What it’s about:
Nuclear engineering focuseson the application of radioactive materials and radiation to meet many of society’s needs. The generation of electricity by nuclear power plants typically receives the most attention, but other applications include nuclear medicine, space power, environmental research, and the use of radiation in industrial processes and research.
What the study of this major is like:
Nuclear engineers can work with radioactive materials and radiation in a variety of ways. Some are employed at large commercial power plants that produce electricity, while others work on smaller nuclear reactors that generate power for naval vessels, spacecraft, or equipment operating at remote locations. Some nuclear engineers focus on medical applications; others devote their efforts to radioactive waste disposal and environmental restoration of sites that have been contaminated.
As a nuclear engineering major, you will be introduced to these and other applications of radiation and radioactive materials. Primarily, though, you will learn the fundamentals that are essential for nuclear engineers preparing themselves for a number of possible careers. In your courses, more than likely, you will explore the nature of radiation and radioactive decay; naturally occurring radioactive materials; the detection of radiation; its interaction with matter (it effects on humans and other living things, as well as on materials in the power plant); the principles of radiation protection; the fuel cycle; and the environmental impact of nuclear facilities. At most colleges, courses contain some material that engineering students often consider to be soft science. But these topics (including ethics, economics, and regulation of nuclear facilities) are critical to professionals in the discipline.
Most of your courses are taught as lectures; you’ll have a variety of out-of-class assignments, such as finding solutions to problems, developing or applying computer models to analyze reactors or other nuclear systems, and working on team research or design projects. Several courses have a laboratory component, in which you work with detection equipment and perhaps with a research reactor or a simulator (if your college has such equipment). Lab experiments are generally done in teams. You frequently spend one or more terms as a co-op or intern, working at a nuclear facility and learning firsthand what nuclear engineers do. Positions as co-ops, interns, or assistants on faculty research projects provide excellent opportunities to apply the theoretical material you learned.
A unique challenge students face is the public’s ignorance about-and sometimes fear of-radiations, nuclear power, nuclear waste, and related topics. Professionals in this field need to educate themselves about the industry and learn to talk about it with laymen, in language they can understand. Most nuclear engineers belong to a professional organization, such as the American Nuclear Society. Nuclear engineering students are generally encouraged to begin participating in the ANS while they are still in college.
There are several areas in which nuclear engineering programs may vary among colleges. Some focus on nuclear power engineering; some focus on radiological engineering/health physics; and some include both subjects. At some colleges, the curriculum emphasizes theory, whereas others offer a good deal of practical application, including visits to nuclear facilities or hands-on lab courses. The curriculum may be geared toward students going on to graduate school, toward those who plan to work in the industry after completing a Bachelor of Science degree, or it may combine the two orientations.
Career options and trends:
Health physicist; radiation safety officer; nuclear reactor operator*; nuclear equipment design engineer; consulting engineer*; researcher at a national laboratory; government employee (U.S. Navy or Department of Energy)*; instrumentation design specialist; radioactive waste manager or environmental restoration specialist.
Approximately a third of the nuclear workforce is expected to retire in the next decade, and a shortage of new engineers is projected. While no commercial nuclear power plants are currently under construction in the United States, nuclear engineers will be needed to operate existing plants; they will also be needed in the areas of nuclear medicine technology, national defence, fusion research, waste management, and regulatory compliance. Salaries of nuclear engineers are among the highest for all engineers.
An exciting development in the nuclear industry is the worldwide effort to design a generation of nuclear power plants that are safer, more efficient, and more economical than existing plants. In addition to generating electricity, some of these plants are being designed to produce hydrogen to support the “hydrogen economy” desalinate water, provide industrial process heat, and burn nuclear waste.
Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors
Pursuing a post-graduate degree abroad can be an exciting and rewarding exper...
Networking is a vital aspect of life and career development, and studying abr...