Master’s in Fission Reactor, Safety & Operation Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in fission reactor engineering, safety and operation, structured in 12 modules covering fission and core physics, reactor kinetics and control, primary and secondary systems, defence in depth, safety systems, accident analysis, plant operation, maintenance and outages, radiation protection and nuclear regulation, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Fission Reactor, Safety & Operation Engineering — studying from South Africa
South Africa is one of the few African countries with an operating nuclear power programme, centred on the Koeberg power station near Cape Town, operated by Eskom. The country also has nuclear research and fuel cycle activity through the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, known as Necsa, based at Pelindaba near Pretoria. Nuclear engineers work on reactor operation, safety, fuel management and decommissioning. The National Nuclear Regulator is the independent authority that licenses and oversees nuclear activities.
Fees for South Africa: R 185 000 (South African rand), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in South Africa
Typical roles
Questions from South Africa
Will a SEIUM qualification be recognised by the professional bodies in South Africa for this area?
SEIUM qualifications are private and not accredited by any South African body, so they are not official state degrees. Nuclear activities in South Africa are regulated by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), and professional registration runs through ECSA. Acceptance of a private qualification in this regulated field rests with employers or the relevant authority, so verify before enrolling.
How might this qualification be used by employers in South Africa in nuclear engineering?
Nuclear employers, including Eskom and specialist contractors, typically require formally recognised qualifications, security clearances and regulatory competence. A private SEIUM qualification may add background knowledge but is unlikely to meet formal requirements on its own. Discuss this with employers in the nuclear sector to understand how they would view it.
Can I study this programme alongside full-time work from South Africa, and is there a time zone or language issue?
The programme is fully online and taught in English, so you can study from South Africa without a student visa. Master's programmes require 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, with an assigned technical tutor. Fees can be paid in instalments and employer sponsorship is possible. Ask SEIUM about time-zone and workload details before enrolling.
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 fission physics and nuclear reactor kinetics.
Distinguish the main reactor technologies and their safety features.
Apply the defence-in-depth principle to design and operation.
Analyse transients and accidents with recognised system codes.
Manage normal, abnormal and emergency operating procedures.
Plan maintenance and refuelling outages using ALARA criteria.
Interpret the national and international nuclear safety regulatory framework.
Who it's for
- Nuclear operations engineers looking to deepen their knowledge of reactor safety and operation.
- Nuclear safety engineers working on design or safety analysis.
- Control room supervisors aiming to strengthen their technical grounding.
- Accident analysis engineers working with system codes.
- Licensing technicians dealing with regulators and safety documentation.
- Nuclear maintenance engineers involved in outages and surveillance.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the nuclear power sector.
What you'll work with
- Directive 2014/87/Euratom (EU nuclear safety framework for nuclear installations)
- IAEA SSR-2/1 Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design (IAEA design safety requirements)
- IAEA SSR-2/2 Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation (IAEA requirements for commissioning and operation)
- IAEA SF-1 Fundamental Safety Principles (IAEA fundamental safety principles)
- Real Decreto 1217/2024 (Spanish regulation on nuclear and radioactive facilities)
- 10 CFR Part 50 (US licensing of production and utilisation facilities)
- ASME BPVC Section XI (in-service inspection of nuclear power plant components)
- CSN Instruction IS-26 (Spanish basic nuclear safety requirements for nuclear installations)
- RELAP5
- TRACE
- MELCOR
- SERPENT
- MATLAB
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Nuclear structure, binding energy and mass defect1.2The fission reaction: products, energy released and neutrons1.3Microscopic and macroscopic cross-sections1.4Fast, epithermal and thermal neutrons1.5Multiplication factor and the four-factor formula1.6Delayed neutrons and their role in control1.7Moderators: light water, heavy water and graphite1.8Neutron poisons: xenon-135 and samarium-1491.9Decay heat after reactor shutdown1.10Workshop: neutron balance of a simplified PWR core
2.1PWR and VVER pressurised water reactors2.2BWR and ABWR boiling water reactors2.3CANDU heavy water reactors2.4AGR and HTGR gas-cooled reactors2.5Sodium- and lead-cooled fast reactors2.6Generation III+ designs: AP1000, EPR, APR14002.7Small modular reactors (SMR)2.8GIF Generation IV systems2.9Comparison of performance, safety and costs2.10Case study: technology selection for a new site
3.1Point kinetics equations3.2Reactivity, period and step response3.3Temperature and void reactivity coefficients3.4Control rods and their differential worth3.5Chemical shim control using boric acid3.6Load following and manoeuvrability3.7Spatial xenon oscillations3.8Start-up from subcritical and approach to criticality3.9Reactor trip and safe shutdown3.10Practical exercise: simulation of a power manoeuvre
4.1Reactor pressure vessel and internals4.2Steam generators and pressuriser4.3Reactor coolant pumps4.4Chemical and volume control system4.5Turbine, condenser and Rankine cycle4.6Feedwater and feedwater heaters4.7Essential service water systems4.8Ventilation and effluent treatment4.9P&ID diagrams of a reference plant4.10Workshop: reading the primary circuit P&ID
5.1The INSAG-10 defence-in-depth principle5.2Physical barriers against radioactive release5.3Fundamental safety functions5.4Single failure criterion and redundancy5.5Diversity, physical separation and seismic classification5.6Safety classification of structures and components5.7Requirements of the IAEA SSR-2/1 series5.8Human factors in control room design5.9Lessons from Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima5.10Case study: barrier analysis for a loss of coolant
6.1Emergency core cooling system (ECCS)6.2High- and low-pressure safety injection6.3Auxiliary feedwater6.4Passive heat removal systems6.5Containment: design, isolation and spray6.6Passive autocatalytic hydrogen recombiners6.7Filtered containment venting6.8Emergency power supply and diesel generators6.9Post-Fukushima FLEX portable equipment6.10Laboratory: ECCS response to a small LOCA
7.1Categories of initiating events7.2Deterministic analysis of design basis accidents7.3Loss of coolant accident (LOCA)7.4Steam generator tube rupture7.5Anticipated transients without scram (ATWS)7.6Station blackout (total loss of AC power)7.7Severe accidents and core melt phenomenology7.8Severe accident management guidelines (SAMG)7.9System codes: RELAP5 and TRACE7.10Practical exercise: analysis of a loss of flow transient
8.1Operating organisation and operating shifts8.2Technical specifications8.3Normal and emergency operating procedures8.4Symptom-based emergency operating procedures (EOP)8.5Training and licensing of operating personnel8.6Full-scope simulators8.7Plant configuration management8.8Control room communication and human error prevention8.9Operating experience and WANO performance indicators8.10Case study: managing an alarm during start-up
9.1Planning refuelling outages9.2Preventive, predictive and corrective maintenance9.3The 10 CFR 50.65 maintenance rule9.4In-service inspection to ASME XI9.5Surveillance testing of safety systems9.6Work management and permits in controlled areas9.7The ALARA criterion during outages9.8Spare parts and obsolescence management9.9Equipment reliability indicators9.10Workshop: refuelling outage plan with dose optimisation
10.1Dosimetric quantities and units10.2Classification of areas and exposed workers10.3Personal and area dosimetry10.4Source term and effluent monitoring10.5Surface contamination control10.6Shielding and dose rate calculation10.7On-site emergency plan10.8Environmental radiological monitoring of the site10.9Management of operational waste10.10Practical exercise: estimating collective dose for a maintenance job
11.1Operating licences and periodic safety reviews11.2The safety analysis report and its updating11.3The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) and the Spanish framework11.4Directive 2014/87/Euratom on nuclear safety11.5WENRA reference levels11.6Regulatory inspection and the oversight system11.7Safety culture according to INSAG-4 and GSR Part 211.8Event reporting and the INES scale11.9Root cause analysis of incidents11.10Case study: assessment of a design modification
12.1Selection of the plant case and scope12.2Literature review and applicable regulations12.3Definition of hypotheses and analysis scenarios12.4Neutronic or thermal-hydraulic modelling12.5Assessment of safety margins12.6Proposal for operational improvements12.7Residual risk analysis12.8Conclusions and future lines of work12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
The programme is 100% online 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 you can combine it with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is RELAP5, TRACE, MELCOR, SERPENT and MATLAB, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures: transient simulation on a full-scope simulator, analysis of real operating events and planning of a refuelling outage. Assessment is continuous for each module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: Directive 2014/87/Euratom, IAEA SSR-2/1 Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design, IAEA SSR-2/2 Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation, IAEA SF-1 Fundamental Safety Principles, Real Decreto 1217/2024, 10 CFR Part 50, ASME BPVC Section XI, CSN Instruction IS-26.
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's 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 RELAP5, TRACE, MELCOR, SERPENT and MATLAB, 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 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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