Road to Nuclear Engineering Graduate Program

AI Thread Summary
A junior in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah is considering options for pursuing a graduate degree in Nuclear Engineering (NE), despite the absence of a BS in NE at the university. The student is weighing the benefits of completing a minor in NE alongside their BSME degree versus focusing solely on the BSME to expedite entry into the NE graduate program. The NE minor would allow for a broader selection of courses, enhancing skills relevant to NE research and potential employment at national laboratories. Additionally, the student is contemplating a double major in Applied Physics, which would require an extra two semesters, and is interested in the relevance of advanced physics courses for a career in Nuclear Engineering. The student has also taken advice on relevant coursework, including computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis, while expressing concerns about specific instructors.
daric soldar
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Hello all,
I'm currently a junior in the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Utah. I'd like to go into either the MS or PhD program in Nuclear Engineering there. There is no BS in Nuclear Engineering offered there, but there is an NE minor for undergraduates, which would allow the MS students to take a broader variety of courses than if a minor were not earned (in which case, several of the 30 credit hours that go toward earning an MS would be used to take introductory NE courses taught in the minor).

If I'm planning on doing research in NE, and possibly earning a job at a national laboratory, should I just:

a) blaze through my BSME degree, forget the NE minor, and apply for the graduate NE program
b) take an extra year or so to get the NE minor along with the BSME, allowing me to take more diverse courses in the NE program to increase/diversify skills in the field of NE.

I'm also thinking of double majoring in Applied Physics along with Mechanical Engineering. It would only be an additional 7 courses (so about 2 semesters extra). Otherwise, I am planning on definitely earning a minor in Physics with courses in introductory QFT & Relativity and introductory nuclear & particle physics. Are these additional physics courses even useful for Nuclear Engineers in industry or performing research?

I've also taken Astronuc's advice, and I am planning on taking computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis, and some kind of mechanics of materials/material science course (but hopefully not from Grant Smith, if you've kept up with the news lately...)

Thanks a bunch,
matt
 
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