in project work on proprietary data or processes.

• Who is it for? The MSnt is geared toward working professionals, but anyone interested in expanding their engineering knowledge can apply. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or basic science with a strong fundamental knowledge in advanced mathematical concepts such as differential equations, statics/dynamics, strength of materials, and basic thermodynamics.

Degree details

• What is it? The MEng is a professional master’s degree culminating in a final project and report. The final project tends to focus on a problem in industry as opposed to a novel research idea, and the written report may be published.

• Who is it for? The MEng is geared toward working professionals, and especially engineers with a degree outside of the nuclear sciences that work in the nuclear industry. However, anyone interested in expanding their nuclear engineering knowledge can apply. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or basic science with a strong understanding of trigonometry, exponentials, natural logarithms, derivatives, the chain rule for derivatives, integrals, vector operations, and some ordinary differential equations. 

Degree details:

30 credit hours

• 12 credit hours of core coursework
• NSEG 5124 Nuclear Reactor Analysis
• NSEG 5204 Nuclear Fuel Cycle
• NSEG 5424 Reactor Thermal Hydraulics or MSE 5384G Advanced Nuclear Materials
• NSEG 5604 Radiation Detection and Shielding
• 3 credit hours of graduate level math/statistics
• 3-6 credits of project and report
• 9-12 credit hours of elective courses
  • Diversity and Inclusion requirement
  • Ethics Requirement 

• What is it? The nuclear engineering graduate certificate is a three course exploration of the field of nuclear engineering. The certificate provides a solid foundation in nuclear reactor physics, with additional specialization in nuclear fuel cycle, radiation measurements, reactor thermal hydraulics, nuclear materials, or nuclear power plant operations. The credit hours earned in this certificate may be applied to a graduate degree in mechanical or nuclear engineering.

• Who is it for? The nuclear engineering graduate certificate provides experience to students who do not have a nuclear engineering degree but are seeking engineering positions in the nuclear industry. Currently enrolled graduate students can take the certificate to enhance their degree, and it is also offered as a standalone program for non-degree students. The certificate serves as a pipeline into the nuclear engineering graduate programs at VT. 

Certificate details:

• 9 credit hours of nuclear engineering courses

  • 3 credit hours NSEG 5114 Nuclear Engineering Fundamentals

  • 6 credit hours of elective NSEG courses

Visit the Graduate School website for instructions on how to complete the online application. ME online programs follow the Graduate School deadlines for applications: August 1 for Fall and January 1 for Spring. We do not accept students for summer-start at this time.

• Complete the Graduate School’s online application. Make sure to choose the "Virtual campus" for online programs.

• Supplemental materials:

  • CV or resume
  • Academic goals statement
  • Transcripts
  • 3 academic or professional references
  • TOEFL or IELTS test scores for students who need proof of English language proficiency, more information at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/testing-requirements.html
  • Application fee, learn if you qualify for a fee waiver here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/tuition-and-costs/Application_Fees.html

Applicants that are not currently enrolled at VT may apply on the Graduate School website. Please use this form to create your proposed plan of study, and visit the "how to apply" page on the Graduate School website for instructions on how to complete the online application. ME online programs follow the Graduate School deadlines for applications: August 1 for Fall and January 1 for Spring. We do not accept students for summer-start at this time.

Current VT students may submit this application for the certificate to negrad@vt.edu.

Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree with a minimum 2.8 GPA (4.0 scale)

• TOEFL or IELTS for applicants that need to demonstrate English language proficiency (see https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/testing-requirements.html for details)

Recommended:

• B.S. degree in an engineering or science-related discipline

• 3.2 or higher GPA on the most recent 60 course credit hours

• Understanding of the following mathematical concepts: trigonometry, exponentials, natural logarithms, derivatives, the chain rule for derivatives, integrals, vector operations, and some ordinary differential equations

No GRE test scores or recommendation letters are required for the certificate application.