What engineering discipline to major in to do Nuclear Engineering?

[ilazzz]

<p>Hi, the university I attend does not have a "Nuclear Engineering" major, and I'm really interested in pursuing it as a career. What we do have, though is...
Electrical and Computer
Chemical and/or Biochemical
Mechanical
Biomedical
MSE
Civil
Bioenvironmental
Is there any way possible I could major in any of these fields, then attend grad school for nuclear engineering? If so, which discipline would be my best bet to do so? ATM, I'm leaning towards chemical, because it appeals to me the most, but I heard from a friend that electrical may be a better bet to pursue my interests.
Thanks for the response!</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>[Admissions</a> | Department of Nuclear Engineering](<a href=“http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/grads/admissions]Admissions”>http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/grads/admissions) says:</p>

<p>

@Berkeley Nuclear Engineering Department

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.

</p>

<p>[Graduate</a> Nuclear Engineering :: | The University of New Mexico](<a href=“http://catalog.unm.edu//catalogs/2012-2013/colleges/engineering/chemical-nuclear/grad-nuclear-engineer.html]Graduate”>http://catalog.unm.edu//catalogs/2012-2013/colleges/engineering/chemical-nuclear/grad-nuclear-engineer.html) says:</p>

<p>

@New Mexico Nuclear Engineering Department

Graduates in engineering or science from any recognized college or university may apply for admission to graduate study in nuclear engineering. Students planning to do graduate work in nuclear engineering should concentrate on physics, mathematics and nuclear engineering in their undergraduate course work in addition to acquiring competence in one of the branches of engineering or science. Undergraduate course work in the following is recommended: atomic and nuclear physics, advanced applied mathematics, computer programming, thermodynamics and heat transfer, fluid mechanics, principles of circuits, materials science, nuclear measurements, reactor physics and instrumentation.

</p>

[ilazzz]

<p>Hey, thank you very much for the quick response! The second one completely threw me off, because they listed about 4 different engineering disciplines into the “recommended” section :S But from that, and from the curriculum for chemical engineering at my school, I see that I cover the math, the thermo, fluid, and some MS, so I’m guessing doing ChemE wouldn’t be a bad decision. Personally, if you had to pick from one of the list to meet the most “recommendations” from these lists, which would you pick?</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>Compare the degree programs at your school in terms of covering the recommended course work and space for electives to cover any recommended course work not included in the degree programs to see which is the best fit. Of course, consider what your interests are, and what subarea of nuclear engineering you are interested in (some areas are closer to electrical, others are closer to mechanical, others chemical, others materials).</p>

<p>You may want to look up other graduate programs to see what they recommend as well.</p>

[ChrisTKD]

<p>At some universities nuclear engineering is part of the Mechanical Engineering Department. A basic ME degree probably would cover all of the prerequisites for an MS in Nuclear except for any nuclear-specific classes that are not offered at your university. Keep in mind that your interest in nuclear may wane well before you finish your undergraduate degree. So, if you prefer chemical engineering then it may be best to major in chemical rather than ME and just choose your electives carefully so that you don’t close of the nuclear engineering option.</p>