Basic vs. applied doctoral theses in nuclear engineering - Case study of theses completed in Slovenia

摘要

In view of many discussions on rethinking graduate education to better support the non-academic careers, we have reviewed the doctoral theses, completed within graduate studies of nuclear engineering at the Jozef Stefan Institute and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) between 1993 and 2019. The theses are divided (in the present paper) in three groups: "basic", "applied" and "application-oriented basic". The merits of each kind are discussed, including from the point of view of nuclear engineers intending to continue their careers in the nuclear industry. As a specific case, the topics studied were reactor thermal hydraulics, severe accidents, ageing and integrity of components, and probabilistic safety assessment. The review shows a strong preponderance of basic and application-oriented basic theses over applied ones. It also appears that the predominantly academic orientation of the doctoral theses enabled not only academic, but also industrial careers.