Program requirements, how to enroll and other important information

Program admission, course enrollment and program progression support is available at gradadmissions@unr.edu or (775) 784-6869. For academic advisement and aid in paying University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) fees, contact NPGP@unr.edu. 

Certificate program admission requirements and enrollment

Students must have a bachelor’s degree before being admitted into either the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging (GCNP) or the Graduate Certificate in Transportation Security and Safeguards (GCTSS). If their degree is not in engineering, they must have experience in nuclear packaging or a related field. The Application, Admission/Enrollment and Progression Manual provides step-by-step instructions students must follow to apply for admission.

Program courses

The Nuclear Packaging Graduate Program courses webpage lists all twenty-nine classes that count toward the GCNP and GCTSS, and breaks them into categories.  

Twenty-one of these classes are one- and two-unit (one- and two-week) DOE Packaging University courses that are taught by subject matter experts at seven U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories or other authorized locations.  These classes are broken into thirteen Nuclear Packaging classes and eight Transportation Security and Safeguards courses.  Within Nuclear Packaging, there is one course on Quality Assurance, seven on Packaging Analysis, and five on Packaging Operations.

The other eight courses are three-unit semester-long University of Nevada, Reno courses taught by University faculty members.  NP 640 - Nuclear Packaging Project is a mentored project performed at the student’s workplace.  ME 672 - Introduction to Nuclear Packaging is a synchronized online/in-person course.  Both are designed to be available to off-campus students.  The other six University courses are not currently designed to be available to off-campus students, unless they take an equivalent course at another university and transfer the credits. Students must contact NPGP@unr.edu before considering that option because equivalency and transferability are solely at the discretion of the NPGP. 

Graduate Certificate Requirements

To earn either the GCNP or the GCTSS, students must complete nine units of course and/or project work. For both certificates, students must complete four units of DOE Packaging University courses in-person over four non-contiguous weeks at DOE national laboratories.  The remaining 5 units may be completed either through Packaging University of University of Nevada, Reno courses.   Required and elective classes may be taken in any order (no class is a prerequisite for another). 

For a course to apply toward a graduate certificate, students must earn a C grade or higher. Students must complete at least one credit of course work each fall and spring semester to remain enrolled in the program, or they must file for a leave of absence. The full nine-unit curriculum must be completed within six years of program enrollment with an average grade of B or higher. Students must file a Program of Study and a Graduation Application during or before their last semester of enrollment.  The Application, Admission/Enrollment and Progression Manual provides full details.  Students earning both graduate certificates may use four units from one to satisfy electives for the other. 

GCNP Course Requirements

The course requirements for the GCNP were revised in February 2026.  To earn the GCNP, students:

  • Must complete, NP 701 - Quality Assurance for Transport Packaging and Storage Casks (1 unit, 1 week).
  • Must complete 3-8 units (3-8 weeks) of Restricted Electives, which consist of courses in the Package Analysis and Package Operations sub-categories on the Nuclear Packaging Graduate Program courses webpage.   
  • May complete up to 5 units of Technical Electives, which may be chosen from courses in the Transportation Security and Safeguards subcategory and/or the University of Nevada, Reno category.  
  • Students choose Restricted Electives and Technical Electives based on their interest and needs.  

GCTSS Course Requirements

To earn the GCNP, students must

  • Complete the following four courses:
    • NP 710 - Nuclear Security During US Domestic Transport (offered by Argonne National Laboratory)
    • NP 711 - Nuclear Security During International Transport (offered by Argonne National Laboratory)
    • NP 720 - Fundamentals of Nuclear Security (offered by Sandia National Laboratory)
    • NP 730 - Fundamentals of Nuclear Safeguards (offered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
  • Select and complete five units of electives from any of the other Nuclear Packaging Graduate Program courses. 

Course Enrollment and Progression

Students must complete a University registration/fee process for each class. The Application, Admission/Enrollment and Progression Manual provides step-by-step instructions. Employers often cover University of Nevada, Reno fees, but fee assistance and academic advisement are available at NPGP@unr.edu. For all DOE Packaging University courses, students must complete an additional national laboratory enrollment/fee process, described on the Packaging University website. 

Students who enroll in courses offered at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory are required to submit forms indicating that they understand certain information about those courses.

Students who attended Packaging University courses but did not earn University of Nevada, Reno credit may contact NPGP@unr.edu. 

Credit transferability

Credits earned through this program may be used toward either the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging (GCNP) or the Graduate Certificate in Transportation Security and Safeguards (GCTSS), or any other program that accepts them. Students who are considering transferring credits to another university or program are advised to first check with that program or institution. Transferability is an option of the accepting institution. As an accredited institution, the University of Nevada, Reno has a history of transferring credits to other universities. 

Student complaints

This section outlines the process for any student complaints about the program.

  • Student course complaints or concerns should first be addressed by working with the course instructor.
  • Students who are not satisfied with that step, or have complaints about the program, may email the program director at NPGP@unr.edu.
  • Students who are not satisfied with that process may seek a remedy through the University’s comprehensive complaint process at the University’s distance education student complaints page. The students who pursue this option will receive an email from the Provost’s Office as their complaints are processed.
  • If students feel their concern/complaint was not resolved to their satisfaction, they may complete the Complaint Resolution Form, which will be directed to the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) portal agency in Nevada.

Nevada State SARA Portal

Terina Caserto
Senior Analyst, Academic & Student Affairs
Email: tcaserto@nshe.nevada.edu
Phone: (775) 784-3447
Nevada System of Higher Education
2601 Enterprise Road
Reno, NV 89512

The decision of the Nevada State SARA Portal, Nevada System of Higher Education, is final.

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