Bachelor's Degree in Nuclear Engineering

• A bachelor's degree represents the minimum level of education required for all areas of engineering. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that, due to licensure requirements in most states, those with interest in this area should choose programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). As of October 2010, ABET accredits 21 nuclear engineering programs. Standard undergraduate engineering programs call for four years of full-time study; however, the BLS reports that such programs often require five years of study to complete.
  
  

Undergraduate Coursework

• All engineering students receive extensive education in mathematics, including calculus, and the major branches of the physical sciences, such as physics, chemistry and biology. In addition to these broad-based courses, nuclear engineering students take courses specific to nuclear work. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, students in the nuclear engineering program take courses in engineering of nuclear systems, radiation biophysics, and introduction to ionizing radiation.
  
  

Licensure

• Engineers who work with the public must obtain a license. Licensure entails a multi-step process. When engineering students graduate or approach graduation, they take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination, according to the BLS. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveyors (NCEES) reports that the Fundamentals of Engineering examination takes eight hours to complete and contains 180 multiple choice questions divided into a general section and specialty specific section (i.e. nuclear engineering). After successful completion of the exam, the student must accumulate four years of work experience inside a specialty before qualifying to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination for nuclear engineering. The test consists of 80 multiple choice questions specific to nuclear engineering on topics such as nuclear power systems and nuclear fuel and waste management.
  
  

Considerations

• Many of positions in nuclear engineering with more responsibility and better pay require a minimum of a master's or doctoral degree. As such, students should consider applying to ABET-accredited programs that lead to graduate-level degrees. In addition, due to governmental involvement and regulation of nuclear materials, many positions in nuclear engineering require a security clearance.