We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Practical hands-on courses including lab-based sessions and project work

  • Brand new state-of-the-art facilities

  • Get real-world experience with our placement years

Nuclear engineers design, build and operate equipment and processes that benefit humanity. Our Master's programme focuses on creativity and ingenuity to develop your design and implementation skills to an advanced level, and prepare you for your chosen career.

Nuclear applications cover a broad range of sectors from healthcare and cancer treatment through to power generation, national security and decommissioning activity. The industry is set to expand over the next ten years. With an estimated international spend of around £930 billion for building new reactors and £250 billion for decommissioning those coming offline, there is potential for the generation of 40,000 jobs in the UK nuclear sector alone.

Your degree will begin with a common first year, where you will be taught a series of modules that are taken by all first-year engineering students. We will introduce you to many of the key features of engineering, equipping you with a well-rounded understanding and skill set. Following the first year, you will have the opportunity to consider and plan your academic progression. At this stage, you may choose to begin your Nuclear Engineering study, or move onto any of our other specialist programmes.

Specialist modules in nuclear engineering begin in the second year, where you will also continue to develop your core skills as an engineer. This year you will study modules covering topics such as nuclear chemistry, nuclear engineering systems and nuclear safety. As our flexible programme begins to focus in on core aspects of nuclear engineering, you will develop practical skills, and test and analyse your design ideas in the laboratory or through computer simulation, using engineering IT tools.

On this programme, you may decide to spend a year in industry, gaining valuable experience and enhancing your employability. We have extensive links built through our leadership in research and have students undergoing placements with multinational corporate companies through to smaller specialist SMEs. Our degree programme is flexible as to when this occurs, but we would recommend the best opportunity is once you have gained a reasonable amount of engineering knowledge. Therefore, most appropriate time would be at the end of second or third year.

Your third year enables you to apply your skills in an individual project, during which you will learn to use professional software and develop your research and design skills further. You will also gain specialist knowledge, develop an interdisciplinary approach, and apply engineering principles to analyse key processes. This experience will allow you to grow and enhance your professional and discipline specific skills, and you will gain relevant real-world experience.

The MEng programme is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer. The degree is also professionally accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

All of your teaching is delivered by world-class academics and shaped by their outstanding research output. You will gain hands-on experience with access to cutting-edge facilities and an array of high-quality equipment in our state-of-the-art Engineering Building.

In the fourth year, you will be guided by our research excellence in nuclear instrumentation; nuclear decommissioning; and chemical processes; as well as our partnerships with Sellafield Ltd, Westinghouse Springfield Fuels Ltd and other specialist companies. You will undertake a group project that will allow you to experience a prolonged, live project that requires a multidisciplinary approach. Working in collaboration with an industry partner, or as part of one of our research activities, you will develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate a project brief, gain experience in project management and learn to input your specialism into a wider context. This experience will be essential in preparing you for a graduate career.

Course accreditation

Institution of Engineering and Technology logo Institution of Mechanical Engineers logo Engineering Council logo

Full or partial CEng eligibility

Careers

Nuclear engineering is a truly multi-disciplinary subject, going beyond just the provision of nuclear power for our electrical needs and expanding into sectors as diverse as medicine and space travel. From working in a nuclear power plant as a Nuclear Safety Engineer, to going into the automotive industry or medical and healthcare technology development, there are a wide range of career opportunities open to graduates from nuclear engineering courses – and some of our graduates even go on to further study and lead in their specialist field as academics. The ability to think creatively to solve problems, alongside your experience managing projects and applying practical and technical knowledge to novel scenarios will make you a desirable employee for careers that even sit outside of traditional engineering destinations. Graduates from our Engineering degrees are well-paid too, with a median starting salary of £29,000 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023).

Here are just some of the roles that our BEng and MEng Nuclear Engineering students have progressed into upon graduating:

  • PhD Candidate – University of Bristol
  • CERN Research Fellow – CERN
  • Nuclear Safety Engineer – EDF Energy
  • Nuclear Graduates Scheme – Rolls Royce
  • Graduate Scheme – Sellafield Ltd
  • CE Safety Engineer – Amec Foster Wheeler
  • Nuclear Safety Engineer – Mott Macdonald
  • Global Manufacturing Trainee – Kraft Heinz
  • Operations Graduate – BAE Systems
  • Molecular Imaging Application Specialist – Bartec Technologies Ltd

Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

A levels

AAA. This should include Mathematics and a physical science subject, for example, Physics, Chemistry, Electronics, Design & Technology or Further Mathematics.

Access to HE Diploma

Considered on a case-by-case basis. Our typical requirement would be 45 Level 3 credits at Distinction, but you would need to meet the subject requirements.

Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales

We accept the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales in place of one A level, or equivalent qualification, as long as any subject requirements are met.

BTEC Extended Diploma

Pre-2016 specifications: DDD in an Engineering related subject to include Distinctions in Mathematics for Engineering Technicians and Further Mathematics for Engineering Technicians units.

2016 specifications: DDD in an Engineering related subject to include Distinctions in the following units – Unit 1 Engineering Principles, Unit 7 Calculus to Solve Engineering Problems. Unit 8 Further Engineering Mathematics is highly recommended.

BTEC in combination with A levels

Our typical requirement would be A level grade A plus BTEC(s) at DD, or A levels at grade AA plus BTEC at D, but you would also need to meet the subject requirements.

International Baccalaureate

36 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 HL subjects including either:

1. Mathematics HL grade 6 (either pathway) plus grad 6 in a HL Physical Science

2. Mathematics HL grade 6 (either pathway) plus grade 6 in two SL Physical Sciences

3. Mathematics SL grade 7 (analysis and approaches) plus grade 6 in a HL Physical Science

Acceptable physical science subjects include Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Design Technology.

Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers

We are happy to admit applicants on the basis of five Highers, but where we require a specific subject at A level, we will typically require an Advanced Higher in that subject. If you do not meet the grade requirement through Highers alone, we will consider a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers in separate subjects. Please contact the Admissions team for more information.

T levels

Only accepted alongside A level Mathematics grade B. The following subjects accepted at Distinction overall, alongside A level Mathematics grade B: Design and development for engineering manufacturing; Engineering, manufacturing, processing and control; Maintenance, installation and repair for engineering and manufacturing. The following subjects considered on a case by case basis, alongside A level Mathematics grade B: Design, surveying and planning for construction; Building services engineering for construction; Onsite construction.

GCSE requirements

Mathematics grade 6/B, English Language grade 4/C

Additional requirements

You will typically be asked to attend an interview

English language requirements

We require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component for this programme. English language qualifications for undergraduate study.

Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

core modules accordion

Fees and funding

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.

Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2025/26 are:

Home International
£9,535 £29,820

Fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:

Scheme Based on Amount
Lancaster ScholarshipBased on Entry grades Amount £2,000 in your first year of study
Lancaster Opportunity ScholarshipBased on Contextual offer Amount £1,000 per year of study
Lancaster BursaryBased on Household income Amount £1,000 per year of study
Lancaster Global Scholarship - UndergraduateBased on Entry grades Amount £2,000 in each year of study for applicants joining Part 1 of our undergraduate programmes.

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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