NUCLEUS Fall 2026 — Presented by BWRx Studio

The most rigorous high school nuclear course in America

Built on the same DOE materials used to train U.S. nuclear plant operators. 15 weeks. 100% online. 1 Carnegie Unit. Fall 2026 cohort begins August 10.

Enroll now — $750 Ask a question

Part of a three-course program  ·  See the full NUCLEUS program →

15Weeks of instruction
120+Documented hours (Carnegie Unit)
7Assignments per week
11Verified nuclear competencies

What students study

The real material. Not a simplified overview.

NUCLEUS Fall 2026: Nuclear Physics & Reactor Theory is built on the U.S. Department of Energy’s official Nuclear Physics and Reactor Theory training handbooks — DOE-HDBK-1019/1-93 & /2-93 — the same materials used to qualify nuclear facility operators across the country.

What students study

  • Atomic structure and nuclear forces
  • Radioactive decay and half-life calculations
  • Nuclear fission and chain reactions
  • Neutron physics and cross sections
  • Reactor criticality and the neutron life cycle
  • Reactivity coefficients and inherent safety
  • Xenon and samarium neutron poisoning
  • Control rod design and worth
  • Reactor startup and safe approach to criticality
  • Reactor kinetics, period, and SCRAM
  • Decay heat and defense-in-depth safety

What students earn

High school students
  • 1.0 Carnegie Unit — Nuclear Engineering Technology
  • Certificate of Completion from BWRx Studio
  • Official transcript with 11 verified competencies
  • 120+ documented instructional hours
  • Preparation for Navy Nuclear Power School
  • Preparation for NRC reactor operator licensing
  • Head start for nuclear engineering programs
  • Direct relevance to TVA and advanced reactor careers
Adult / Career changers
  • 1.0 Nuclear Engineering Technology Credit Unit
  • Certificate of Completion from BWRx Studio
  • Official transcript with 11 verified nuclear competencies
  • Resume credential recognized by nuclear employers
  • Foundation for NRC reactor operator licensing pathway
  • Direct relevance to plant hiring — operators, technicians, health physics
  • Built on DOE materials nuclear HR departments already know

How it works

Rigorous, flexible, 100% online

1 Weekly class session Live instruction from Randy Steele every week via Google Meet
7 Assignments per week Reading, study guide, NotebookLM, virtual lab, quiz, and writing
15 Weeks total One Carnegie Unit in Nuclear Engineering Technology
120 Documented hours Fully documented for homeschool, transcript, and portfolio

Every week students attend one live class session, then complete seven independent assignments using their DOE handbook, NotebookLM (Google’s AI study tool), browser-based nuclear simulations, and auto-graded quizzes. All tools are free. All materials are provided. No textbook purchase required.

Who it’s for

Built for three kinds of students

Homeschool students

Counts as a full high school elective credit with full Carnegie Unit documentation. Perfect for students building a STEM-focused transcript for college or military applications.

Public school students

Taken as an after-school or extracurricular program. Pairs naturally with physics, chemistry, or environmental science coursework already on the student’s schedule.

Adult career changers

Machinists, welders, military veterans, and professionals from other industries transitioning into nuclear. Same course. Same DOE materials. Same credential. Nuclear doesn't care where you started.

For career changers

You don't need a physics degree. You need this foundation.

I spent 35 years at Browns Ferry walking those floors with pipefitters, welders, instrument techs, and health physics professionals. Some of the sharpest people I ever worked with never took a physics class in their life.

What held them back wasn't intelligence. It was not having the foundation — the physics, the terminology, the way a reactor actually thinks — before they walked in the door.

NUCLEUS is that foundation. 15 weeks. $750. Built on the same DOE materials used to train licensed operators. You finish this course knowing more about reactor physics than most people who work at nuclear plants.

Enroll now — $750
Trades & craft workers

Pipefitters, welders, machinists, electricians, and instrument techs — nuclear plants hire from the trades. NUCLEUS gives you the physics context behind the work you already know how to do.

Military veterans

Navy nuclear rates, Army and Air Force technical backgrounds, and any vet with mechanical aptitude and discipline — the nuclear industry wants you. NUCLEUS builds on what you already have.

Other industries

Oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, engineering — if you have technical aptitude and want to move into nuclear, this is where you start. No background required.

15-Week Curriculum

What students learn — week by week

Every week follows the same structure: live class session with Randy Steele, DOE handbook reading, NotebookLM study session, quiz, and lab assignment. All materials included.

Week 0
Orientation
Course setup, Google Classroom access, DOE handbook download, Carnegie hour tracker introduction, expectations and workflow.
Week 1
Atomic Structure & Nuclear Terminology
Protons, neutrons, electrons. Atomic number, mass number, isotopes. The language of nuclear physics.
Week 2
The Chart of the Nuclides
Reading and interpreting the chart. Stable vs. unstable isotopes. Valley of stability. Decay modes and half-lives.
Week 3
Radioactive Decay & Mass-Energy Equivalence
Alpha, beta, gamma decay. E=mc² applied to fission. Binding energy and the mass defect. Why uranium releases energy.
Week 4
Fission & Neutron Interactions
How fission occurs. Neutron cross sections. Fissile vs. fissionable materials. Uranium-235 and the chain reaction.
Week 5
Radiation & Shielding
Types of radiation, penetrating power, biological effects. Shielding materials and principles. Health physics fundamentals.
Week 6
Reactor Theory — The Four-Factor Formula
k-infinity = η × ε × p × f. How neutrons are born, moderated, and captured. The mathematical foundation of reactor control.
Week 7
Neutron Moderation & Reactor Design
Why light water reactors work. The role of the moderator. Boiling water vs. pressurized water reactor design. The BWRX-300.
Week 8
Delayed Neutrons & Reactivity Control
Why delayed neutrons make reactor control possible. Reactivity coefficients. Prompt vs. delayed criticality. Control rod function.
Week 9
Criticality — What It Really Means
Critical, subcritical, supercritical defined precisely. The difference between critical and prompt critical. Why "critical" is not dangerous.
Week 10
Fission Products & Reactor Poisons
What fission produces. Xenon-135 and the iodine pit. Samarium-149. How fission products affect reactor operation on every shift.
Week 11
Xenon & Samarium Dynamics
Xenon equilibrium concentration. Iodine pit mechanics. Samarium transients. How operators manage poison inventory during power changes.
Week 12
Control Rod Worth & Differential Rod Worth
Why rod worth varies by position. The S-curve and differential rod worth. How operators calculate reactivity for every rod movement.
Week 13
Approach to Criticality & the 1/M Plot
How operators safely approach criticality from shutdown. The inverse multiplication method. Building and reading a 1/M plot.
Week 14
Decay Heat & Reactor Safety Systems
Why decay heat continues after shutdown. Emergency core cooling systems. Why Fukushima happened. How passive safety systems work in modern designs.
Week 15
Final Examination & Credential Award
Comprehensive final examination. Competency verification across all 11 nuclear competencies. Certificate of Completion and official Carnegie Unit transcript issued.

15 weeks · 11 verified competencies · 1 Carnegie Unit · Official BWRx Studio transcript

Every week includes: live class session · DOE handbook reading · NotebookLM study · quiz · lab assignment

Pricing

Invest in a career that starts before graduation

Homeschool / Public school

$750 per student
  • Full 15-week program
  • Carnegie Unit documentation
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Official transcript
  • All materials included

Adult / Career changer

$750 per student
  • Full 15-week program
  • 1 Nuclear Engineering Technology Credit Unit
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Official BWRx Studio transcript
  • 11 verified nuclear competencies

Institutional

Contact us for group pricing
  • 5+ students: 10% discount
  • 10+ students: 20% discount
  • School site license available
  • Grant writing support
  • Custom scheduling options

FAQ

Common questions

Is this accredited?
NUCLEUS Fall 2026 is built on official U.S. Department of Energy training materials and delivers a full Carnegie Unit of credit (120+ documented hours) in Nuclear Engineering Technology. Homeschool parents are the credentialing authority and can file your BWRx Studio transcript directly. Public school students and co-op families should confirm with their program coordinator before enrolling. Contact us if you need documentation for your specific situation.
What technology do students need?
A computer or tablet with internet access and Google Chrome. All tools — textbooks, simulation tools, NotebookLM, Google Classroom, and quizzes — are free. There are zero additional purchases required.
What grade level is appropriate?
NUCLEUS Fall 2026 is designed for 11th and 12th graders who have completed or are concurrently taking high school chemistry or physics. Motivated 10th graders with a strong science background are also welcome.
How much time per week?
Approximately 6–8 hours per week, including the live class session. The course is designed to meet the 120-hour Carnegie Unit minimum across 15 weeks.
Can this count toward dual enrollment or AP credit?
NUCLEUS Fall 2026 is not a College Board AP course, but the content is equivalent to a first-semester university nuclear engineering course. Many colleges will consider it for placement or elective credit — we encourage students to present their transcript and certificate directly to admissions offices.
I’m a public school student. Will my school accept this credit?
Public school credit acceptance varies by district. Some schools accept outside electives for transcript credit when the parent requests it through the school counselor before the course begins — we provide whatever documentation the school needs, including a full syllabus, curriculum overview, and Carnegie Unit hour log. If your school does not accept outside credit, NUCLEUS Fall 2026 still provides a separate, standalone credential: a Certificate of Completion and an official BWRx Studio transcript with 1 Carnegie Unit in Nuclear Engineering Technology and 11 verified competencies. This credential travels with your student into college applications, military recruitment, and career interviews regardless of what appears on the high school transcript. Many students take NUCLEUS Fall 2026 as a supplemental program alongside their regular coursework — the knowledge and credential stand on their own.
My student attends a public school. Can they still take NUCLEUS Fall 2026?
Absolutely. NUCLEUS Fall 2026 is 100% online and designed to work alongside a student’s existing school schedule. Approximately 6–8 hours per week, completed on evenings and weekends. Many public school students take outside enrichment courses this way — similar to music lessons, test prep, or extracurricular programs. No schedule conflict with regular coursework.
I’m a homeschool student. Does NUCLEUS count as a full Carnegie Unit?
Yes. NUCLEUS awards 1 Carnegie Unit in Nuclear Engineering Technology, and homeschool families in most states have the flexibility to award credit for outside coursework. To document it, you’ll have a full course syllabus with learning objectives, weekly graded assignments and quiz records, a final course grade issued by BWRx Studio, and the U.S. Department of Energy Federal Handbook as the cited textbook. We recommend logging student hours weekly — most states that require documentation want to see 120–180 hours of instruction and coursework for 1 Carnegie Unit. We’ll help you build that record. Questions about credit documentation for your state? Reach us via our contact page.

Your instructor

Taught by someone who has actually operated a reactor

Randy Steele, Founder & Executive Director, BWRx Studio
Randy Steele
Founder, BWRx Studio
LinkedIn →
Licensed Senior Reactor Operator 45 Years Nuclear Operations TVA Browns Ferry Chattanooga State Faculty Lead

Randy Steele is a former Licensed Senior Reactor Operator at TVA’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant with 45 years of nuclear operations experience. He served as Outage Manager, Work Management Manager, and Initial License Instructor, and led the BWR fleet’s response to NRC post-Fukushima regulations.

Today Randy serves as Faculty Lead for Nuclear Power Engineering Technology and Radiation Protection at Chattanooga State Community College, where he oversees curriculum aligned with ACAD 08-006 and ABET standards.

When Randy teaches neutron physics, reactor criticality, and SCRAM procedures in NUCLEUS, he’s drawing on 45 years of actually doing those things — not just reading about them.

Tennessee is building the first SMR in America. The workforce that runs it starts here.

Enroll in NUCLEUS Contact Randy Steele

Program Overview  ·  Parent Resources