Master in Nuclear Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan
Two-year English-taught LM-30 master at Politecnico di Milano in nuclear engineering, covering reactor physics, safety and reliability, radiation detection, nuclear materials and plasma physics, with three second-year tracks. Entry needs an engineering or physics bachelor's and a recognised English certificate.
Master
2 years
Milan
English
Polytechnic University of Milan
Nuclear Engineering is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's degree (class LM-30) taught in English at Politecnico di Milano's Milano Bovisa campus. Entry needs a bachelor's consistent with the programme, usually in engineering or physics, reviewed by an Evaluation Commission, plus a recognised English certificate such as IELTS 6. Fees follow family income, so it can be tuition-free for eligible students.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
PoliMi's Nuclear Engineering master asks for a bachelor's degree (EQF level 6) with knowledge consistent with the programme, a positive review of your academic record by an Evaluation Commission, which may include a remote interview, and a recognised English certificate or an English-taught bachelor's. There is no entrance test. Reviewed 8 October 2026. [1]
Degree and background
You need a first-cycle degree (EQF level 6) or a comparable qualification, with knowledge consistent with the programme. An Evaluation Commission set up by the programme board decides admission from your academic career and, if needed, a remote interview. [1]
For anyone who does not hold a PoliMi engineering bachelor's, admission is never automatic. The commission examines your study record in detail, decides whether to admit you and whether you need compulsory prerequisites. A bachelor's judged consistent with the programme can lead to admission without prerequisites, and your average mark counts as merit. [1]
The commission also considers how long your bachelor's took: the benchmark is graduation by 31 March of the sixth year after first enrolment. If you miss this or the grade threshold, the commission still evaluates you and may set prerequisites. You can attach documents showing exceptional circumstances to your application. [1]
As a reference, PoliMi's own bachelor's in energy, physics, mathematics, biomedical, materials and nanotechnology, and chemical engineering offer preparatory paths into this master's. [1]
PoliMi also requires a degree that gives access to EQF level 7, from a university in the official system of its country, with subjects closely related to the programme. Franchised degrees are not accepted. If you hold both a bachelor's and a master's, you are evaluated on the bachelor's only. [2]
Country rules and minimum grades
PoliMi sets strict country rules for some degrees, with no exceptions: [2]
- India: a bachelor's of at least four years, such as a B.Tech, B.E., B.Des. or B.Arch. A three-year B.Sc. may be considered only if it is an Honours programme. Minimum average 70 out of 100, as a percentage or weighted score.
- Pakistan: a four-year continuous bachelor's, as 2+2 degrees are not accepted. Minimum GPA 3.3 out of 4, with a university letter stating your weighted average.
- Bangladesh: minimum GPA 3.3 out of 4.
- Sri Lanka: an Honours degree (SLQF level 6). SLQF level 5 qualifications are not evaluated.
- United Kingdom: an Honours degree or equivalent, from a recognised institution.
The Gulf states, the United States, Singapore and Malaysia are not on PoliMi's country list, so no extra country rule applies to degrees from there. [2]
What this means for your transcript
Italian CFU and the credits on a foreign transcript are not the same unit, and the commission looks at your subjects, not just your total. As a guide, based on the rules above:
- Usually a fit: a four-year B.Tech or B.E. in Engineering Physics, Energy, Chemical, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, or a three-year B.Sc. Honours in Physics, with strong maths and physics on the transcript and an average that meets your country's minimum.
- Check carefully: a four-year B.Tech or B.E. in Civil, Computer Science or Electronics Engineering, or a B.Sc. Honours in Chemistry or Mathematics, where the commission weighs your physics background and may set prerequisites.
- Often short: a three-year B.Sc. without Honours or a three-year BCA from India, which do not meet PoliMi's four-year rule for Indian degrees, a 2+2 degree from Pakistan, or a B.Com, BBA or BA without university maths and physics.
Prerequisites
If the commission sets prerequisites, you take them as individual courses before enrolment. They do not count towards the 120 credits of the master's, and passing them is required to enrol. If you do not pass them within 15 months, you lose the right to admission. [1]
Through individual courses you can also earn up to 32 credits that count towards the degree, and no more than 80 credits in total, prerequisites included. [1]
English
You need a certificate of English at the level PoliMi requires. If you do not have it when you apply, you can be admitted and enrolled once you prove your English. [1] For the 2027/28 intake, accepted results include: [3]
- IELTS Academic or General Training 6
- TOEFL iBT 78 for tests taken until 20 January 2026, or 4.5 for tests taken from 21 January 2026
- Cambridge B2 First at grade B, C1 Advanced at grade C or C2 Proficiency at grade C
- PTE Academic 59, or Pearson English International Certificate 59
- Trinity ISE II, or LanguageCert B2 Communicator
If your bachelor's was taught in English for at least three years, a document certified by your university confirming that at least 75% of your courses were in English replaces the certificate. [3]
The certificate can be uploaded after the application deadline, but you need it to receive your admission letter, apply for the visa and enrol. Expired certificates are not accepted. [3]
Italian is not an entry requirement. International students enrol with an Italian learning requirement (OFA) and must certify Italian before the graduation exam. [8]
Selection and places
There is no entrance test. The Evaluation Commission decides from your academic record and may hold a remote interview to complete your profile. Its decision covers both admission and any prerequisites. [1]
For 2026/27, PoliMi offered 150 places in Nuclear Engineering at the Milano Bovisa campus, 10 of them for non-EU students. [5]
The 2026/27 regulations note that a new admission model for PoliMi master's programmes starts from 2028/29. [1]
Deadlines for the September 2027 intake
Engineering master's programmes have two calls open to applicants living outside Italy: [4]
- First call: 1 October to 1 December 2026.
- Second call: 12 January to 25 February 2027.
Outcomes are due by the end of May 2027. A further call from 1 to 18 March 2027 is only for EEA students and non-EEA students living in Italy with certain permits. You can apply once per semester, to at most two programmes. [4]
Documents and non-EU steps
You upload your transcript, your degree certificate, a cumulative GPA statement showing your grading scale and a CV of up to two pages. If you have not graduated yet, an enrolment document confirming you are in the final year of your bachelor's is accepted, but you must graduate before enrolment. A GRE score, a recommendation letter, a motivation letter and course descriptions are optional and can strengthen your file. [2][3]
Indian applicants upload scanned originals of the transcript or consolidated grade sheet, and screenshots are not accepted. [2]
To enrol you need a Diploma Supplement where your country issues one, a declaration of value or a CIMEA statement. Without one of these, a positive evaluation does not lead to enrolment, and PoliMi can ask for them at any stage. [2]
Sources and verification
Checked by the ApplyAZ admissions team against the university's official documents listed below. Entry rules can change with each new call, and we re-check them before every application.
- Politecnico di Milano, School of Industrial and Information Engineering. Academic regulations, Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering (class LM-30), academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Admission to Master of Science programmes with a foreign qualification: requirements and country-specific rules, undated. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. List of documents required by the Admissions Office for Master of Science applicants with a foreign qualification, updated for academic year 2027/28. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Application deadlines for Master of Science programmes with a foreign qualification, September 2027 intake. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Places available for Master of Science programmes with a foreign qualification, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Tuition fees for Laurea, Laurea Magistrale and single-cycle programmes, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Call for DSU financial aid benefits, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. English language requirements for Laurea Magistrale programmes, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano, Nuclear Engineering degree programme website, undated. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
About the programme
Nuclear Engineering is a two-year master's degree (laurea magistrale) in class LM-30, energy and nuclear engineering, worth 120 ECTS. It is run by the School of Industrial and Information Engineering at the Milano Bovisa campus and taught in English.
The degree covers the physics and engineering of fission reactors, radiation and its applications, safety and reliability analysis, and plasma physics for fusion. It suits graduates in energy, nuclear or physics engineering who want to work on nuclear systems in industry or research.
What you will study
The 2026/27 course list has a first-year block and three second-year tracks: Nuclear Plants, Nuclear Technologies and Nuclear Systems Physics. Units include:
- Introduction to Nuclear Engineering
- Fission Reactor Physics I and II
- Radiation Detection and Measurement
- Probabilistic Safety Analysis, and Reliability, Availability and Maintainability
- Multiphase Systems and Technologies
- Nuclear Design and Technology
- Medical Applications of Radiation Fields (Nuclear Technologies)
- Plasma Physics and High Intensity Lasers for Nuclear and Physical Applications (Nuclear Systems Physics)
The Nuclear Plants track adds CFD for Nuclear Engineering, Experimental Nuclear Reactor Kinetics and Transport of Radioactive Contaminants. The course list also shows some Italian-taught units, such as Radioprotezione, so we check the study plan of your track.
How the programme is taught
The first year opens with 20 credits of alignment courses chosen to fit your previous studies, followed by 40 credits of core nuclear engineering. In the second year you follow one of three pre-approved study plans, Nuclear Plants, Nuclear Technologies or Nuclear Systems Physics, or an individual plan approved by the programme board, and write a 20-credit thesis. All three plans are open to every student after the first year. [1]
Teaching combines lectures and tutorials with computer, experimental and design laboratories, including labs for radiation protection, radiochemistry, nuclear measurement and nuclear plant design, plus educational visits to facilities and research laboratories. [1]
Options alongside the degree include an honours programme in scientific research (five places for 2026/27), an interdisciplinary programme in green technologies, Erasmus exchanges and double degrees with partners such as Grenoble INP, KTH, NTNU, Polytechnique Montréal, KAIST and Keio University. The degree website also lists a European certificate and membership of the FuseNet fusion education network. [1][9]
Career paths
The regulations point graduates to nuclear power companies, decommissioning and radioactive waste firms, designers of medical radiation systems, fusion and high-energy physics centres, engineering consultancies, hospitals, regulators and research. Typical areas include:
- Design and operation of nuclear power plants
- Nuclear safety, reliability and risk analysis
- Radiation protection and radiation measurement
- Medical and industrial applications of radiation
- Fusion and plasma research
- Doctoral research in nuclear science and technology
According to university data cited in the 2026/27 regulations, 96% of recent graduates were working or in further study within six months of graduating, and 100% within a year. Graduates can also sit the state exam for Section A of the Italian engineers' register. [1]
Fees and scholarships
There is no separate fee for Nuclear Engineering. PoliMi sets fees by family income (ISEE), but for 2026/27, international students in the non-EU reserved category admitted with a bachelor's from abroad pay the maximum fee unless they hold a PoliMi, DSU or other scholarship. The details are on PoliMi's tuition fees page. [6]
Politecnico di Milano runs the DSU right-to-study scholarship itself, based on income and, after the first year, on credits earned. If a first-year scholarship is confirmed, both fee instalments are refunded apart from the administrative fee, so this programme can be tuition-free for eligible students. The university decides the awards. [7]
How to apply from outside the EU
If your bachelor's is not one of PoliMi's own engineering degrees, admission is never automatic. An Evaluation Commission reviews your study record in detail, may hold a remote interview and can set prerequisite courses that you must pass before enrolment. [1]
We apply through the international admissions route for foreign graduates. The foreign-qualification requirements ask for a degree giving access to EQF level 7, a grade average above your country's minimum and English proof. For the September 2027 intake, applicants living outside Italy can apply from 1 October to 1 December 2026 or from 12 January to 25 February 2027, with outcomes by the end of May 2027. [4] Admitted students complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment, apply for a type D visa and provide a Diploma Supplement, declaration of value or CIMEA statement before enrolment.
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your transcript against PoliMi's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your online application with your transcripts, CV and English certificate, and Universitaly pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your Politecnico di Milano DSU scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
What bachelor's degree do I need for Nuclear Engineering at PoliMi?
A first-cycle degree with knowledge consistent with the programme, usually in engineering or physics with strong maths and physics. If you do not hold a PoliMi engineering bachelor's, admission is never automatic: an Evaluation Commission reviews your record and may set prerequisite courses. [1]
Is there an entrance exam?
No written test. The Evaluation Commission decides from your academic record and may hold a remote interview to complete your profile. A bachelor's judged consistent with the programme can lead to admission without prerequisites, and your average mark counts as merit. [1]
What English level is required? Do I need IELTS?
You need a certificate at PoliMi's level, such as IELTS 6, TOEFL iBT 78 (or 4.5 for tests from 21 January 2026), Cambridge B2 First at grade B or PTE Academic 59. A university document showing at least 75% of your three-year bachelor's was taught in English can replace it. [1][3]
When is the deadline for non-EU students?
For the September 2027 intake, applicants living outside Italy can apply from 1 October to 1 December 2026, or from 12 January to 25 February 2027. Outcomes are due by the end of May 2027. [4]
What happens if the commission sets prerequisites?
You pass them as individual courses before enrolment. They do not count towards the 120 credits of the master's, and if you do not pass them within 15 months of the decision you lose the right to admission. [1]
I have a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering or a B.Sc. in Physics from India. Can I apply?
A four-year B.Tech or B.E. meets PoliMi's length rule for India, while a three-year B.Sc. in Physics counts only if it is an Honours degree. The commission then checks how well your maths and physics match the programme and may set prerequisites. You also need an average of at least 70 out of 100. [1][2]
Which tracks can I choose?
After a first year of alignment and core nuclear courses, you choose one of three second-year plans: Nuclear Plants, Nuclear Technologies or Nuclear Systems Physics, or an individual plan approved by the programme board. All three are open to every student, and the thesis is worth 20 credits. [1]
What careers does it lead to?
Graduates work in nuclear power, decommissioning and radioactive waste, medical radiation systems, fusion and high-energy physics, engineering consultancies, hospitals, regulators and research. University data cited in the regulations show 96% of recent graduates working or in further study within six months. Many continue to a PhD. [1]
Can someone handle my whole application to Nuclear Engineering at PoliMi?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against PoliMi's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the Politecnico di Milano DSU scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Nuclear Engineering?
PoliMi accepts Indian bachelor's degrees of at least four years, such as a B.Tech or B.E., and considers a three-year B.Sc. only if it is an Honours degree. You need an average of at least 70 out of 100 and an engineering or physics background consistent with the programme. The steps are the online application, the Evaluation Commission's review, which may include a remote interview, and Universitaly pre-enrolment. [1][2] Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Nuclear Engineering are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: online application in the first or second call, the Evaluation Commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Nuclear Engineering are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: online application in the first or second call, the Evaluation Commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I studied or live in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. What is the route?
The academic rules for Nuclear Engineering are the same whatever your nationality, and your degree is assessed like any other foreign qualification. Non-EU applicants who live abroad follow the same route: online application in the first or second call, the Evaluation Commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for where they live. Read our guides for students in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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