Engineering Schools By State

Nuclear Engineering

Learn More About Nuclear Engineering

EngineeringCalifornia's University of California Berkeley offers one of the best programs in nuclear engineering. This branch of engineering has continued to remain steady throughout the past decade. While job growth has not jumped as high as other forms of engineering, there are still plenty of jobs available for students. Nuclear engineering requires a full four-year college-level program in order to earn your bachelor's degree. If you want to start out with higher wages, consider completing an additional year for your master’s degree.

Looking at University of California Berkeley's nuclear engineering program, you will find that science courses are required. As with most engineering jobs, an aptitude for advanced math and science is a requirement. Those enrolling in this program will expect to take a number of courses in their nuclear engineering curriculum. These courses include: energy, model simulation, nuclear science, radioactive materials, radiation, thermodynamics, medical imaging, physics, controlled fusion, risk analysis, ions, engineering design, nuclear power, reactors, computational engineering, nuclear reactions, irradiation effects, nuclear design, radiation detection, and then many labs where students master their classroom learning. By the end of their fourth year, students can elect to take a fifth year of college in order to earn their master's degree. The University of California's nuclear engineering master's program only takes a year to complete making this a nice way to earn more money without investing a full two-years of college and the hefty expense of grad school.

The nuclear engineering programs in many colleges focus on both nuclear engineering and bio-nuclear engineering. If you hope to enter the field of medicine working with x-ray machines, MRIs, and the likes, then bio-nuclear engineering is the better option. Otherwise, nuclear engineers work with fission and fusion to form nuclear energy. Students can complete both programs and then have the best choice for job options in the future.