Want a Master's in nuclear engineering... what should I get my Bachelor's in?

[Spongerman]

So far the colleges I’ve gotten into (and are considering) are as follows: Purdue, Illinois, UF, Penn State, and UMD. Being a Maryland resident, UMD would definitely be the cheapest and most reasonable. The problem is that they don’t offer a Bachelor’s in Nuclear Engineering, unlike the other colleges. If I was to get a Bachelor’s at UMD to eventually get my Master’s for Nuclear Engineering in grad school, what should I get it in at UMD; or would it be best to simply go to the other schools and acquire some debt for a Nuclear Engineering Bachelor’s degree?

Thanks in advance!

[dudefromeurope]

Physics? It seems like perfect intro to a nuclear eng field.

[LanaHere]

oops

[ucbalumnus]

https://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/grads/admissions says:

@Berkeley nuclear engineering

Admission to the graduate program in nuclear engineering is available to qualified individuals who have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution in one of the fields of engineering or the physical sciences. For all programs, required preparation in undergraduate coursework includes mathematics through partial differential equations and advanced analysis, nuclear reactions, and thermodynamics.

http://www.engin.umich.edu/ners/academics/grad/admissions/prep says:

@Michigan nuclear engineering

Applicants to graduate study in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences should have a bachelor’s degree in nuclear, chemical, electrical, or mechanical engineering; engineering physics or physics; chemistry; or mathematics from a recognized engineering program. Applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering should take courses in atomic and nuclear physics (Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences 311-312, or equivalent) and advanced mathematics for engineers (Mathematics 454, or equivalent).

Students without these prerequisites will need to make up the deficiencies in addition to the thirty hours required for the MS degree. An upper level course in electronic circuits (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 314, Physics 455, or equivalent), a course in fluid mechanics (Civil and Environmental Engineering 325, or equivalent), and a course in digital computer programming (Engineering 101, Elec. Eng. and Comp. Sci. 283, or equivalent) are recommended as desirable preparation.

[Spongerman]

Thanks for all of the replies, VERY informative!

[Rdtsmith]

And my neighbors son got a BA in mechanical engineering and was accepted into the Navy’s Nuclear Engineering Prpolusion Program after he graduated. It involved some tests and interviews and the rest of his schooling will be free.

[boneh3ad]

I would not go into an undergraduate program assuming that you will be required to do graduate school to get the job you want without ever having set for on campus. There’s no telling how well you will do as an undergraduate or how willing you will be to go through additional schooling by the time your 4 (or more) years are up. If your goal is to be a nuclear engineer, try to get an undergraduate degree that puts you on a path to be a nuclear engineer even if you don’t decide to go to graduate school. Physics may set you up for that (though I am not sure, as nuclear engineer and nuclear physicist are definitely distinct). Mechanical engineering (or maybe even chemical engineering) would likely qualify you for many nuclear engineering positions.

[DecideSomeHow]

yep, mechanical will get you into the nuclear industry. I’ve been doing that for the last 20 years or so.

OP - I don’t know why you are attracted to nuclear engineering. Could you elaborate? Most jobs in the field are mechanical, esp. within the power industry. Operating systems in a power plant are a lot of steel and hot water. The real nuclear bits make the water hot. Yes, I am oversimplifying a little bit, but in many ways, an NE degree at the UG level is a specialized ME degree. So depending on where you really want to end up, ME could be the right ticket.

[Gator88NE]

UMD offers a minor in Nuclear Engineering as part of the ME program.

http://www.umd.edu/catalog/index.cfm/show/content.section/c/127/s/1826

If you’re interested in nuclear fuel management (or just materials in general), then you may want to look at Materials Science Engineering (and check to see if they would approve a NE minor with a MSE degree).