Nuclear Engineering

We are proud to offer South Carolina's only nuclear engineering graduate program. Our graduates work across the country designing and operating nuclear power plants, developing tools that apply radiation in diagnostic and industrial processes, and designing energy systems including power systems that operate satellites and deep-space probes.

Nuclear engineering is a diverse and interdisciplinary field. You will find nuclear engineers working in a range of fields including power, especially electricity generation, nuclear safeguards and security, materials science and engineering, medicine and radiological sciences, and space power and propulsion.

Founded in 1801, then-South Carolina College flourished pre-Civil War, overcame post-war struggles, was rechartered in 1906 as a university and transformed itself as a national institution in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Palmetto State established South Carolina College — the precursor to the University of South Carolina — on Dec. 19, 1801, as part of an effort to unite South Carolinians in the wake of the American Revolution. South Carolina's leaders saw the new college as a way to promote "the good order and harmony" of the state.

The founding of South Carolina College was also a part of the Southern public college movement spurred by Thomas Jefferson. Within 20 years of one another, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia established state-supported colleges.