The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa (Niasa) has congratulated North-West University (NWU) on the official introduction of the MEng Nuclear Technology Management degree, which aims to provide nuclear and management skills to professionals intending to apply their trade in the nuclear industry.
The course has received international accreditation and recognition from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Nuclear Management Academy (INMA).
NWU is the third university in the world to successfully pass the peer review process by the INMA peer review team and the degree will have official endorsement and global compliance.
The two other universities that have the same academic programme and standing are Mephi, in Russia, and Manchester, in the UK.
Niasa MD Knox Msebenzi congratulated NWU on being among the leaders in nuclear management education and encouraged more institutions to do the same.
“Skills in nuclear are not confined to the fields of the sciences, engineering, safety and construction. It is important that a holistic approach is adopted as the industry requires a varied skills base, including management,” he said.
The degree will include management topics, such as the economics of nuclear power, energy policy and planning, legal aspects, knowledge management, human resource management and stakeholder involvement.
The fundamentals of the technical aspects of nuclear energy, such as present and advanced nuclear technologies, the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear safety, nuclear security, nuclear safeguards and radiation control, will also be covered.