Becoming a nuclear engineer
A nuclear engineer is a professional who specializes in the design, construction and operation of nuclear reactors. He or she may work in advanced nuclear research, private utilities which operate nuclear power plants, government regulatory agencies or military settings.
Typically, a nuclear engineer holds a specialized degree in nuclear engineering, holds any appropriate certifications or registrations (depending upon legal jurisdiction), and, in the United Statesearns an average annual wageof about $107,000. According to theBureau of Labour Statistics, there are currently about 20,000 nuclear engineers working in America.
Nuclear engineers' career paths can vary somewhat but, in general, engineers working in this field must have taken specialized postgraduate training leading to a degree in this area, through programs like MIT'sDepartment of Nuclear Science and Engineeringor the University of California, Berkeley'sDepartment of Nuclear Engineering. TheAmerican Nuclear Society, which is the primary national nuclear engineering organization in the United States, permits people to join as professional members if they have earned a degree from recognized engineering schools or already have extensive work experience in the field at the time that they apply. Some go on to get a masters degree or a PhD, but in most cases, a bachelors degree is sufficient to find entry-level work.
For citizens of countries with military nuclear programs, the armed forces may offer an alternative career path to civilian university education. For instance, U.S. Navy enlisted and officers with or without an academic background in nuclear engineering can apply to study at the navy'sNuclear Power School, which qualifies them to operate nuclear reactors in American aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. Because the school's curriculum focuses strictly on military applications, some of which are classified, qualifications earned there will not transfer directly onto the civilian job market. However, many nuclear engineers now working in the civilian public and private sectors initially trained and worked in the armed forces and private power utilities often look favourably on military nuclear experience when recruiting new job applicants.
Outside of the armed forces, nuclear engineers are able to find a wide variety of jobs both in government and in the private sector. According to theNational Careers Service, nuclear engineers find work in "running nuclear power stations safely and productively, fuel reprocessing, waste management, decommissioning old nuclear power stations and protection and safety." Engineers operate existing plants, but may also be hired to work on new designs, draw up regulations and standards for safe operation of power plants or manage other engineers working in these settings.
The specific pay, working conditions and responsibilities vary with the type of work being performed. However, the U.S.Bureau of Labour Statisticsstates that America's approximately 19,930 nuclear engineers mostly earn between $70,000 and $150,000 per year, with an average annual wage of $107,140. The largest employer of nuclear engineers is the electrical power sector, but others work in the federal government, research institutes, architectural and engineering consulting firms and the manufacturing industry.
