<p>Recently, I was accepted to Texas A&M's engineering program with my preference being nuclear. As excited and privileged I am to be spending my four years at such a prestigious university, I worry for the future of the major with all the plant shutdowns and whatnot. I have a few questions:</p>
<p>The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a predicted 10% job growth in the field, though this was in 2010 which precedes some of the major nuclear incidents (***ushima, Yankee Plant shutdown, etc.) Do you think this prediction is accurate anymore? </p>
<p>Excluding navy and DOD jobs, how likely would I be to find a well-paying (I'm not talking 6 digit figures, just an acceptable salary) entry level job out of college in 2018?</p>
<p>It’s hard to project how any field will be doing in 4 or 5 years. Talk to an advisor in the NE program about job placements, internships, etc… They do like to say “Our students are the most highly recruited graduates at Texas A&M.” </p>
<p>If you’re still not comfortable, then think about switching to Radiological Health or changing majors (and maybe taking a minor in Nuclear, as TAMU has a minor in nuclear engineering program).</p>
<p>Thank you for your input! I was also considering a minor in nuclear engineering, and ultimately I’ve decided that should be the route that I take. This way, I’ll have a wider prospect on my career options and a backup plan should all else fail.</p>
<p>Nuclear engineering can also encompass such topics as radiology (medical and other imaging), radioactive waste management, controlling nuclear proliferation, and nuclear fusion, as well as designing nuclear reactors for power generation and nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>I retired a few years back. The company I worked for had built nuclear power plants in the past. We hadn’t any contracts since around the 3 Mile Island incident (we were part of that). Just before I retired they were starting up some new nuclear power concepts. Much smaller, modular power systems with a significant reduction in waste products. Looked a good future business. You kept reading reports that claimed that nuclear power was cleaner than some of the other conventional power generating plants when you consider all the various environmental impacts are considered.</p>
<p>I only have one data point to offer. I know a guy with a degree in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State, and he was never able to find any job related to engineering. He’s barely making it in real estate.</p>
<p>What is it about Nuclear Eningeering that appeals to you? I have a degree in Nuc E and also an MS in Mech E. It was actually an easy transition for me, because I took so many ME courses as an undergrad. Outside of DoD, I think it would be challenging to find a job. There are 65 power plants in the country right now. However, this number is going down, not up. There were something like 107 at one point. But, nuclear power plants are getting decommissioned as they come to the end of their lives. </p>
<p>A few years ago, their seemed to be some excitement in the industry about possible new plants being built. However, that hasn’t materialized. </p>
<p>As HPuck stated, there are other applications outside of power generation. </p>
<p>Also, I would recommending finding some hiring statistics from Texas A&M (not my alma mater but an excellent Nuc E program).</p>
<p>It lists pay levels and employer names and positions, but does not list percentage employed, in grad school, and unemployed, so you may have to see if you can find the numbers of graduates in grad school and unemployed from other places in the web site.</p>