Nuclear Engineering SMR Credential Program
Introducing the Nation's First Online Professional Credential Program in Small Modular Reactors
Launching in Spring 2026:
A groundbreaking solution to nurture the workforce for the new energy era, from a university leading the energy transformation
Tackling the Challenge
The nation's current nuclear reactor fleet employs about 100,000 people. That number is expected to surge to 375,000 by 2050 with the deployment and commercialization of advanced reactors. – U.S. Department of Energy
Purdue NE's online professional credential program will prepare professional engineers to address a grand challenge: meeting the burgeoning demand for more reliable, flexible power generation as new technologies, such as AI, put increasing pressure on the grid.
Designed for Professional Engineers with a BS in engineering or science
Various specialties welcome!
4 Modules:
- Evolution in Nuclear Reactor Technology*
- SMRs: Safety Features and Advances in Design
- SMR Operations and Control
- Convergence in Nuclear Materials, Manufacturing and Reactor Management
Taught by Purdue NE faculty, led by Seungjin Kim – the Capt. James F. McCarthy, Jr. and Cheryl E. McCarthy Head and a Professor in the School of Nuclear Engineering; principal investigator on SMR feasibility study for the state of Indiana; advisor to the U.N. on SMRs
* available in Spring 2026; others to follow
Building on a Unique Legacy
- PUR-1, Indiana's only nuclear reactor and the nation's only all-digital nuclear reactor licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- The world’s first digital twin of a nuclear reactor, which can perform pioneering research and training – for example, for testing how AI and machine learning can improve SMR performance and detect cybersecurity threats
- The Purdue University Multidimensional Integral Test Assembly (PUMA) facility, the country’s only light-water-based AR test facility, being revitalized for SMR research, education and training
- Top 10 U.S. News & World Report ranking for graduate nuclear engineering
Contact Us
Kellie Reece
Executive Assistant to
Seungjin Kim
Capt. James F. McCarthy, Jr. and Cheryl E. McCarthy Head
College of Engineering, School of Nuclear Engineering
kreece@purdue.edu