NSS No. 12-T (Rev. 1) Model Academic Curriculum in Nuclear Security

To establish a comprehensive master’s degree programme in nuclear security that encompasses all aspects of the discipline;

To establish or enhance an existing master’s degree programme in a related discipline with emphasis on nuclear security as a whole or in part;

To offer a specialized diploma or certificate in nuclear security as part of an existing academic programme;

To offer a course or module on nuclear security to enhance an existing curriculum.

NSPR1. Ionizing Radiation, Safety and Radiation Protection;

NSPR2. Methods and Instruments for Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material Measurements;

NSPR3. Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Nuclear Applications;

NSPR4. Methods of Scientific Research.

NSC1. International and National Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Framework for Nuclear Security;

NSC2. Risk Informed Approach to Nuclear Security;

NSC3. Coordination and Cooperation of Stakeholders at the National and International Level;

NSC4. Nuclear Security Management at the Facility Level;

NSC5. Security of Sensitive Nuclear Information;

NSC6. Nuclear Security Culture;

NSC7. Threat Assessment;

NSC8. Physical Protection Systems Design and Evaluation;

NSC9. Physical Protection Technologies and Equipment;

NSC10. Use of Nuclear Material Accounting and Control (NMAC) for Nuclear Security;

NSC11. Preventing and Protecting Against Insider Threat;

NSC12. Security of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material in Transport;

NSC13. Computer Security for a Nuclear World;

NSC14. Detection of Criminal or Other Unauthorized Acts involving Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control;

NSC15. Response to Criminal or Other Unauthorized Acts Involving Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control.

NSE1. Interfaces of Nuclear Security with Safety and Safeguards;

NSE2. Legal Drafting for Nuclear Security;

NSE3. International Cooperation on Nuclear Security;

NSE4. Developing and Implementing Design Basis Threat (DBT);

NSE5. Vulnerability Assessment of Physical Protection Systems;

NSE6. Nuclear Security Culture Self‑Assessment and Enhancement;

NSE7. Designing Physical Protection Systems for Nuclear and Radiological Facilities;

NSE8. Nuclear Material Accounting and Control for Nuclear Power Plants and Research Reactors;

NSE9. Nuclear Material Accounting and Control for Facilities that Process Nuclear Material;

NSE10. Establishing and Implementing a Transport Security Plan;

NSE11. Designing and Implementing a National Detection Architecture (NDA);

NSE12. Import/Export and Transit Control Mechanism and Regime;

NSE13. Nuclear Security Framework for Major Public Events;

NSE14. Radiological Crime Scene Management;

NSE15. Nuclear Forensics Analysis;

NSE16. Information and Computer Security Incident Response;

NSE17. Conducting Computer Security Assessments.

Enable university faculty, curriculum developers and administrators to design a programme that best fits the university’s existing programmes;

Be used in promotional materials developed by these universities to attract students into the programme;

Be used by prospective students in making informed decisions about pursuing a career in nuclear security, especially broadening the scope of such a choice for them in situations where nuclear security is frequently assumed to be an exclusively technical field of study.

The complexity and the multidisciplinary nature of the field of nuclear security, which may necessitate coordination with other departments or instructors;

The availability of technical experts, who might be invited from outside, and who might not be able to accommodate the traditional academic calendar, resulting in the need to offer course content in short 1–2 week long modules;

The fact that most potential students into the master’s degree programme in nuclear security might come from the nuclear profession, and are likely already engaged in a full time career in their field;

The availability of degree programmes in nuclear security locally or even regionally might be fairly low, creating a need for students and employers to look for educational opportunities globally.

Conceptual understanding of a national nuclear security regime, its objectives, components, systems and their various interactions, as well as the measures necessary to establish and sustain a nuclear security regime;

Knowledge and understanding of the principles, assumptions, tools and equipment for protecting nuclear material as well as other radioactive material, associated facilities, computers and networks, activities and related information;

Awareness and appreciation of the threats posed by nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control as well as knowledge of the tools necessary to address these threats at the national level;

Recognition of the importance of human factors in nuclear security, including nuclear security culture and the insider threat;

Awareness and comprehension of the international legal framework related to nuclear security, as well as relevant national laws, regulations and procedures;

Ability to creatively apply the above concepts, attributes and scientific methods to find and implement solutions to nuclear security challenges.

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Objective and Essential Elements of a State’s Nuclear Security Regime, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 20, IAEA, Vienna (2013).

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities (INFCIRC/225/ Revision 5), IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011).

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Nuclear Security Recommendations on Radioactive Material and Associated Facilities, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 14, IAEA, Vienna (2011).

EUROPEAN POLICE OFFICE, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE ORGANIZATION–INTERPOL, UNITED NATIONS INTERREGIONAL CRIME AND JUSTICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME, WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION, Nuclear Security Recommendations on Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 15, IAEA, Vienna (2011).

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Nuclear Engineering Education: A Competence Based Approach to Curricula Development, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG‑T‑6.4, IAEA, Vienna (2014).

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Status and Trends in Nuclear Education, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG‑T‑6.1, IAEA, Vienna (2011).

NSPR1. Ionizing Radiation, Safety and Radiation Protection;

NSPR2. Methods and Instruments for Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material Measurements;

NSPR3. Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Nuclear Applications;

NSPR4. Methods of Scientific Research.

To describe nuclear security main concepts and approaches, using appropriate terminology;

To discuss interrelationships of nuclear security with safety and safeguards;

To list the essential elements of a State’s nuclear security regime;

To demonstrate the importance of nuclear security.

To demonstrate understanding of the State responsibility for nuclear security as the basic principle;

To demonstrate the knowledge of the international legal binding and non‑binding instruments relating to nuclear security;

To know the principal international and national organizations and other entities engaged in nuclear security, and the role they play;

To know the scope of international guidance and recommendations relating to nuclear security;

To demonstrate the understanding of the national regulatory infrastructure relating to nuclear security.

To describe the evolution of the understanding of threat and risk;

To differentiate between threat and risk;

To identify possible threat scenarios and targets at the facility and State level;

To identify the attributes of possible adversaries;

To describe the process and methodologies, to analyse and to perform threat and risk assessment (depending on the scope of the module chosen by instructor).

To identify various national and international stakeholders in nuclear security and describe their role in nuclear security;

To demonstrate skills in establishing and maintaining cooperative relationships among the stakeholders at the national and international level;

To describe the importance of international cooperation and national commitment in promoting effective nuclear security.

Essential elements of nuclear security;

Basic principles of security management, budgeting and human resource planning, security culture, security awareness and integration with other disciplines;

Set‑up of a functional security organization, including governance instruments for establishing roles and responsibilities within the nuclear security management activities.

To describe the basic principles and processes of successfully managing security at nuclear and radiological facilities;

To demonstrate a holistic approach towards nuclear security;

To demonstrate knowledge of main international and national guidance and regulations;

To demonstrate knowledge of the responsibilities of a security manager;

To acquire skills for effective and sustainable management of nuclear security measures at a facility, including human resources, physical protection equipment, nuclear material accounting and control, and coordination;

To develop and implement contingency plans.

To clearly describe the role of information security in nuclear security;

To explain and give examples of information security controls relevant to nuclear and other radioactive material facilities and activities.

To describe the concept of nuclear security culture as a subset of organizational culture;

To describe the model of nuclear security culture as promoted by the IAEA, its components and attributes;

To identify the individual and organizational indicators that affect culture.

To analyse motivations and capabilities of adversaries and to have basic information about protection against terrorism;

To describe the methodology and the steps in performing State nuclear threat assessments, and in developing, implementing and maintaining design basis threats;

To describe the relationship between the design basis threat, risk analysis and protecting against terrorism.

To present and discuss the fundamental principles of a physical protection system;

To plan and implement the process of physical protection system design;

To design and evaluate physical protection systems for different types of nuclear installation and facility.

To acquire an in‑depth understanding of current technical methods, sensors and instruments in physical protection;

To learn how to select the appropriate equipment to satisfy the requirements for different physical protections systems.

To define and describe a State system of accounting for and control of nuclear and other radioactive material;

To become familiar with international safeguards;

To arrange national nuclear accounting and control systems at bulk and item facilities, perform national inspections, and analyse and report results of physical inventory taking as a part of broader State nuclear security measures.

To differentiate the capabilities and motivations of potential insider adversaries;

To design and develop measures to prevent and protect the facility against this type of threat.

To outline international transport security requirements;

To use practical guidelines for developing security measures for transport of nuclear and other radioactive material;

To select and implement transport security measures and technologies.

To explain and apply the principles of detection of criminal or other unauthorized acts involving nuclear and other radioactive material, which is an important element of a comprehensive nuclear security system;

To outline the main detection systems and make recommendations for prevention and detection strategies at borders, strategic points and other locations of importance;

To comprehend the design features, the procedures for performance monitoring and the sustainability of detection systems.

To identify and describe the concepts, objectives and principles of nuclear security as they interact with nuclear safety and safeguards;

To describe the interfaces between nuclear security with nuclear safety and safeguards, and the challenges and opportunities that they present.

To be able to develop and draft legal acts and other documentation relating to nuclear security;

To integrate them into the existing national legal structure and process;

To ensure that they reflect the State’s obligations under the existing international legal instruments relating to nuclear security.

To identify basic concepts and substantive elements of a State’s comprehensive nuclear law, and in particular its components related to nuclear security;

To draft laws and regulations that fit within the overall national legal structure and process, and integrate State’s obligations under the relevant international legal instruments.

To demonstrate knowledge of the principal stakeholders involved in the international cooperation on nuclear security;

To describe their goals, objectives, challenges and accomplishments.

To identify the goals, objectives and principal elements of the DBT;

To develop the DBT using the necessary information.

To perform a comprehensive evaluation and propose an optimization of different PPSs;

To perform a qualitative and quantitative risk assessment.

To apply specifics of physical protection measures and national regulations for security of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities;

To design and evaluate a PPS for such facilities.

To understand the purpose of a transport security plan;

To describe the elements of a transport security plan;

To develop an effective transport security plan.

To identify the attributes and components of an NDA for nuclear security;

To draft such a plan using various inputs.