University Launches New Degree With Support From Oak Ridge

The inaugural class already has 23 students, and the university expects to enroll nearly 50 students in the program by its fifth year. Hitting those projections would increase the number of nuclear engineering graduates in the state by nearly 30%.

UCOR provided Tennessee Tech with subject matter experts to help as the school developed its curriculum, and they also shared insight into how courses would best fit the industry and the needs within the state.

Through this partnership, UCOR also provides students with hands-on experience and career opportunities, collaborations on research projects, and scholarships and other financial assistance.

Since 2022, UCOR has hosted 18 interns from Tennessee Tech, with several joining the workforce full time.

"Developing and maintaining a trained workforce to work in hazardous nuclear environmental cleanup projects is essential to the future of companies like ours," UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter said. "Our industry needs the leaders that this program is producing. In Oak Ridge alone, there are jobs for decades to come associated with environmental cleanup."

The new nuclear engineering degree adds to the College of Engineering's eight accredited engineering programs with 17 additional concentrations, six master's degree programs, and a college-wide Ph.D. program that supports chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, manufacturing engineering technology, and mechanical and aerospace engineering.

-Contributor: Shannon Potter