Is a nuclear engineering minor worth an extra semester?

[DanialK231]

Summary: Since I did not start out in calculus 1 in my first semester of college I have to take an extra semester in my four years to get my bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and Clemson offers a minor in Nuclear engineering which would just add 15 more credit hours to my overall degree If most of the classes for this minor are spaced out between my fourth year and first semester of my fifth year in order to finish the minor I would only need to take two classes. ME 4260 and Phys 4520.

I am currently an upcoming sophomore student at Clemson University who changed majors into general engineering from Biochemistry with a plan of getting a degree in chemical engineering. and have to take an extra semester due to not starting in calculus as well as catching up on the general engineering classes. I am wondering if taking an extra semester in my fifth year to complete two courses to finish a minor in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences would be worth it in job outlook or any other aspects. if I do decide to do this minor I can space out a majority of the classes into my fourth year and the first semester of my fifth year which would only require me to take an additional semester for two classes ME 4260 (Nuclear Energy) and Phys 4520 (Nuclear and Particle Physics). I have an interest in nuclear engineering and nuclear energy however Clemson currently does not offer a nuclear engineering program so I decided to do chemical engineering because chemistry is also an interesting subject for me.

 

[gmax137]

I worked in commercial nuclear power for over 40 years and I had many colleagues who started out with Chem Eng degrees. There is a tremendous amount of work related to pumps, pipes, valves, controls, etc., that is, the process plant design stuff studied by Chem-E. I doubt there is much in a particle physics course that would be applicable. If you want to do reactor core design then a degree in nuclear engineering would be more appropriate.

Overall though I think industry is more forgiving than academia; once you get in, you're in. There is a lot of on-the-job learning and people move from area to area, especially in the early years of your career.

 

[Astronuc]

There is a lot of on-the-job learning and people move from area to area, especially in the early years of your career.

I learned most of what I know on the job. Much of what I learned in a BS Nuclear Engineering program was basic material. The key courses were nuclear physics and reactor physics (neutronics) in addition to thermal physics (heat transfer), thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, and various courses in electrical engineering related to circuits (relevant to detectors and power networks), energy transformation (generators, transformers, motors), and some civil/structural engineering (mechanics). One of my main interests was materials, especially high temperature materials, and there was no nuclear materials course, so I mostly taught myself, with some course work in materials science and a special topics course taught by graduate advisor. Much of the textbook examples for nuclear engineering was dated to the late 60s and early 1970s. By the time I received my BS, the technology was evolving rapidly beyond some of what we had learned.

I doubt there is much in a particle physics course that would be applicable.

Maybe/maybe not. The OP mentioned Phys 4520 (Nuclear and Particle Physics), which could be relevant in certain applications, e.g., neutron generators, radiation effects on materials, radiation catalysis, especially if electron and photon interactions are part of the curriculum. Nuclear and particle physics would be relevant to spallation systems or accelerator-driven systems (ADS).

https://world-nuclear.org/informati...ration/accelerator-driven-nuclear-energy.aspx
https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_33...t-reactors-fr-in-advanced-nuclear-fuel-cycles

 

[bob012345]

I have an interest in nuclear engineering and nuclear energy however Clemson currently does not offer a nuclear engineering program so I decided to do chemical engineering because chemistry is also an interesting subject for me.

It sounds to me like you really want to be a nuclear engineer. Perhaps you can finish the Chem Eng degree with the Nuclear Eng. minor and then get into graduate school in a Nuclear Eng. dept somewhere. Or the Navy. You can fill in the background you need to do what you really want to do.