Overview

The Professional Master in Fundamentals and Applications of Nuclear Energy is a joint initiative designed within the Framework Agreement between the University of Bologna and ENEA. It aims to respond to the necessities of companies, institutions and industrial stakeholders operating in the nuclear energy supply chain by providing high-level training for building the next generation of specialists in the nuclear field, for the evaluation and understanding of critical design aspects of nuclear reactors.

Through an intensive program of in-class courses, students with previous technical-scientific skills in the non-nuclear field will acquire the criteria needed to navigate and assess all the key aspects of nuclear engineering. They will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained to conduct and interpret experimental campaigns of real interest at world-class laboratories dedicated to nuclear research. 

^{CAREER OPPORTUNITIES}

The Professional Master’s Programme aims to provide candidates with previous technical-scientific skills in the non-nuclear field with the knowledge necessary to operate in the field of nuclear energy applications, with particular reference to fission technologies.

Through a theoretical-practical training, that combines classroom lessons with in-depth laboratory work, the Master's program will form experts and professionals capable of taking on roles with the following functions:

• Disciplinary (e.g., mechanical, electrical, chemical, materials) or multidisciplinary designer, both of individual nuclear components or systems and of entire nuclear plants or processes;
• Disciplinary (e.g., mechanical, electrical, chemical, materials) analyst, both of individual nuclear components or systems and of entire nuclear plants or processes;
• Manager of technical/functional interfaces between systems within a nuclear facility;
• Nuclear safety analyst;
• Product/Project manager in the nuclear sector.

^{KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS} 

The Master aims to provide graduate technicians with an adequate understanding of the context in which they operate within the nuclear supply chain, providing basic skills in the field of reactor physics, nuclear plants up to the fourth generation, nuclear safety, materials, radiation engineering and radiation protection, reactor thermo-hydraulics and the economics of energy plants.

At the end of the Master's program, participants will have acquired:

• Principles of fission reactor physics, with reference to the physical phenomena underlying the fission chain reaction, the various core design concepts, neutron spectra, kinetics, and the fuel cycle
• Nuclear plants, with reference to the design, thermotechnical, thermohydraulic, and energy-related aspects of nuclear facilities, as well as safety and risk analysis
• Principles of nuclear plant operation, including elements of reactor dynamics, instrumentation and control, as well as plant inspection and maintenance
• Metallic materials for nuclear applications, with a general introduction to the principles of materials science and specific insights into structural materials used in nuclear settings, including references to corrosion phenomena and radiation damage
• Radiation engineering and radiological protection
• Generation III+ and IV nuclear reactors, and new-generation modular reactors such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs)
• An overview of fusion reactor physics, with particular focus on energy balance, the fuel cycle, and the main technologies involved in magnetic confinement systems.