The number of PhD degrees granted in nuclear engineering in the United States continues to increase, according to a survey by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which identified a 72% jump — from 74 to 127 — between 2000 and 2008. The total rose 43% from 2007 to 2008, the survey found. Graduate enrolments have also increased each year since 2001, to 1,225 in 2008. “The promise of a nuclear renaissance has undoubtedly helped to drive increasing graduation and enrolment rates in nuclear engineering,” says Eric Abelquist, a vice-president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, which manages the institute for the US Department of Energy.