Comparative Analysis of 3S Curriculum

Nuclear science, technology, and engineering are growing fields in the global industry. Professionals within the industry have gathered knowledge from the universities, and academia is largely responsible for educating the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers. With the benefits of nuclear engineering technology comes the responsibility of ensuring high standards of safety and maintaining appropriate security measures. The research that takes place in academia contributes to these standards. The Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) are committed to educating next generation of nuclear professionals. Ensuring a talented pipeline of students committed to reducing the security risks associated with nuclear and radiological materials, while ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear energy, is crucial. To help sustain a continued standard of excellence as they explore these capacities, it is useful to compare teaching methods and share best practices between the two academic institutions. To that end, this project consists of a collaborative research venture with the INMM Student Chapters at JUST and TAMU. This research investigates the security, safety, and safeguards (3S) curriculum for both schools and offers a comparative analysis. The Department of Nuclear Engineering at JUST offers a course on nuclear security and safeguards, and nuclear security is integrated into a number of courses within the undergraduate curriculum. At TAMU, the 3S curriculum is also incorporated into the general nuclear engineering curriculum but is covered primarily in a series of specialized courses offered to undergraduate and graduate students. This paper discusses the integrated model of security adopted at JUST compared with the wide range of 3S courses at TAMU. This analysis hopes to serve as a resource for academia, offering a constructive critique of the curriculum that is offered on the subject of nuclear safeguards and the security of nuclear materials. Such a curriculum is essential to strengthening the global nuclear security culture and helps to facilitate peace and raise the standards for safeguard practices.