NE students who achieve a 3.70 GPA or above for the two semesters of the freshman year may request admission to the Distinguished Scholars Program. This program provides increased flexibility for students wishing to develop an individualized curriculum. Necessary stipulations are that the student maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater and that the main thrust of academic work be along the lines of Nuclear Engineering education.

The "thrust of Nuclear Engineering education" incorporates several concepts which the student must recognize:

1. The established undergraduate curriculum has been developed after much effort and over a period of many years to meet the student's needs. The Distinguished Scholar should choose carefully before omitting any of the required courses in the curriculum.

2. The course NE (NEEP) 412: Nuclear Reactor Design is the culmination of the undergraduate curriculum. It requires the student to integrate and apply knowledge obtained from most of the required technical courses to the design of a nuclear technology system. It is the culmination of all the design content in the curriculum, design being a critical aspect of engineering education. To meet the "thrust of Nuclear Engineering education," the Distinguished Scholar must complete NE (NEEP) 412 or choose an acceptable substitute fully satisfactory to the student's advisor and the EP Department Chair.

3. The student should bear in mind that laboratory experiences are important parts of engineering education; the student is urged to complete both NE (NEEP) 427: Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory and NE (NEEP) 428: Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.

4. The Liberal Studies requirement must be satisfied.

5. The Communications "A" Elective, EPD 275 or CA 105, and EPD 397 must be satisfied.

6. The total number of credits required is 128.

Later entrance into the Distinguished Scholar's Program is also permitted. A student may transfer into the Department from any other department on the Madison campus as late as the beginning of the fifth semester (or from any other institution as late as the beginning of the seventh semester) and still qualify for this program. A student may enter the program as late as the beginning of the fifth semester provided:

1. a course closely equivalent to that contained in the BSNE curriculum has been pursued;

2. the cumulative GPA is equal to or greater than 3.70 after two semesters, 3.60 after three semesters, or 3.50 after four semesters; and

3. if transferring from off the Madison campus, the GPA for the first semester of on-campus courses is equal to or greater than 3.50.

To apply for the Distinguished Scholar's Program, obtain, sign and submit an Option Declaration Form to the EP Department office (153 ERB) or the EP Department Student Services Coordinator (144 ERB).

Copyright 2005 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Date last modified: Thursday, 17-Nov-2005 16:20:09 CST Date created: 29-Oct-1999 Content by: neep@engr.wisc.edu Thank you for visiting /ep/neep/current/undergrad/distinguished.html