The Nuclear Engineering Program (PEN) of COPPE and the Nuclear Engineering Department (DNC) of the School of Engineering have been working in an integrated manner since 1972. Faculty members are involved in both graduate (PEN) and undergraduate (DNC) programs, always promoting teaching and research in an inseparable way.

In accordance with the mission and objectives of PEN as well as the transdisciplinarity of the Program, the Curriculum Structure is associated with the concentration areas, as well as the research lines of PEN faculty members. The Program offers the degrees of Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) for candidates with a bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering and/or related areas, with the possibility of choosing the concentration area of their research.

The Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute of Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE), of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, is one of the largest centers for teaching and research in Engineering in Latin America. Founded in 1963 by engineer Alberto Luiz Coimbra, it was of great importance in the establishment of graduate studies in Brazil and over more than five decades has trained, until 2022, 18,377 masters and doctors in its 13 Stricto Sensu graduate programs (master's and doctorate).

Supported by three pillars – academic excellence, full-time dedication of professors and students, and connection with society – COPPE is a center for the production and dissemination of knowledge, qualified professionals, and teaching methods. Its standards of quality in teaching, research, and interaction with society have been adopted as models by universities and research institutes throughout the country.

It is the Brazilian engineering institution with the highest number of maximum ratings granted by Capes to courses with performance equivalent to that of the most important teaching and research centers in the world. Ten of its thirteen master's and doctoral programs were evaluated with concepts of international excellence (6 and 7).

COPPE annually trains more than 500 masters and doctors. Its students are prepared to deal with cutting-edge knowledge topics without losing touch with reality and the demands of society.