Master’s in Monte Carlo and Radiation Transport Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in Monte Carlo and radiation transport engineering, structured in 12 modules covering Monte Carlo statistics, neutron and photon transport, variance reduction, shielding, Geant4 and FLUKA, dosimetry, medical, fusion and accelerator applications, and validation, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Monte Carlo and Radiation Transport Engineering — studying from Australia
Australia does not operate nuclear power plants, but nuclear science and technology play important roles in research, medicine, mining and regulation. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation operates research reactors and produces radiopharmaceuticals, while uranium mining is conducted in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Nuclear engineering skills support regulatory oversight, radiation safety and decommissioning activities. Employers include ANSTO, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, mining companies and specialist consultancies.
Fees for Australia: A$15,800 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
Does this programme meet Australian nuclear licensing or regulatory requirements?
No. SEIUM qualifications are private and are not accredited by any national body. Nuclear activities in Australia are regulated by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency and related authorities, which set their own competency requirements. Check directly with the regulator and your employer about any qualifications needed for a specific role.
Which Australian organisations might consider this training for nuclear-related roles?
Australian employers in this area include research organisations, radiation protection services, mining and resources companies, and consultancies working on nuclear-related projects. Hiring depends on each organisation's requirements and on security and licensing needs. A private qualification is unlikely to be sufficient alone, so combine it with relevant experience.
Is the programme workable alongside a job, and how is it funded?
The programmes are delivered entirely online in English with an assigned technical tutor, allowing study from Australia around work commitments. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible. Review the programme length, from 300 to 1,900 hours, and plan carefully.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Understand the interaction of radiation with matter.
Apply the statistical foundations of the Monte Carlo method.
Model coupled neutron and photon transport.
Apply variance reduction techniques.
Design shielding for nuclear and medical facilities.
Calculate dosimetric quantities for radiation protection.
Validate simulations against benchmarks and measurements.
Who it's for
- Shielding engineers.
- Radiation transport physicists.
- Medical physicists working with Monte Carlo dose calculation.
- Radiation protection engineers.
- Developers of Monte Carlo simulations.
- Researchers in detector physics.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the nuclear energy sector.
What you'll work with
- ICRP Publication 116 (conversion coefficients for radiological protection quantities)
- ICRP Publication 103 (recommendations of the ICRP)
- NCRP Report 151 (shielding design for megavoltage radiotherapy facilities)
- Directive 2013/59/Euratom (basic safety standards for radiation protection)
- ANSI/ANS-6.4 (nuclear analysis and design of concrete radiation shielding)
- IAEA TRS-398 (absorbed dose determination in external beam radiotherapy)
- ASME NQA-1 (quality assurance requirements for nuclear facilities)
- MCNP
- OpenMC
- Geant4
- FLUKA
- EGSnrc
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Types of radiation: neutrons, photons, electrons and ions1.2Interaction of particles with matter1.3Stopping power and range1.4The general transport equation1.5Deterministic versus stochastic methods1.6Applications: shielding, dosimetry, medicine and detectors1.7History of the Monte Carlo method1.8The code ecosystem1.9Interaction data1.10Case study: code selection by application
2.1Random variables and distributions2.2Pseudo-random number generators2.3Inversion and rejection sampling2.4The central limit theorem2.5Relative error and figure of merit2.6Statistical convergence tests2.7Correlations and histories2.8Collision and track-length estimators2.9Parallel runs2.10Lab: Monte Carlo simulation of photon attenuation in Python
3.1Particle tracking in geometry3.2Constructive solid geometry3.3Neutron physics in Monte Carlo3.4Coupled neutron-photon transport3.5Photon physics and secondary electrons3.6Flux, current and energy deposition tallies3.7Response functions and dose conversion3.8Source definition3.9MCNP input and structure3.10Practical exercise: simple shielding model in MCNP or OpenMC
4.1The need for it in deep-penetration problems4.2Splitting and Russian roulette4.3Weight windows4.4Exponential transform4.5Source biasing4.6CADIS and FW-CADIS methods4.7ADVANTG weight-window generators4.8Risks of bias4.9Efficiency assessment4.10Lab: weight windows with ADVANTG
5.1Shielding materials: concrete, lead, polyethylene5.2Fast and thermal neutron shielding5.3Capture photons and secondary shielding5.4Streaming through penetrations and ducts5.5Skyshine5.6Dose factor calculations5.7Shielding of medical facilities to NCRP 1515.8Reactor shielding5.9Validation against SINBAD experiments5.10Practical exercise: shielding design for an accelerator bunker
6.1Geant4 architecture6.2Physics lists and hadronic models6.3Geometry and materials in Geant46.4Scoring and analysis6.5FLUKA and its Flair interface6.6Heavy-ion transport6.7Space applications6.8Comparison between codes6.9Cross-validation6.10Lab: simulation of a detector in Geant4
7.1ICRU and ICRP quantities7.2ICRP 116 conversion coefficients7.3ICRP 110 computational phantoms7.4Effective and equivalent dose7.5Internal dosimetry7.6Occupational dose calculation7.7Material activation7.8Residual dose after shutdown7.9ALARA design criteria7.10Practical exercise: dose calculation with a voxelised phantom
8.1External photon radiotherapy8.2Proton therapy8.3Brachytherapy8.4Nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical dosimetry8.5Simulation of accelerator treatment heads8.6The EGSnrc and PENELOPE codes8.7Treatment plan verification with Monte Carlo8.8Medical imaging: CT and PET8.9Radiotherapy regulations8.10Lab: simulation of a photon beam with EGSnrc
9.1Gas-filled detectors9.2Scintillators9.3HPGe and silicon semiconductors9.4Detector response by Monte Carlo9.5Efficiency and calibration9.6Gamma spectrometry9.7Neutron detection9.8Spectrum simulation9.9Simulation-measurement comparison9.10Practical exercise: simulated efficiency of an HPGe detector
10.1Fusion neutronics10.2TBR and nuclear heating calculation10.3Radiation damage (DPA)10.4Activation in fusion devices10.5Shielding of high-energy accelerators10.6Spallation sources10.7Radiation in space and electronics10.8Single-event effects10.9CAD coupling tools10.10Case study: from CAD model to Monte Carlo with DAGMC
11.1SINBAD and ICSBEP benchmarks11.2Input verification11.3Statistical and systematic uncertainty11.4Sensitivity to nuclear data11.5Quality assurance of calculations11.6Documentation of calculations11.7Independent review11.8Regulatory requirements11.9Common errors11.10Workshop: independent review of a shielding calculation
12.1Definition of the transport problem12.2Selection of code and data12.3Construction of the geometric model12.4Definition of sources and tallies12.5Variance reduction12.6Analysis of results12.7Validation and uncertainty12.8Conclusions12.9Master's Thesis: written report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so the programme can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is MCNP, OpenMC, Geant4, FLUKA and EGSnrc, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for shielding calculations with variance reduction, detector response simulation and dosimetry with computational phantoms. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: ICRP Publication 116, ICRP Publication 103, NCRP Report 151, Directive 2013/59/Euratom, ANSI/ANS-6.4, IAEA TRS-398, ASME NQA-1.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with MCNP, OpenMC, Geant4, FLUKA and EGSnrc, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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