The nuclear engineering program at Rensselaer is focused on the methods, devices, and systems required for the peaceful use of nuclear technology with particular emphasis on nuclear power generation.
Nuclear energy is a relatively new but very important energy source.
Within the past three decades a highly developed industry has grown up to make this source available to meet the electrical energy needs of mankind. The nuclear industry is a very high-technology industry characterized by a wide diversity of technical disciplines. The nuclear engineer must be both a specialist in his or her area of concentration and a generalist in interaction with others. The field now emphasizes the operation, maintenance, reliability, and safety of current generation nuclear power plants and the development of next generation nuclear systems.