Course summary

The MPhil programme in Nuclear Energy, provided by the Department of Engineering in collaboration with the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre and co-sponsored by a Nuclear Energy Industry Club, is a one-year full-time nuclear technology and business master's programme for engineers, mathematicians and scientists who wish to make a difference to the problems of climate change and energy security by developing nuclear power generation. The combination of nuclear technology with nuclear policy and business makes the course highly relevant to the challenges of 21st-century energy needs, whether in the UK or in countries across the globe. The MPhil programme is part of the University of Cambridge's Strategic Energy Initiative, responding to the prospect of a nuclear renaissance in the UK and around the world. The aim is to provide a masters-level degree course in nuclear energy which will combine nuclear science and technology topics with business, management and policy teaching. Students will be equipped with the skills and information essential for responsible leadership of the international global nuclear industry. The course recognises that, though the prospects for nuclear energy are now better than they have been for 20 years, the nuclear sector is situated within a wider market for energy technologies, and has no special right to be developed. The political, economic and social contexts for nuclear power are as important as the technical merits of the designs of reactors and systems. The course, therefore, has a multidisciplinary emphasis, aiming to be true to the reality of policy-making and business decision-making. This course is for students who have a good degree in engineering or a related science subject and who wish to gain the knowledge and skills to build a career in the nuclear and energy sectors. Secondary career paths might include nuclear proliferation prevention, radiological protection, nuclear governance, nuclear medicine and health physics. While the prime focus of the course is to equip students for roles in industry, there is a path towards research through preparation for a PhD programme. The modular open architecture of the course allows students to tailor the degree to suit their backgrounds, needs and preferences. The course aims to provide students with:

• a thorough grounding in the engineering, scientific and safety aspects of nuclear power;

• a good understanding of nuclear technology policy together with relevant business and policy understanding;

• an appreciation of the wider policy contexts of electricity generation in the 21st century;

• good preparation for PhD research.