THE EUROPEAN MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NUCLEAR ENGINEERING: 20 YEARS OF AN ENEN CERTIFICATION FOR MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF ACADEMIC CURRICULA IN NUCLEAR ENGINEERING

Back in 2005, the European Union NEPTUNO Project produced as one of its valuable results a new certification, aimed at harmonising the academic curricula held by Nuclear Engineers throughout Europe or, at least, at promoting their mutual recognition. The European Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering (EMSNE in short) was conceived at the dawn of the creation of the European Nuclear Education Network, following the attempt to unify the European Member State academic approaches in the field of nuclear engineering, also favouring cross-border mobility of students. Namely, the EMSNE is a Certificate delivered by ENEN with the endorsement of all its members, in order to certify the highest quality standards of Nuclear Engineering Education and the European dimension achieved by the EMSNE laureate. The requirements to get the recognition, after graduation with a master of science that can be considered related to nuclear engineering, are the following: at least 5 years of university education, at least 60 ECTS of “purely nuclear” matters, at least 20 ECTS obtained from a “foreign” (different country) institution which is member of the ENEN Association, obtained through real mobility, and a master thesis in nuclear matters. The purely nuclear disciplines include Reactor engineering, Reactor physics, Nuclear thermal hydraulics, Safety and reliability of nuclear facilities, Reactor engineering materials, Radiology and radiation protection, Nuclear fuel cycle and applied radiochemistry. After 20 years, the need is felt to better promote the widespread recognition of this certification in both academia and in industry, making it a further means to better unify European Countries by merging the specific experience in teaching of the different universities at which nuclear engineering courses are active. The paper, after revising the experience of application of the related by-laws prepared at the time of the NEPTUNO project, calls for a common reflection in relation to the role that this certification had and may have in view of the present needs of the nuclear job market.