According to the NRC, funding under the scholarship program includes support for education in nuclear science and engineering with an objective to develop a workforce capable of supporting the design, construction, operation and regulation of nuclear facilities and the safe handling of nuclear materials.
The NRC Scholarship was established in 2014, and since that time, the university has partnered with the commission to create degree templates aligned with the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program (NUCP), an industry-led partnership that is designed to prepare students to enter the nuclear power workforce. As part of this effort, the university has developed articulation agreements with community colleges throughout the country that are participating in the program.
Dr. Richard Coe, assistant dean in the School of Applied Science and Technology at the university, said the support will help ensure that the university’s nuclear energy-related programs continue to prepare its graduates to succeed and lead.
“This level of scholarship support is particularly important because most of our students have family commitments and are either working full time to transition into the nuclear energy field, or are already working in the field for the U.S. military, commercial nuclear facilities or with national laboratories. The industry continues to work closely with higher education institutions, such as ours, to develop talent and a curriculum that will prepare the emerging workforce to develop, deliver and maintain safe, reliable energy sources for the future,” said Coe.