MSc Nuclear Science and Technology

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,900
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £37,000
• MSc (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £11,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £11,700
• MSc (part-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £7,800
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £7,800
• PGDip (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £19,300
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £19,300
• PGDip (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £9,650
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £9,650
• PGCert (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £11,600
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £11,600
• PGCert (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £5,800
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £5,800

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and awards to outstanding UK and international students each year.

The University of Manchester is committed to widening participation in master's study, and allocates £300,000 in funding each year. Our Manchester Master's Bursaries are aimed at widening access to master's courses by removing barriers to postgraduate education for students from underrepresented groups.

We also welcome the best and brightest international students each year and reward excellence with a number of merit-based scholarships. See our range of master’s scholarships for international students .

And, if you have completed an undergraduate degree at The University of Manchester, or are currently in your final year of an undergraduate degree with us, you may be eligible for a discount of 10% on tuition fees if you choose to study on a taught postgraduate course here. Find out if you're eligible and how to apply .

For more information on master's tuition fees and studying costs, visit the University of Manchester funding for master's courses website to help you plan your finances.

This course unit provides an introduction to nuclear fusion, and a detailed overview of the tritium science and technology that underpins successful operation of a future fusion power plant. It is specifically designed to provide an understanding of the fundamentals of the tritium fuel cycle as it pertains to the burgeoning field of fusion power plants. The unit consists of a brief overview (approximately 1 day) of the basics of nuclear fusion and fusion reactors, along with more details lectures covering key topics including fuel storage and supply, isotope separations (D, T, and He), tritium removal from water and waste forms, and personal and environmental protection. Included in the lecture series will be a guest lecturer from the UKAEA’s H3AT centre – a world-leading tritium science and technology facility. A small hands-on experimental component (1 day) will also provide valuable experience. A post-course tritium science and technology assessment designed to consolidate knowledge gained during the course and enable students to join industry with a solid understanding of key tritium science and technology issues and processes.

The unit aims to:

Provide students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to support the development of the fusion fuel cycle, with a particular focus on tritium and associated issues. 

ILO 1

Describe and discuss the purpose and requirements of a nuclear fusion power reactor, giving examples of key sub-systems and the explain the fundamentals of the fusion reaction.

ILO 2

Compare and contrast breeder blanket options for fusion reactors, analysing the benefits and drawbacks for each type.

ILO 3

Interpret and explain the purpose of the fusion fuel cycle, and how fuel can be stored.

ILO 4

Identify the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of isotope separations; compare and contrast isotope separation techniques.

ILO 5

Describe the mechanisms of H isotope recovery from liquid and solid materials, and summarise how this may be used in detritiation of plant materials.  

ILO 6

Explain and summarise methods and mechanisms to provide fuel cycle safety protection to personnel and the environment.  

ILO 7

Write a coherent logically-argued technical report on a sub-system of the fusion fuel cycle, identifying the strengths and weaknesses.

A. Knowledge and Understanding  

Students are taught via directed reading (pre-course) and directly in appropriately equipped rooms at the institution delivering the module. Learning is consolidated in tutorial and review sessions.

 

Pre-course directed reading                            

Direct Teaching

Review sessions

Tutorial sessions

 

B. Intellectual Skills

Students are able to exercise their intellectual skills through in-class discussion, tutorial sessions, and the completion of the assigned post-module criticality safety assessment.

 

In-class discussion

Review sessions

Tutorial sessions

Assignment exercise

Multiple choice questions

Post-course assignment

 

C. Practical Skills

Students are able to exercise their practical skills through tutorial sessions and completion of the assigned post-module criticality safety assessment.

 

Tutorial sessions

Post-course assignment

 

D. Transferable Skills and Personal Qualities

Students are able to enhance their transferable skills through in-class discussion, tutorial sessions, and the completion of the assigned post-module criticality safety assessment.

 

In-class discussion

Tutorial sessions

Assignment exercise

Post-course assignment 

Students are taught via directed reading (pre-course) and directly in appropriately equipped rooms at the institution delivering the module. Learning is consolidated in tutorial and review sessions.

• Pre-course directed reading                            
• Direct Teaching
• Review sessions
• Tutorial sessions 
   

Students are able to exercise their intellectual skills through in-class discussion, tutorial sessions, and the completion of the assigned post-module criticality safety assessment. 
 

• In-class discussion
• Review sessions
• Tutorial sessions
• Assignment exercise
• Multiple choice questions
• Post-course assignment 

Students are able to exercise their practical skills through tutorial sessions and completion of the assigned post-module criticality safety assessment.

 

• Tutorial sessions
• Post-course assignment

Students are able to enhance their transferable skills through in-class discussion, tutorial sessions, and the completion of the assigned post-module criticality safety assessment.

 

• In-class discussion
• Tutorial sessions
• Assignment exercise
• Post-course assignment

Review sessions - 0%

Time is allocated in the timetable to review course material in class, to let students integrate the knowledge gained.

Tutorial sessions - 0%

In-class tutorials covering tritium science and technology

Practical Experiment Assessment - 0%

Students will work together on an experiment directly related to tritium science and technology, including coverage of safety aspects. 

Multiple choice questions - 0%

Online multiple choice questions covering the range of material in the unit

In-course test - 20%

An in-class test designed to complement the post-module assessment by covering the breadth of material in the course to ensure that students have engaged with the full range of the material. This will take the form of a written test carried out at the end of the taught part of the module. 

Post-module assessment - 80%

A set of questions covering various areas of tritium science and technology - 20%

and

A comprehensive report covering a sub-topic taught during lectures, and a description of how this pertains to future fusion power plants - 60%

Comments on work submitted via Canvas

Tritium Technologies for Thermonuclear Fusion Reactors, Perevezentsev, A & Rozenkevich, M. Elsevier (2021)

 

Magnetic Fusion Technology, Ed: Dolan, T J. Springer (2013)