for many years, the college offered a five-year undergraduate degree program. however, in the 1960s, the course was shortened to four years for a b.s. degree with an optional fifth year leading to a masters of engineering degree. from the 1950s to the 1970s, cornell offered a master of nuclear engineering program, with graduates gaining employment in the nuclear industry. however, after the 1979 accident at three mile island, employment opportunities in that field dimmed and the program was dropped. cornell continued to operate its on-campus nuclear reactor as a research facility following the close of the program. for most of cornell's history, geology was taught in the college of arts and sciences. however, in the 1970s, the department was shifted to the engineering college and snee hall was built to house the program. after world war ii, the graduate school of aerospace engineering was founded as a separate academic unit, but later merged into the engineering college.