<p>Next fall, I will be attending TAMU to study nuclear engineering. This major looks to be the perfect fit for me. I just have a few questions. </p>
<p>After taking both AP Physics and Chem, I really took interest in the units that discussed quantum mechanics. (I know it is at a very basic level, but it was very interesting). How prevalent is this topic in nuclear engineering? I thought it would be a very important area to understand, but by looking at the degree plans I do not see this at all. Am I overlooking it? Is this topic covered more at a graduate level?</p>
<p>Also, if I were to get a minor, would physics or chemistry be the best option?</p>
<p>I’m not sure but I think you would get into quantum mechanics more in nuclear physics than engineering. I think nuclear engineering is more mechanical based probably dealing with a lot of designing structures like reactors and stuff. You could probably take a course in quantum mechanics as a technical elective or something, but I don’t think nuclear engineering gets in to it much, at least at a bachelors level. I would think a minor in physics or chem would be good, I’m not sure which would be better though. Maybe physics?</p>
<p>Ok, that’s cool. I noticed there is a heavy focus on mechanics especially fluid and heat transfer. I find it all very interesting so it doesn’t matter to me either way. I enjoy a lot of things, it is just hard for me to choose what I really want to focus on in the future because I know I could be successful in whatever I apply myself to.</p>
<p>Yea, well the first year or two in all engineering majors are pretty much the same, so if you want to change, you probably wouldn’t have too much of a problem. Anyways, it seems like quantum mechanics would be a good class to take as a technical elective in Nuclear engineering.</p>
<p>Most nuclear power plants are civil and mechanical engineering based. Nuclear engineers can work in them as well (and are probably better at it) but nuclear energy hasn’t been a growth field for the last 20 years or so. We may be seeing the start of change with the first new nuclear power plants being built, but I don’t know if the public’s support is sufficient to reach critical mass and support the widespread construction of nuclear power plants.</p>
<p>Of course, nuclear stuff is used elsewhere. The medical industry and military stuff are two examples.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to do mechanical engineering and take nuclear-related classes as your technical electives. You would then have the opportunity to work in nuclear if you wanted or another form of engineering if there weren’t enough jobs out there for nuclear.</p>
<p>I completely undertand your point bigtrees. I want to get involved in something that could be revolutionary. I like the idea of going into something that has a few more unknowns. I know nuclear energy is not being pursued as of yet, but I think it will be in the future. I like the idea of getting a major with a specific purpose, whereas mechanical leaves you with broad knowledge which is good dont get me wrong, but I would have to do more work to settle into the niche that I am interested in. Norris made a good point in saying how the first two years are nearly identical for nuclear, mechanical, and to some extent most other engineering fields. If I wish to take the approach you have mentioned, it should not be hard to switch at all.</p>
<p>There is going to be a nuclear renaissance whether the public likes it or not. 8 billion just got put into the one nuclear plant and now obama wants to triple it. He sounds pretty committed to nuclear power to me. That being said I’m pretty sure nuclear power will rise back to prominance. We got two sets of people in the US, Dems and Repubs, and everyone knows it. Republicans generally speaking already want nuclear power so the only real issue is getting the dems on board. And guess who the president is? The Dems hero. I’m pretty sure Obama can get his fellow dems to support nuclear growth and then its just a matter of him smoothing over the public. Which he also happens to be good at. </p>
<p>Throw in the fact that other countries around the world are beating us and nuclear power ought to come back to relevance in the US. We as Americans dont like to lose. We are competitive as hell and wont go down. Correct? Will we be the leader in nuclear power? We very well can/should be but even if we dont the nuclear industry will still grow substantially to keep up. Competition breeds success.</p>
<p>All that being said… I see absolutely nothing wrong with doing undergrad in nuclear as opposed to mechanical. I’ve been told I should major in mechanical first and then do grad school in nuclear by several people too but everytime I hear some authority talk about nuclear power I dismiss the idea of doing mechanical in undergrad(I also plan on working in nuclear industry. Just might go to TAMU too if finances work out). Everyones argument about getting mechanical is too provide a “safety net” of sorts. However, all of this news about nuclear growth prompts me to think that I wont need a safety. Obviously it is logical to provide a fall back just in case but when you want to work on something revolutionary that bad (technically nuclear power isn’t revolutionary or ground breaking but it might as well be because of the slump) then you might as well take the jump. I’m going to try and take the jump. Unless I’m forced to be In-State I’m gonna say screw mechanical and go straight for nuclear.<br>
But I’m not even in college, let alone the industry. What do I know? I’m just an optimistic kid trying to justify his future career :)</p>
<ol>
<li>get an undergrad in ME
if you want to work in industry as a nuclear engineer then this will suffice</li>
</ol>
<p>want to do research on next generation reactors
2.undergrad ME to M.S. ME or Nuclear –> Ph.D Nuclear
then research these next generation power plants for 20 yrs and by that time they MIGHT actually build one in the far future and you’ll be able to transfer to industry as a top consultant.</p>
<p>chances are you’ll change your mind…there are so many opportunities out there and there are so many unknowns involved with Nuclear right now. The material is very interesting regardless</p>
<p>There’s more you can do with a Nuclear engineering degree than working on more conventional power plants. In fact, Nuclear Engineers are going to be in great demand as the US builds more nuclear power plants. They can also serve in the Navy, and work on the nuclear reactors on submarines and aircraft carriers. Check out this site…</p>
<p>if ur actually interested in physics behind nuclear stuff, just do particle type physics.
nuclear engr is more the engineering side of things (as most people have said, reactor design stuff)</p>
<p>something ive noticed is that most engineering majors is more focus towards the engineering and less and less towards the prefixes (nuclear, chemical).
nuclear medicine seems more like a chemical field for example.</p>
<p>if you are passionate about nuclear engr type topics, major in that. if you want the biggest safety net, by a physics major.</p>
<p>I don’t know too much about Nuclear Engineering, but I know there is a class at A&M that a lot of engineers take as an elective. I think it’s Physics 222, Modern Physics. You study the basics of relativity, quantum physics, and other topics. I wish I had taken it, but I never had a chance to fit it in.</p>