New qual effective Feb 2015, feedback and comments from students that took the Feb 2015 quals are categorized below by field of specialization:
Credit: Abdulla Alhajri, Carolyn Coyle, AS.
Nuclear Reactor Engineering
First Part:
1. Understand how your project contributes to the greater understanding of "science". What can people outside of nuclear engineering learn from this?
2. Present a PhD project. They want more than a master's thesis prospectus.
3. Practice practice practice. In front of the committee, you get flustered. Helps to really know your presentation.
Second Part:
1. Understand reactor systems. Have at least a surface knowledge of all the different Gen III, Gen III+, and even Gen IV reactors. They might ask you to compare different ones so need to know general pressures, temperatures, coolants, etc for each.
2. Don't focus on derivations or long math problems. Now, this is from only 1 exam, but they only asked for one line formulas that we memorized. Beyond mentioning those the exam was mostly qualitative.
Nuclear Reactor Physics
Nuclear Materials
The main thing that I found helpful was the practice oral exams. Other grad students suggested that I do two or three practice orals, but in my opinion, with the new system their is no reason not to have four or five. I had two practices where I was given an unprepared questions, but I also had three opportunities to present my presentation and get asked on them, to simulate the first half. And finally, I got a full practice oral where I simulated both halves of the exam.
Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Fusion
Nuclear Science and Technology
See Download the pdf file qual_AS.pdf for feedback and tips for preparation.
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