<p>I'm a high school senior and I'm still stuck with what I should major in. First I thought about business or economics, but with the economy as it is, I'm not sure if I should do that field anymore (correct me if I'm wrong).</p>
<p>I've decided to do a bit of research on engineering, and I'm still not sure which types of engineering are in demand. Aside from that, nuclear engineering sounds interesting and I would like to know more information about it such as which schools offer nuclear engineering for undergraduates, how hard are the courses, and how much do nuclear engineers make? Also, should I major in something else first such as ME or Physics before I go into nuclear engineering in graduate school? Or should I go to a school that offers nuclear engineering and go straight into it? Any other information would also be helpful.</p>
<p>A partial list of schools with undergrad nuclear engineering programs, in no particular order (found by Google):</p>
<p>MIT
U of Tennessee - Knoxville
Purdue
Penn State
Texas A&M
UMich
Ohio State
RPI
U of New Mexico
UWisc
Missouri University
Georgia Tech
UC Berkeley
Oregon State
NC State</p>
<p>I think that either the start-from-another-field approach or the start-in-NukeE-approach is valid.</p>
<p>Just a plug for MIT's program - the NukeE department has a reputation of being one of the fuzziest, friendliest departments at the university for undergrads (in terms of how students are treated), and there's a student-operated nuclear reactor that you can work at for decent pay, that would probably look great on a resume.</p>
<p>Do any schools in New York have an undergrad nuclear engineering program? I would prefer to stay in state than to go out in the middle of nowhere like Oregon haha</p>
<p>Also, my SAT score and GPA is pretty crappy (3.2) ..so MIT is way out of my league.</p>
<p>Look for those schools that have a nuke program to expand their departments. Also look for new programs at schools that did not previously offer a nuke program. Nuclear energy has become recognized as a major factor in weening our country off its dependence on unreliable imported oil. Europe learned this a long time ago and they are immensely better off for it. The nuke industry also hires allot of ChemE and MechE engineers as well.</p>
<p>A friend of mine from high school is at MIT for nuclear engineering and he enjoys it very much there.</p>
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vAlso, my SAT score and GPA is pretty crappy (3.2) ..so MIT is way out of my league.
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<p>Just so you know nuclear engineering is one of the hardest majors you can do. Be prepared for the challenge if you did not do well in high shcool.</p>
<p>The first year or two of most engineering programs are identical. Some schools offer a teaser course in the major.</p>
<p>Even if your HS grades are bad dont give up on MIT. Get into an undergrad program and ace your first yeat then transfer to MIT. Interestingly I have read class notes from enineering classes at MIT, the profs seem to go out of their way to explain concepts, unlike some prof Ive had who refuse to explain much at all.</p>
<p>As far as wondering if there are Nuc programs in NY: have you ever heard of Google?</p>
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As far as wondering if there are Nuc programs in NY: have you ever heard of Google?
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<p>Most questions asked on this forum could likely be answered by a healthy Google search, but we answer anyways because some people would like commentary along with their answers-- a Google search would reveal links to the programs, but wouldn't tell anything about them.</p>
<p>I believe that Nuclear Engineering is what Petroleum Engineering was about ~5 years ago. Ready for massive growth as the world was ready to demand a ton more.</p>
<p>What kinds of classes do Nuclear Engineering majors take? Obviously there is a lot of math involved, but which is there more of: physics or chemistry? Probably both is my guess but I don't know.</p>
<p>Really depends...
You are required to take many math, physics, and nuclear engineering courses.</p>
<p>If you are into nuclear fuel cycles, you need to take some chemistry courses...
If you are into nuclear reactor designs, you need to take fluids, heat transfer , and EE courses...
If you are into simulation programs, you would need to take some computer courses...</p>
<p>To sum it up, nuclear engineering is a pretty broad discipline.</p>
<p>Let me correct myself. Some chemistry courses meant general chemistry. You need some chemistry to understand decays that occur within the reactor and decays that occur in wet, dry and permanent storage facilities. Also, you need to understand some molar/mass balances of different elements for various reactions that happens within different reactor types.</p>
<p>In any case, I never really had a problem with nuclear engineering because of a weak chemistry background.</p>
<p>Although, there might be some nuclear-chemistry courses. that I've never taken before.</p>
<p>You can also consider joining the nuclear navy option where you attend a year and a half long nuclear training pipeline to qualify operating reactors either on carriers or submarines.</p>
<p>Enlisted or officer the program length is the same but since you're going to college after your graduation you can join as an officer. You will spend 6 months doing theory and 6 months of prototype where you're actually working on a critical reactor. While not accredited many schools will give you credits towards nuclear engineering or engineering management and overall the training is highly respected and recognized by both the department of defense and department of energy. You will also get TOP SECRET clearance.</p>
<p>Well however great that may sound, I don't have a great interest in the military. I am currently in a Junior ROTC program in my high school, and to be honest, I'm sick of it and I'm glad that I'm a senior will be finishing it this year. Not so sick of it to the point where I want to quit but it can get troublesome sometimes. I feel that if I don't enjoy the program that much, what will make me enjoy the real military? There are benefits however...and doing that may be my last option.</p>
<p>The only colleges that offer Nuclear Engineering degress in NY that I know of are Cornell University and RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. Both tough to get into. You should apply anyway because I don't know many people who are interested in nuclear engineering anyway.</p>