Nuclear Science and Radiation Protection MSc - 2026/7
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Levels 6 and 7
Final award and programme/pathway title
MSc Nuclear Science and Radiation Protection
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| PGDip | Nuclear Science and Radiation Protection |
| PGCert | Nuclear Science and Radiation Protection |
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | PCK61011 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
| Part-time | PCK61012 | 180 credits and 90 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Other internal and / or external reference points
N/A
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences - Mathematics & Physics
Programme Leader
PODOLYAK Zsolt (Maths & Phys)
Date of production/revision of spec
18/12/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- The programme integrates the acquisition of core scientific knowledge with the development of key practical skills with a focus on professional career development within nuclear science and its applications, including medical physics and radiation detection, and related industries. The principle educational aims and outcomes of learning are to provide participants with advanced knowledge, practical skills and understanding applied to nuclear physics, medical physics, radiation detection instrumentation, radiation and environmental practice in an industrial or medical context. This is achieved by the development of the participants' understanding of the underlying science and technology and by the participants gaining an understanding of the legal basis, practical implementation and organisational basis of medical physics and radiation measurement.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| A systematic understanding of Nuclear Science and Radiation protection in an academic and professional context together with a critical awareness of current problems and / or new insights | K | PGDip, MSc | |
| A comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research project in Nuclear Science and/or its applications | K | MSc | |
| Originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of nuclear physics based, experimental research projects | K | PGDip, MSc | |
| Familiarity with generic issues in management and safety and their application to Nuclear Science and Applications in a professional context | KCT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| A systematic understanding of Radiation Physics in an academic and professional context together with a critical awareness of current problems and / or new insights | KC | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| An ability to evaluate and objectively interpret experimental data pertaining to nuclear physics and radiation detection | KCPT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| The ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences | CPT | MSc | |
| The ability to plan and execute under supervision, an experiment and to analyse critically the results and draw valid conclusions from them. Students should be able to evaluate the level of uncertainty in their results, understand the significance of uncertainty analysis and be able to compare these results with expected outcomes, theoretical predictions and/or with published data. Graduates should be able to evaluate the significance of their results in this context | CPT | MSc | |
| Responsibility for personal and professional development. Ability to use external mentors for personal / professional purposes | PT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc | |
| Ability to identify and resolve problems arising from lectures and experimental work, making effective use of resources and of team work | PT | PGCert, PGDip, MSc |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied full-time over one academic year, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
Part-time
This Master's Degree programme is studied part-time over two academic years, consisting of 180 credits at FHEQ level 7. All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits)
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits)
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (full-time) - FHEQ Level 7
N/A
Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 1 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
N/A
Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
Module Selection for Year 2 (part-time) - FHEQ Level 7
N/A
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | Y | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | N | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | N | |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
This programme is aligned to the University of Surrey's Five Pillars of Curriculum Design, namely: Digital Capabilities; Global and Cultural Capabilities; Employability;
Resourcefulness and Resilience; Sustainability.
Digital Capabilities: By integrating digital tools, programming skills and data analysis techniques into the curriculum, the MSc in Nuclear Science and Radiation Physics will equip students to apply their physical and mathematical knowledge in a digital context. They will learn the use of specialist data acquisition and analysis software, as well as Monte Carlo modelling and coding in Python. They will apply their learning to real-world problems related to radiation physics, such as dose calculations, shielding, as well as to advanced fields such as AI and data science, which have rapidly gained momentum in different aspects of physics. They will become familiar with advanced tools specific to radiation physics, such as energy loss and ionising radiation range predicting software.
Employability: The MSc in Nuclear Science and Radiation Physics aims at preparing students for careers in nuclear industry, regulators or academia. In addition to academic staff, students are taught by visiting staff from industry, giving them perspectives relevant to their respective fields of expertise.
More in general, the programme provides the students with sound foundations in advanced physics topics, supported by modelling and coding.
They will also gain a range of highly-valued transferable skills, such as problem solving, team working, communication, which they will acquire through laboratory classes, group work, and through presenting their work in a range of formats such as reports, posters and oral presentations.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: Problem-solving is a key aspect of the programme. Students will learn how to tackle complex nuclear and radiation physics problems from a number of angles ¿ experiments, analytical calculations, modelling. These skills will then be applied to specific radiation physics problems, such as dose and shielding calculations.
Working in small groups in laboratory sessions, students will use their knowledge of the foundation physics to understand experimental data and work out solutions to open-ended problems, thus developing resourcefulness and resilience that will be essential attributes for their future careers.
Sustainability: Nuclear Science and Radiation Physics students will study the role of nuclear reactors in providing green energy. In addition to the physics behind it, there will be a focus on costs, quality assurance, equipment lifecycle, thus giving students the skills to make informed decisions supporting sustainability in different radiation related industrial sectors.
Global and Cultural Capabilities: Students engage with physical concepts and technological advancements that are of benefit to society worldwide, aiming at delivering accessible and sustainable nuclear energy as well radiation protection. Through group work, students engage with partners who may have different backgrounds, and learn how to work in diverse teams.
In addition, the programme includes an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) workshop which aims to increase awareness of cultural, religious, or racial differences while delivering information about how a person can change their behaviour to be more inclusive. Through this training, students are encouraged to diversify their knowledge and reflect upon their experiences. Through this we seek to prepare our graduates for work in large and diverse teams in their future careers.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.