Basic Plasma Physics Course
Online 300-hour course in basic plasma physics. 6 modules with ISO 80000-6 (quantities and units: electromagnetism), JCGM 100:2008 (GUM, expression of measurement uncertainty) and PlasmaPy (Python). Tutor assigned and enrolment open.
Basic Plasma Physics Course — studying from New Zealand
New Zealand has no nuclear power generation, and its nuclear-related activity is limited to research, isotope applications and the regulation of imported radioactive materials. The country maintains a firm policy position against nuclear power under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987. Relevant professional roles mainly involve radiation protection, medical and industrial applications, and international safeguards cooperation, overseen by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Health.
Fees for New Zealand: NZ$1,280 (New Zealand dollar), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in New Zealand
Typical roles
Questions from New Zealand
Does New Zealand have nuclear engineering registration or recognition?
New Zealand has no domestic nuclear power industry, and its nuclear-related activity is regulated mainly through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for the Environment under the Radiation Protection framework. Engineering New Zealand is the general professional body. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by any national body, so their recognition is for employers to decide.
Where could nuclear-related engineering skills be used in New Zealand?
Relevant work in New Zealand is limited and mostly found in research, radiation safety, medical physics, and the handling of radioactive materials in industry and health. Employers in these areas generally require specific accredited training and licensing. A private qualification alone is unlikely to satisfy those requirements.
Can I study this from New Zealand without relocating?
Yes. The course is fully online and taught in English, so you can study from New Zealand and no student visa is needed. Specialist courses total 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and master's programmes 1,900 hours, with an assigned technical tutor. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship is possible.
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
Define the plasma state and its characteristic parameters.
Describe the motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields.
Analyse collision and transport processes in plasmas.
Apply fluid descriptions and magnetohydrodynamics.
Explain waves in plasmas and heating methods.
Relate plasma physics to the requirements of fusion.
Characterise a plasma from experimental or simulated measurements.
Who it's for
- Plasma physicist wishing to specialise in Basic Plasma Physics.
- Fusion researcher wishing to specialise in Basic Plasma Physics.
- Plasma process engineer wishing to specialise in Basic Plasma Physics.
- Diagnostics technician wishing to specialise in Basic Plasma Physics.
- Space electric propulsion engineer wishing to specialise in Basic Plasma Physics.
- Applied physics teacher wishing to specialise in Basic Plasma Physics.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter fusion research.
What you'll work with
- ISO 80000-6 (quantities and units: electromagnetism)
- JCGM 100:2008 (GUM, expression of measurement uncertainty)
- JCGM 200:2012 (international vocabulary of metrology)
- IEC 61010-1 (safety of electrical laboratory equipment)
- EN 50191 (electrical test installations)
- Directive 2013/59/Euratom (basic safety standards)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Definition of plasma and quasineutrality1.2Debye length and screening1.3Plasma parameter and number of particles in the Debye sphere1.4Electron plasma frequency1.5Ionisation and the Saha equation1.6Natural and laboratory plasmas1.7Typical units and quantities1.8Temperature in electronvolts1.9Weakly and strongly coupled plasmas1.10Practice: calculation of laboratory plasma parameters
2.1Larmor gyration and cyclotron frequency2.2E×B drift2.3Gradient and curvature drifts2.4Adiabatic invariants2.5Magnetic mirrors and the loss cone2.6Trapped particles in a torus2.7Polarisation drift2.8Orbits in tokamaks: banana and passing2.9Magnetic confinement of particles2.10Laboratory: numerical integration of orbits with Boris
3.1Coulomb collisions and the Coulomb logarithm3.2Collision frequencies3.3Spitzer resistivity3.4Classical and Bohm diffusion3.5Neoclassical transport3.6Thermal conductivity in plasmas3.7Energy confinement time3.8Turbulence and anomalous transport3.9IPB98 scaling laws3.10Practice: estimation of the confinement time of a tokamak
4.1Moment equations and the two-fluid model4.2Ideal magnetohydrodynamics4.3Magnetic pressure and the beta parameter4.4MHD equilibrium and the Grad-Shafranov equation4.5Frozen-in magnetic field4.6Instabilities: kink, sausage and Rayleigh-Taylor4.7Safety factor q4.8Magnetic reconnection4.9Disruptions in tokamaks4.10Laboratory: simple solution of Grad-Shafranov equilibrium
5.1Electrostatic and Langmuir Waves 5.2 Alfvén Waves 5.3 Electromagnetic Waves and Cutoff 5.4 Landau Damping 5.5 Ohmic Heating 5.6 Radiofrequency Heating: ECRH and ICRH 5.7 Neutral Beam Injection 5.8 Lawson Criterion and Triple Product 5.9 Basic Diagnostics: Langmuir Probes and Interferometry 5.10 Practice: Analysis of the I-V Curve of a Langmuir Probe
6.1Selection of the device under study6.2Calculation of fundamental parameters6.3Orbit and confinement analysis6.4Study of equilibrium and stability6.5Heating proposal6.6Diagnostics design6.7Discussion of results6.8Project synthesis6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training 100 % online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and a dedicated technical tutor. No fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine the programme with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is PlasmaPy (Python), MATLAB, COMSOL Multiphysics, BOUT++, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied on real measurement procedures with a Langmuir probe, characterisation of a glow discharge, and simulation of charged-particle trajectories. 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.
Define the plasma state and its characteristic parameters.
Describe the motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields.
Analyse collision and transport processes in plasmas.
Apply fluid descriptions and magnetohydrodynamics.
Explain waves in plasmas and heating methods.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical regulations.
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 between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with a full-time job.
You work with PlasmaPy (Python), MATLAB, COMSOL Multiphysics, BOUT++. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
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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