The university will launch its first Ph.D. degree in nuclear science and engineering in the Onstead College of Science and Engineering this fall or when prospective students apply and are admitted.

The process to get this new program approved by the university began with Dr. Mark DeHart, who worked at the Idaho National Laboratory for 15 years and at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 17 years, adding to his expertise in nuclear science.

DeHart proposed a master of science and a master of engineering, followed by a Ph.D. He also submitted a program description that includes all the classes that will be offered within the program.

“The Ph.D. program description was a little rough compared to the two master’s when I submitted them,” DeHart said. “We just pushed the masters through, and we delayed the Ph.D. It has gone through now.”

The program went through the faculty senate vote last week and is now being reviewed by Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, who must sign off on it to make it official, said DeHart.

“It has been a learning experience for me, I see the reason for everything that ACU does,” DeHart said. “It’s a very deliberate process, and I get lots of feedback; it’s all positive and very supportive.”

The last step for the program’s approval is to go through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the organization that accredits the quality of the university’s degrees, including Ph.D.s, for graduate schools.

Once all of that is approved, the university will have its first Ph.D. program.

The Master of Science and the Master of Engineering have been approved by SACS with classes starting in August, but the Ph.D. classes won’t start until January of 2028, said DeHart.

“Say you wanted to start the Ph.D. and you wanted to start in August, you would still have to take all of the Master’s level classes, which is three semesters worth of classes,” DeHart said.

By getting the Ph.D. approved this early, the university will be able to receive recognition if a student expresses interest in pursuing the Ph.D.

“We’ll have it in place and ready to go for as soon as we get a student that’s ready to go,” DeHart said. “The first Ph.D. that gets enrolled will be the first Ph.D. graduate for ACU.”

The application portal will be updated so that students who are interested and already have their master’s in either science or engineering can apply. Those selected will go through an interview process with DeHart.

“I want to see passion, I want to see more than grades,” DeHart said. “I want to see their interests, and I want to see why they’re doing this and where they want to go with this.”

The Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing lab, which aims to design and build the first university-based molten salt research reactor, will play an important role in this program.

“We’re building on what ACU does well in teaching,” DeHart said. “To fund something like this, we have to have external dollars to pay for the research, so we write the proposals.”

The proposals are work that can be done relative to the NEXT lab. The facility will be the experimental base for the students, who, for their dissertation, can lean into any aspect that interests them. Some students will begin creating simulations of the molten salt reactor, which will later be compared to the actual reactor once it’s built.

DeHart believes that the NEXT lab’s reactor was the leading factor in the university’s decision to offer a Ph.D. in nuclear science.

“I think the president took that as a sign,” DeHart said. “‘Here’s a place where we can start building STEM education,’ so I really see myself as the tip of the spear.”

Dr. Jim Drachenberg, nuclear science and engineering graduate program coordinator, helped DeHart with building the Ph.D. program.

“It’s been really good fun,” Drachenberg said. “I’m kind of on the curriculum side of it. I helped participate in the discussion on what we could offer and what might be core versus elective and that sort of thing.”

DeHart brainstorms ideas for courses to offer and makes the final call, but getting this program up and running was a team effort. Drachenberg worked on packets for specific classes to get them approved and later presented them to councils.

“I kinda fell back on my experience with the undergraduate curriculum committees and what all needs to be in there– learning outcomes, and assessments and those kinds of things,” Drachenberg said. 

Within the program, the students can go in different directions with their dissertations, leading to many different outcomes once the program is completed.

“A Ph.D. is kind of a level where you are the leader, so the knowledge on how to do that and the techniques on how to do that, capacity for leadership in the community, leadership positions in the nuclear industry – I certainly hope that they get that to take away from,” Drachenberg said. 

With the university’s goal of fostering a Christ-centered community, the students involved will have the opportunity to pursue intellectual growth while engaging with God’s creation.

“I also hope that while they’re here at Abilene Christian University, they get a deeper perspective on how inquiry into the world brings us into a closer relationship with the creator,” Drachenberg said. “I hope they get a better sense of awe of who God is, and how amazing the world that He created is.”

Aside from acquiring scientific knowledge, Drachenberg hopes that those involved with the program walk away better than they were when they arrived.

“I hope they gain a perspective on how they can use the knowledge that they gain, not just to lift themselves up and advance in their careers but how to make the world better, and how to bless people with the things they’ve been given,” Drachenberg said. 

Drachenberg credits this new program to the NEXT Lab while also acknowledging that the work they will be doing is independent from the lab, and it just happens to benefit from it.

“[The program] takes advantage of that capability that we’ve built up,” Drachenberg said. “Hopefully it’s also a benefit to NEXT Lab and also other programs that might spin off from this.”