International Governance of Nuclear Waste Course
Online 300-hour course in international governance of nuclear waste. 6 modules covering the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, IAEA SSR-5 (disposal of radioactive waste) and IAEA NUCLEUS. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
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
Explain the challenges of governing waste with time horizons spanning millennia.
Identify international bodies and instruments for waste management.
Analyse the European framework and its transposition into national law.
Compare site selection processes and public participation.
Evaluate approaches to long-term safety and institutional custody.
Discuss intergenerational equity in decisions about waste.
Produce an integrated analysis of the governance of a national programme.
Who it's for
- Radioactive waste management policy technician who wants to specialise in International Governance of Nuclear Waste.
- Nuclear regulatory analyst who wants to specialise in International Governance of Nuclear Waste.
- Public participation consultant who wants to specialise in International Governance of Nuclear Waste.
- Technician at a waste management organisation who wants to specialise in International Governance of Nuclear Waste.
- Adviser on nuclear international relations who wants to specialise in International Governance of Nuclear Waste.
- Communications manager for storage projects who wants to specialise in International Governance of Nuclear Waste.
- Graduates in engineering or sciences seeking to enter radioactive waste management.
What you'll work with
- Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management
- IAEA SSR-5 (disposal of radioactive waste)
- Directive 2011/70/Euratom (responsible management of spent fuel and waste)
- IAEA GSR Part 5 (management prior to disposal)
- Aarhus Convention (public participation)
- Espoo Convention (environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context)
- IAEA SF-1 (fundamental safety principles)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Why radioactive waste is a governance problem and not only a technical one1.2Time scales: generations, institutions and memory1.3Actors involved: States, regulators, waste managers, industry and civil society1.4Intergenerational responsibility and ethical principles1.5The principle that each State manages the waste it generates1.6Sovereignty, export and import of waste1.7Public trust and why it is lost1.8Comparison of national management models1.9Maturity indicators for a national programme1.10Exercise: compare two national programmes using your own criteria
2.1The IAEA: functions, standards and peer reviews2.2The Joint Convention on spent fuel and radioactive waste2.3National reports and review meetings2.4The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency2.5Euratom and its role in European governance2.6Hierarchy of IAEA safety standards2.7Safeguards and international control of materials2.8Notification and emergency assistance conventions2.9International review missions and their real value2.10Practice: reading and interpreting a national report
3.1The European directive on spent fuel and waste management3.2Mandatory content and deadlines for the national programme3.3The independent regulator: what true independence means3.4The waste manager and its funding model3.5Management funds and producer responsibility3.6Licences, authorisations and continuous oversight3.7Transparency and access to information3.8Environmental assessment of facilities3.9Cases of delay and analysis of their causes3.10Practice: analysing a country’s national programme
4.1Why top-down processes fail4.2Site selection models based on volunteering4.3Compensation, local benefits and the criticisms they receive4.4Information, consultation and genuine participation4.5Local veto rights and their scope4.6Communicating risk over very long time horizons4.7The role of the media and organised groups4.8Cases: processes that worked and processes that derailed4.9Measuring social acceptance without deceiving yourself4.10Practice: designing a participation process
5.1Assessing safety beyond the lifespan of institutions5.2Monitoring after closure and waste retrievability5.3Passing on memory to future generations5.4Markers, archives and permanent records5.5Very long-term safeguards5.6Inadvertent human intrusion and future scenarios5.7Periodic safety review5.8Liability in the event of an accident5.9Sustained funding over centuries5.10Practice: a memory transmission plan for a repository
6.1Choice of country or case study6.2Map of actors and allocation of responsibilities6.3Analysis of the applicable legal framework6.4Diagnosis of the programme’s status6.5Analysis of social acceptance6.6Proposal for improving governance6.7Participation and communication plan6.8Monitoring indicators6.9Technical report6.10Project defence
How you'll learn
100 % online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine study with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is IAEA NUCLEUS, EUR-Lex, QGIS, advanced Excel, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Assignments are based on real procedures for comparative analysis of national waste programmes, site selection processes studies, and public participation debates. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final integrating project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Explain the challenges of governing waste with time horizons spanning millennia.
Identify international bodies and instruments for waste management.
Analyse the European framework and its transposition into national law.
Compare site selection processes and public participation.
Evaluate approaches to long-term safety and institutional custody.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme’s software.
- Sufficient Spanish to follow technical regulatory reading.
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 300 hours spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with IAEA NUCLEUS, EUR-Lex, QGIS, advanced Excel. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An own SEIUM diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is in-house training, not an official Ministry qualification.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are credited towards the advanced programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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