STATUS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN MONGOLIA

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1 STATUS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN MONGOLIA General View of Education at the National University of Mongolia S.Davaa and G.Khuukhenkhuu Nuclear Research Centre, National University of Mongolia The National University of Mongolia (NUM) is the country s oldest, the only comprehensive university, and a leading center of science, education and culture. The NUM has twelve schools and faculties in the capital city Ulaanbaatar and three branches in provinces. The University offers the widest range of undergraduate and graduate programs in natural and social sciences and humanities. After sixty years of dynamic growth, the University has become a place of sustained innovation, a blend of scholarship and practical realism. The last ten years have been a period of reforms in the structure, financing and governance of Mongolian educational institutions. The NUM has been continuously adjusting its operations and curriculum to deal with new economic conditions, changing labour market demands and altered social aspirations. Committed to human peace, development and welfare in the increasingly globalized world, the NUM promotes equal and mutually beneficial international cooperation. It is a member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP), and Euro-Asian University Network (EAUN) and has direct co-operation agreements with more than sixty international academic and research centers in Europe, the USA and the Asia-Pacific Rim. On the threshold of the 21 st century, the NUM remains a major center for fundamental and applied research as well as a university that is distinguished by the quality of its teaching. Following its values and traditions, the University strives to be an innovative and dynamic learning community. Higher Education Degree Structure Students who have successfully completed secondary education (high school of years) and passed the entrance examinations are admitted to the University. The Bachelor degree is awarded to students who have obtained credits and fulfilled all requirements determined by the relevant department. The duration of undergraduate study is four years of full-time study. The formal admission for a Master s programme is completion of an appropriate undergraduate study of four years (eight semesters) from a recognized tertiary institution. Master programmes consist of coursework (core subjects and electives) and research. Master s students should obtain at least 30 credit points in courses and write theses for the M.Sc. degree. The duration of the Master s programme is three to four semesters of full time study. Students who hold M.Sc degrees from recognized tertiary institutions are eligible to study in the Ph.D courses. Doctor programmes consist of coursework and research. Students who have obtained 60 credit points and successfully defended their research dissertations will be awarded with a Ph.D. The duration of the Ph.D programmes is three years of full-time study or six semesters. 1

2 Course Credits The course unit is credit hour. One credit point is deemed to be equivalent to 48 academic hours of student work whether taught faculty or independent study. Grading The student performance (knowledge, skills and abilities acquired by) can be evaluated with letter marks A, B, C, D, F; number grades 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0; points expressed as percentage. I addition to that, pass or failure marks can be used for the assessment. Grades are determined based upon evaluation of multiple choice questions, essay, performance, classroom/laboratory contributions, examinations and mastery of pertinent skills. The following marks, grades and points are used for assessment of student achievement: A B C D F 0.0 < 60 A - Superior performance - comprehensive understanding of subject matter and demonstration of ability to use terms and methods. B - Above average performance - generally complete understanding of subject matter and demonstration of ability to use relevant methods and solve various tasks. C - Satisfactory performance - sound understanding of subject matter and demonstration of ability to solve average tasks and well prepared for further study in the related fields. D - Marginal performance - minimal understanding of subject matter and demonstration of ability to solve average tasks and some lack of sufficient knowledge, skills and abilities. F - Failure. Insufficient knowledge, skills and performance Bachelor of Science Common requirement to academic content Bachelor s education aims to develop students knowledge and skills so that they are professionally capable of working in industry and service and also discover and develop themselves as individuals. Higher education content will comprise of general foundation, professional foundation and specialization parts and each part s content will be directed towards fulfilling the following objectives: a) General foundation content is to create environment for students to obtain essential scientific foundation needed for higher education. b) Professional foundation content is to provide environment for students to obtain necessary theoretical and methodological knowledge required in specific science, technology, social sciences and humanity major s professions. c) Specialization content is to provide environment for students to obtain knowledge and skills in specific profession to meet social demand. 2

3 The general education requirements provide a foundation upon which students then pursue expertise in a specific area of study. They foster the ability to speak and write clearly, increase logical analysis ability, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning. They ensure that every student will have knowledge of a foreign language and social sciences as well as background in the humanities. In academic content general foundation part will consist of humanity, social and natural sciences parts and their structure will vary depending on profession. Each part will not be less than 6 credit hours and defined by State administrative central agency responsible for education (Ministry of Education). The particular educational institution should include in general foundation part specified courses with total no less than 36 credit hours. Specialization part s requirements and courses will be set by the particular educational institution. Requirements for Program Majored in Nuclear Technology Profession major purpose: The objective is to provide knowledge and skills to use nuclear physics methodology & nuclear radiation for education, science, health protection, agriculture, geology, mining, nature protection, energy and etc industries. The graduates of this major will become engineer technology staff and researchers in industry, scientific institutions that use nuclear technology and also will become secondary schools and colleges physics teachers. Basic requirements in Nuclear Technology major graduates professional preparation Graduate will obtain mentioned knowledge: Basic knowledge of high mathematics, general physics, theoretical physics and nuclear physics; Sufficient knowledge of nuclear instrumentations; Obtain methodology in nuclear analysis, nuclear physics research and nuclear technology; Sufficient knowledge of Russian and English languages; and Obtain computer end-user programs and programming language skills. Graduate obtain below mentioned skills: Skills to determine contents of chemical elements in different type of samples by nuclear analytical methods; Skills to change matters properties and conduct research by using nuclear radiation; Skills to conduct research in nuclear reaction, spectroscopy and neutron physics; Skills to determine radiation level of surrounding nature, food and nutritional products and derive evaluation and conclusion; Obtain knowledge in implementing nuclear physics method in energy production; Get introduced and learn methodology of using nuclear radiation in medical diagnosis and treatment; Skills to use nuclear physics methods in controlling and developing industrial technology process; Skills to use Russian & English languages in practical usage and to read and understand professional books and journals; 3

4 Skills to use computers for practical and professional purposes and write simple programs related to profession. The curriculum structure of bachelor degree students is shown in Table 1-3. Requirement for Human Resource Those who teach major courses should have at least Master degree in the related teaching field. Requirement for Educational Institution 1. An institution that conducts training in Nuclear Technology major should meet requirements for providing training, sanitary & safe environment and possess sufficient physical space, technology & equipment to conduct courses included in curriculum. They are as follow: General nuclear physics laboratory; Nuclear physics information fund equipped by computers; Spectrometers for nuclear radiation and X-Ray; Laboratory with different nuclear radiation measurement devices; Dosimeter tools; Nuclear radiation sources. 2. For each course included in the curriculum of Nuclear Technology bachelor major there should be sufficient information database and books in line with the content of courses to be taught. 3. Nuclear physics related journals are to be regularly subscribed. They are listed below: Subscription to located in Dubna JINR regular journal; Subscription and usage of IAEA s regular journals, CDs; Get scientific journals that are published by other Nuclear physics centers. Students Majored in Nuclear Technology Since the selection of nuclear physics students from physics major students and their first graduation in 1970 the school created over 170 nuclear physicists. Beginning 1997 the university started the acceptance and teaching of students specialized in nuclear technology major. During this period there were 166 students accepted to nuclear technology bachelor degree and from this we have 35 graduates and currently 110 students are in their study process. In nuclear technoogy master s degree program since 1993, 32 students were accepted and 19 people obtained their master s degrees. In the Ph.D degree program since 1999 there were 8 students accepted and are in the process of obtaining their degrees. The number of bachelor s, master s, Ph.D degree students in nuclear technology is shown in Table 4. The graduates in nuclear physics and nuclear technology are working as physics teachers in all levels of schools as, as science researchers and analysts, engineers and physicist in radiation 4

5 control, nuclear treatment, geological research laboratories, mining production control, power stations and crimimalistic laboratories. 5

6 Curriculum Structure of the Bachelor of Science Program Table 1 Fields Credits Remarks General Education Courses 37 1 st and 2 nd year Major Core Courses 28 1 st to 3 rd year Core Courses of Nuclear Physics 26 2 nd to 4 th year Elective Courses 31 3 rd and 4 th year Course Work 4 3 rd and 4 th year Probation Work 2 4 th year Total 128 Core Courses Table 2 Classification Courses Credits Remaks Philosophy 2 Set by MinED Economics 2 Set by MinED History of Mongolia 2 Politics 2 Choose 2: Set by MinED General Education Courses Basic Core Courses (Physics) Major Core Courses (Nuclear Physics) Psychology 2 Culture Study 1 Set by MinED Mongolian Written 1 Russian 3 Set by MinED English 5 Set by MinED Ecology & Radiation Ecology 2 Set by MinED Computer 2 Set by MinED Basic Electronic 3 Mathematics 1,2,3 12 Computer language 2 Physics 1,2,3 12 Processing Methods of Experimental Data 2 Theoretical Physics 1,2 6 Mathematical Physics Equation 3 General Chemistry 3 Nuclear Physics 4 Basic Theory of Nuclei 2 Neutron Physics 4 Detection Methods of Nuclear Radiation Nuclear Spectroscopy 4 Nuclear Reactions 4 Physics of Elementary Particles 2 Nuclear Electronics 3 3 6

7 Elective Courses Table 3 Sub fields Courses Credits Remaks Special English 2 Basic Courses Special Programming 2 Nuclear Analytical Methods 3 Nuclear Technology and Analytical Methods Radiation Protection Atomic Physics Analytical 3 Methods Radiochemistry 2 Nuclear Geophysics and 2 Geochemistry Radiation Technology and 4 Applications Radiation Chemistry 3 Interaction of Radiation with 2 Matter, Radiation Protection Biological effects of Radiation. 2 Dosimeter, Radiation Monitoring Nuclear Power Technology 2 Nuclear Power Nuclear Materials Technology 2 Technology Nuclear Reactor and 2 Accelerator Practical Course Project 1,2 4 Training Practical Training 2 Total Elective Courses 31 Total Specialized Courses 37 Number of Students Majored in Nuclear Technology Year Undergraduate Master Doctor Entered Graduated Entered Graduated Entered Graduated x 1994 x x x x x x x x Total Table 4 7