<p>The main fields ive considered majoring in so far are aerospace, biological, computer, chemical, and nuclear engineering. However, nuclear engineering does not seem to be offered at most engineering schools. Out of my top choices for colllege, Berkeley and MIT seem to be the only ones that offer it as a major. How much money is there in nuclear engineering compared to other fields? What kind of jobs could i get with a degree or PHD in it?</p>
<p>bump!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Nuclear Engineering is lucrative, as any other Engineering field...no more, no less. I would say that with the exception of Civil and Industrial Engineering, all Engineering fields are roughly equal in terms of career opportunties. </p>
<p>Why aren't you considering Michigan-Ann Arbor? They have a decent Nuclear Engineering program.</p>
<p>yeah, ill prbly apply to ann arbor but its just not one of my top choices</p>
<p>U of I has it but I am not sure of it's reputation. My best friend is in it.</p>
<p>UIUC is highly regarded in Nuclear Engineering. I would say the top 3 are MIT, Michigan-Ann Arbor and Wisconsin-Madison. </p>
<p>Cal, Illinois, Penn State-University Park, Purdue-West Lafayette and Texas A&M are also very highly regarded.</p>
<p>Sorry to bump an old thread, but, thinking logically, couldn't nuclear engineers end up in higher demand in the not-so-far future? The search for alternate energy sources and such is finally starting to get some real national attention...I dunno, just a thought :). Since there aren't many schools that offer it, the supply of nuclear engineers is clearly less...tell me if I am completely off-base in thinking this.</p>
<p>I think I want to major in ECE, but have given thought to nuclear engineering if I were to end up at a school that offered it.</p>
<p>Live, I agree. In an earlier life, i was a nuclear engineer. I think the major has bottomed out, and will recover--for the reasons you cite. As the i-bankers say: buy low sell high. </p>
<p>Of course the best, tried-and-true route to becoming a reactor plant operator or nuclear engineer is to major in any engineering, and go through Navy ROTC. The US Navy operates over 150 nuclear reactors: every submarine we build has one, and every carrier has two (big ones). Wherever you work in the nuclear industry, you will find navy nukes. </p>
<p>You would go through a year or so of training, serve on active duty for four years, and enter the job market with more experience than any other candidate, hands down.</p>
<p>nuclear engineers are goign to be in demand in a few years when countries start building their nuclear weapons (as if they arent doing it now)</p>
<p>Or when fusion becomes very important. They are going to need a ton. Also for nuclear power plants until then, the people running them are getting close to retirement and all those positions are going to be opening up. It isnt a bad choice.</p>
<p>Here's what I say time and time again. Just because you pick a major doesn't mean that you're committed to working in that major. You don't need a nuclear engineering degree to get a job at a nuclear power plant. The plants hire many kinds of engineers - ChemE's, EE's, ME's, etc. The NucE graduate may have a slight edge, but that edge is easily wiped out by things like summer internships, co-ops, and general interview skills. A guy with a ME degree who has actually read a lot about the nuclear power industry (i.e. by reading industry magazines, talking to people in the industry, etc.) will have an edge over the guy with a NucE degree who just knows coursework but doesn't know anything much about the industry itself. </p>
<p>As far as what use a PhD in NucE can get you, it's the same as a PhD in any other field - namely a path to academia or a high level research lab, which in the case of Nuclear Engineering, would almost certainly mean working in a government lab. Nobody pursues a PhD in anything for the money. If you're smart enough and hard-working enough to get a PhD, then you'll almost certainly be able to make more money doing something else. You get a PhD because you really want to pursue a career in research.</p>
<p>How does University of Florida's Nuclear engineering department stack up against the others?</p>