College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute
• Wilberforce University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of California—Berkeley
• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
• University of Florida, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Colorado School of Mines

Classes in the Major

Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering. This is where you learn the pick and roll, the layup, and team defense. Wait, no, that's fundamentals of basketball. Nuclear engineering is a little different. It's the same basic principle in that you need to learn the basics before you start dunking on anyone. Not that we're advocating dunking fissionable material. We're pretty sure that voids the warranty or whatever.

Physics. You thought you were going to get away without this one, huh? Think again, bucko. Not only are you going to do the basic college-level version of physics, you're going to take some of the advanced physics classes as well. Nuclear particles are still particles and particles like to move. When radioactive ones do so, bad things can happen. Then there's that "radioactive" part, which is a pretty important aspect of how those elements behave, which means you also need...

Chemistry. Yes, lowly chemistry. Radioactive elements are still elements, and you can see them on the periodic table next time you're in chemistry class. Don't get up in the middle of class, though. The teacher probably wouldn't be thrilled with that. While radioactive material is naturally occurring, getting the energy out of it requires a thorough understanding of what it is. Then there is the artificially created stuff. Long story short, you're going to need your chemistry.

Radiological Safety. Remember when we said that nuclear energy was dangerous? Fortunately for you, everyone already knows this. Believe it or not, there was a time when radioactive material was used to make glow-in-the-dark paint. We live in a much more enlightened time, meaning that you'll learn how to deal with nuclear energy and radioactive material in the safest possible way. Should this major become more popular (which is not out of the question), there will likely be a lot of energy (no pun intended) directed at making things even safer.

Technical Writing. It's writing, technically. Hmm. Maybe we should rephrase that. It's writing technically. No, that's still confusing. When communicating with other experts, there's a specific vocabulary and grammar that is used to minimize misunderstandings. This is important because misunderstandings can be very destructive, especially when you're dealing with something like nuclear power. This is the skill of communicating those ideas in the clearest way possible.