Nuclear Packaging Graduate Certificate Programs

Available credentials

The University of Nevada, Reno Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department’s Nuclear Packaging Graduate Certificate Programs consist of the following two 9-unit graduate certificates:

• Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging (GCNP), and
• Graduate Certificate in Transportation Security and Safeguards (GCTSS).

The requirements for these certificates are found by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page.

Compared to research-based graduate credentials, such as MS or Ph.D. degrees, graduate certificates are more applied-knowledge-based and require less time to complete. Both certificates require 4 units of essential/required coursework, which involve four weeks to complete. Each also requires students to select 5 units of electives from a set of choices, based on their interests and needs. For enrollment and fees information, please see the Enrollment Manual for the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging, and the Graduate Certificate in Transportation Security and Safeguards.

Course locations, schedule and registration

All the required courses and most of the electives for these programs were developed with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Packaging Certification Program (PCP). They are offered at these DOE national laboratories, over one- or two-week periods. 

• Argonne National Laboratory, in Illinois
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California
• Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee
• Sandia National Laboratories, in New Mexico
• Savannah River National Laboratory, in South Carolina

The DOE PCP publishes the schedule, enrollment process and course fees for these national laboratory classes at its Packaging University website. Students who enroll, pay the lab fee and successfully complete a course may earn a certificate of completion from the lab offering the class. If students wish to earn University of Nevada, Reno graduate credit for a course, they must additionally enroll at University of Nevada, Reno (and pay a fee), pay a University of Nevada, Reno course fee, and successfully pass the course. Currently, there are 21 national laboratory courses plus an internship (described below) available for graduate credit. Students must complete the course enrollment process before the first day of class. This process involves several steps with waiting periods. Students should start the enrollment process one week before the class begins. 

Students who wish to earn one of the graduate certificates must also enroll in that certificate program, complete each required and elective course with a C grade or better, and complete the full 9-unit curriculum in six years or less with an average grade of B or better. Students who do not enroll in a course during a semester must apply for a leave of absence for that semester. 

The Enrollment Manual for the Graduate Certificate in Nuclear Packaging, and the Graduate Certificate in Transportation Security and Safeguards describes the full enrollment process. 

Internships-for-credit

Early career professionals and university students who are working in the nuclear packaging, transportation security and safeguards or related fields as an employee or paid intern are eligible to earn 3 units of elective credits toward the graduate certificates by completing NP 640 - Nuclear Packaging Internships. This unique opportunity is a supervised independent use of engineering skills for professional project planning, performance and communications, conducted under the guidance of a site supervisor and University of Nevada, Reno faculty member. 

Credit transferability

Credits earned through this program may be used toward either Graduate Certificate described on this page, 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 UNR has a history of transferring credits to other Universities. 

Student complaints

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

• Student complaints or concerns must first be addressed by working with the course instructor.
• Students who are not satisfied with that step may email the program director at NuclearPackagingGraduateProgram@unr.edu.
• Students who are not satisfied by that process may seek a remedy though the University of Nevada, Reno comprehensive complaint process at: https://www.unr.edu/provost/policies-and-procedures/state-authorization/student-complaints. The students who pursue this option will receive an email from the Provost’s office as their complaint is processed.

• If you feel your concern/complaint was not resolved to your satisfaction you may complete the Complaint Resolution Form which will be directed to the SARA portal agency in Nevada.

  Nevada State SARA Portal
  Terina Caserto
  Senior Analyst, Academic & Student Affairs
  tcaserto@nshe.nevada.edu
  Phone: 775.784.3447
  Nevada System of Higher Education
  2601 Enterprise Rd
  Reno, NV 89512

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

For students residing in Tennessee:

Any person claiming damage or loss as a result of any act or practice by this institution that may be a violation of the Title 49, Chapter 7, Part 20 and Rule Chapters 1520-01-10 and 1520-01-02 may file a complaint with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), Division of Postsecondary State Authorization. THEC only investigates complaints that have exhausted an institution’s policy and that have not been resolved at the institution level. If you have any questions regarding the complaint process, you may contact Julie Woodruff at Julie.Woodruff@tn.gov or (615) 253-8857. 
Request for Complaint Review

Tennessee Higher Education Commission
312 Rosa L Parks Ave. 9th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243

Program background and goals

The DOE Packaging Certification Program (PCP) has supported national laboratories to offer courses on various engineering and management topics related to Nuclear Packaging and to Transportation Security and Safeguards since 1986. Those courses have been taught by experienced subject-matter experts and taken by professionals from industry, government and national laboratories, from within and outside the United States. In anticipation of increased demand for these skills due to upcoming retirements and industry growth, the DOE PCP supported the University of Nevada, Reno Mechanical Engineering Department to develop graduate curricula. These curricula are designed to provide a depth and breadth of knowledge and skills to train the next generation of well-prepared professionals. 

In 2016, the Nuclear Packaging Graduate Program began offering the two unique graduate certificates described earlier, for professionals and university students. They incorporated proven content of the existing courses as well as new material. 

The goal of the program is to motivate new and experienced engineers and managers to obtain a depth and breadth of skills in the areas of Nuclear Packaging and Transportation Security and Safeguards. To do this, the program intends to:

• Help professionals and university students qualify for employment and/or advancement in the industry by giving:
  • Practical nuclear packaging skills that support the engineering and management needs of the U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Nuclear Security Administration, and nuclear industry.
  • Professional contact with the experts who teach program courses, and the cohort of students taking them.
  • University credentials from the University of Nevada, Reno, whose research and graduates in this area are well-known to the nuclear industry.
• Help nuclear industry and agencies:
  • Identify, recruit, train, retain and advance motivated employees.
  • Gain credibility with clients by hiring well-trained and well-connected employees.

In the media

• Pioneering partnership opens doors to a new generation of engineers
• Nuclear materials packaging program awards certificate to first graduate
• Nuclear materials packaging makes transportation, storage safe and secure
• Argonne fast-tracks training in nuclear packaging

Related links