First 19 Flinders Students Complete Australia's Inaugural Undergraduate Nuclear Engineering Major, Earning a University of Rhode Island Certificate
The University of Rhode Island announced on November 13 that nineteen Flinders University students are the first graduates of Australia's inaugural undergraduate nuclear engineering major, earning a URI certificate through the two universities' pioneering partnership. The partnership supports workforce development for AUKUS, the security partnership of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
The students completed a nuclear engineering major within their Flinders degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, chemical sciences or physics. They also earned URI's certificate, a separate university credential, by completing five specialized URI nuclear engineering courses totaling 15 credits, receiving academic credit from both universities through dual enrollment. URI faculty teach the courses in person at Flinders during intensive sessions each January and July.
URI President Marc Parlange and Flinders President and Vice-Chancellor Colin Stirling formalized the partnership in May 2023, and teaching began at Flinders in January 2024, launching Australia's first undergraduate nuclear engineering major. Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, congratulated the graduates in a video message played during the certificate presentation, saying they will be part of delivering Australia its nuclear-powered submarine capability under AUKUS.
The partnership also brings Flinders students to Rhode Island. In 2025, seven students spent 15 weeks in the state and another eight visited this year, gaining hands-on experience at the research reactor of the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center on URI's Narragansett Bay Campus. More cohorts are on track to complete the program by July 2028, and the current arrangement runs to the end of 2027 with the possibility of continued opportunities.
Source: University of Rhode Island
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：从山坡望去的 Flinders University 校园建筑群。来源：Cyberjunkie，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.5。 / Photo: Flinders University campus buildings seen from a hillside. Source: Cyberjunkie, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.
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