Best Nuclear Engineering Schools

Unlike the majority of the schools on our list, Ohio State University’s nuclear engineering program is primarily a graduate program. Undergraduates entertaining an interest in nuclear engineering, however, can pursue their interest through a nuclear engineering minor or through nuclear engineering electives in the mechanical engineering major, such as Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering, Nuclear Reactor Systems, Radiation Protection and Shielding, Reactor Safety, and Nuclear Radiations and Their Measurements.

The graduate program in Nuclear Engineering is administered through the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and prepares students for advanced careers in the field through a focus on areas such as radiation, radioactive materials, and fission. Amenities available to students include the Scott Lab, a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility, and the Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Lab. Graduates of the program have been placed in regulatory organizations, nuclear power plants, academic posts, and research and laboratory posts. Sponsors of the program include the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NASA, and others.

Penn State offers nuclear engineering training through the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, which is one of the largest engineering departments in the country at over 1,000 undergraduate students and 330 graduate students. Penn State engineering is no stranger to national rankings list, and their nuclear engineering program is no exception. Their facilities feature the latest in technological advances, including the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, a working research reactor.

Some of the research areas Penn State specializes in include nuclear materials, reactor controls, thermal hydraulics, and reactor physics. Related areas of specialization include core design, fluid flow, core heat removal, accident analysis, and service degradation. Penn State researchers also boast experience in other areas, such as radiation and imaging for medical applications, and also nuclear security. Penn State’s work in nuclear security involves both training in radioactivity, non-proliferation, and verification, and also mechanical research and development of tools that contribute to the advancement of these important pursuits.

The University of Wisconsin, located in Madison, Wisconsin, offers training in nuclear engineering through the Department of Engineering Physics, where students can pursue a B.S. in nuclear engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and engineering physics. In addition to conventional training in research and application of nuclear physics and radiation, particularly as it relates to the nuclear power industry, the Department of Engineering Physics’s intentionally broad curriculum also offers training in applied radiation, for instance, health and medical physics, plasma physics, plasma processing, and environmental remediation.

Graduates of Wisconsin’s nuclear engineering programs have been placed in a wide variety of occupations in the nuclear industry as well as in auxiliary fields, such as electric utilities, governmental regulation positions, energy consulting, and vessel propulsion. Because the program is housed in a department that also trains mechanical engineers, nuclear engineering specialists gain exposure to traditional mechanical and general engineering skills as well, which provides students with much more professional latitude than some other departments. Thus, in addition to specialist knowledge in fission, fusion, and radioactivity, Wisconsin graduates can expect to be well prepared in physics, mathematics, management, and law.

Virginia Tech students interested in a career in nuclear engineering can pursue their interests in the Mechanical Engineering Department’s Nuclear Engineering Program. The program is committed to the full range of nuclear engineering subdisciplines, including nuclear power, security, medical physics and health applications, nuclear materials, plasma science, and nuclear policy.

Virginia Tech’s program is currently growing aggressively through expanding its resources, facilities, faculty, and funding and well on its way to becoming one of the country’s premier programs. Graduates of Virginia Tech’s program can expect to acquire expertise in design, materials handling, power generation, security and safeguards, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, and other emerging fields.

The University of Michigan provides training in nuclear engineering through the College of Engineering, which houses ten departments in addition to Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science—an enviable interdisciplinary research context that provides any number of academic opportunities and advantages. Michigan’s nuclear engineering program is highly organized, and it is dedicated to real-world problem solving in addition to maintaining a national-level research profile in the field. The program focuses on four major areas: sustainable energy, nuclear security and defense, environment and health, and enabling scientific discovery.

Michigan requires its students to develop a firm grasp of mathematics, physics, chemistry, computing, and basic engineering principles before proceeding to training in nuclear engineering, which is reserved for students’ final two years. NE coursework involves particular training in atomic and nuclear physics, nuclear processes, and radiation, and students are required to consider applying this knowledge to engineering problems early in their training, including systems development, component design, and safety.

The nuclear engineering program at North Carolina State University is unique in a number of respects. In addition to being the only program of its type in the state of North Carolina, it was also the first program in the country to have a campus-based nuclear reactor to serve as a resource for education. Additionally, it serves the discipline through being the lead institution in the Consortium for Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities (CNEC), funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA’s) Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN R&D) Proliferation Detection Program (PDP), and the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL), funded by the Department of Energy.

The program is also home to a number of research groups and centers, which supports North Carolina State’s particular strengths in the areas of industrial plasma discharge, plasma applications, fabrication, medical radiation and radioisotope measurement, nuclear reactions, core neutronics, thermal hydraulics, fuel performance, and a variety of nuclear power plant operation applications. Students can expect to be well prepared for nearly any area of specialty within this important discipline, and the programs, centers, and resources available to them at North Carolina State rival those of the top programs in the country.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a household name in the field of engineering and other applied sciences, and its nuclear engineering program is no exception. The programs inception dates to 1960 with a linear electron accelerator construction project, and it is one of the country’s first nuclear engineering programs. The accelerator was finished in 1961, and the department began awarding its first Ph.D. and B.S. degrees in quick succession.

Nuclear engineering students at Rensselaer have a number of areas of specialization and concentration available to them, including fission reactor physics, reactor engineering, health physics, thermal-hydraulics, reliability and safety, fusion engineering, neutron physics, homeland security, and medical physics. Students also have access to state-of-the-art facilities, such as a critical reactor, an electron accelerator, and computer interfacing technology. Graduates of the program are in high demand, and they have been placed in industrial and academic positions alike as well as in careers in power propulsion, fusion reactor engineering, medicine, and defense.

While New York University does not offer a formal major in nuclear engineering, students interested in pursuing a career in nuclear engineering have the option of a minor or concentration in Nuclear Science and Engineering combined with a major in another engineering discipline, such as civil, chemical and biological, computer, electrical, financial and risk, or mechanical engineering, or the physical or computational sciences. This combination of traditional engineering training combined with five nuclear engineering courses will provide students with sufficient background to be able to enter the workforce or pursue further study in the discipline.

The minor was developed through a collaboration between professors in applied physics and mechanical and aerospace engineering, and through funding from the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The original impetus, like that of so many nuclear engineering programs across the country, was a need for an interdisciplinary program that could meet the growing need for experts who could fulfill the growing need for alternative energy sources and help blaze trails in safety and security in the nuclear future. Recent graduates who have taken advantage of the resources of this program have been well prepared to embark on careers in nuclear power, nuclear medicine, nuclear imaging, nuclear-based sensing, nondestructive testing, and governmental agencies.

Students at Oregon State University interested in nuclear engineering will find a home in the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, one of the first of its kind in the country. It was founded in 1959 and has since become one of the leaders in the field with more than 1,000 alumni across the globe in a wide variety of fields of specialization. The School is highly active in its discipline and offers students multiple opportunities for research and application, whether they are pursuing an undergraduate degree, M.S., M.Eng., or Ph.D.

In addition to its relatively longer history in the field, Oregon State also offers extensive state-of-the-art testing facilities, a highly experienced faculty, and a low student-to-faculty ratio. The School also enjoys a partnership with NuScale Power, LLC, a modular reactor design company nearby that offers internships and employment for OSU grads. The School also features a Gen IV nuclear power High Temperature Test Faciliy as well as an on-campus research reactor. Highly qualified students can apply to become certified reactor operators by the the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The University of New Mexico has been active in the nuclear engineering field for fifty years and offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in nuclear engineering. It is the only program of its kind in the state of New Mexico, and one of the few in the southwestern and western U.S. At the M.S. level, they also offer concentrations in Medical Physics and Radiation Protection and Engineering. UNM’s faculty is highly active in a number of nuclear engineering subdisciplines and regularly receive external funding to pursue new avenues in thermal hydraulics, reactor physics, nuclear instrumentation, radiation transport theory, reactor design and safety, nuclear nonproliferation, space nuclear reactors, and advanced imaging. UNM also enjoys partnerships with a number of influential laboratories, such as the Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

On-campus facilities include an AGN-201R low-power reactor, a radiation measurements and detection laboratory, fluids and thermal hydraulics laboratories, and state-of-the-art computer facilities, all of which contribute to the uniquely rich research atmosphere at UNM. The curriculum is designed to be well-rounded but also demanding, and numerous scholarships, assistantships, internships, and fellowships are available. Collaboration with faculty on research projects is not uncommon.

Kansas State University offers training in nuclear engineering through its Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, which awards both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Undergraduates can pursue a mechanical engineering degree with a nuclear engineering option, and graduate students can elect to study either mechanical engineering or nuclear engineering. The undergraduate program involves engineering science courses early in the program and then progresses to applied considerations in the junior and senior year. The curriculum includes laboratory and application courses in order to encourage creative, constructive thought in the discipline as well as problem-solving.

The undergraduate program at Kansas State University culminates with a major industrial design project, which is designed to test students’ aptitude for real-world challenges. It is completed in teams, which reflects how most real-world work is done, and conducted in collaboration with major industrial sponsors. Upon successful completion of this project, students are well prepared to face whatever the workforce might throw their way, and graduates enjoy excellent placement records throughout the industry.

The nuclear engineering program at South Carolina State University had interesting beginnings. It began as a partnership between SCSU and the University of Wisconsin, which is featured earlier on this list, in 2002 to offer at Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering. It was the first arrangement of its kind, and it still operates as a partnership with both the University of Wisconsin and North Carolina State University. It is designed to make nuclear engineering training accessible to students of all backgrounds. The degree is conferred by South Carolina State University, but students can complete the second half of their senior year at any of the three institutions.

The program has been a success by all measures. What began with five students has now grown to more than fifty, and the program has conferred nearly fifty B.S. degrees since its inception in 2002. It remains the only nuclear engineering program in the state of South Carolina, and it has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board until 2018. It has successfully recruited and retained a dedicated, experienced, and highly qualified faculty that is well situated to push the program forward in the years ahead.

Like several other schools on our list, the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee was established in the late 1950s, and it consistently receives national recognition for excellence. In addition to a highly active research agenda, the Department also boasts strategic partnerships with institutions such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex, and UCOR, as well as nuclear utility companies and international research associations.

Undergraduate students at Tennessee can pursue one of two tracks within the department: a nuclear power engineering track, which focuses on fission energy, or a radiological engineering concentration, which focuses on preparation for careers in radiation safety and health physics. Graduate placement from both concentrations exceeds 90 percent. The Department also offers the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and it boasts expertise in a wide variety of nuclear engineering subdisciplines, including nuclear reactor fuels and materials, advanced modeling and simulation, nuclear security, nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear fusion technologies, radiological sciences and health physics, nuclear criticality safety, nuclear reactor dynamics and control, reliability and maintainability engineering, nuclear system reliability and risk assessment, radiation transport, and thermal hydraulics.

Thomas Edison State University’s nuclear engineering program is more specialized than most programs. TESU offers two totally online ABET accredited bachelor’s degrees in Applied Science and Technology in Nuclear Energy Engineering Technology (NEET) and Electronics Systems Engineering Technology (ESET) intended primarily for nuclear energy operations and support personnel. Using advanced technologies and simulation both cornerstone degrees focus more on application rather than theory, and the advanced technological applications it prepares students for are highly specialized. Students either enter from civilian energy industry positions or the U.S. Navy nuclear power program. Both degrees are 120-plus credits, but credits may be earned from TESU, the Navy Basic Nuclear Power School, advanced Navy training, NRRPT certification, NRC licensure or professional training.

The program’s practical and applied focus produces graduates who are experts in their field of nuclear power generation. They are well versed in all aspects of, arguably one of the most significant sub-disciplines in nuclear engineering, including, but not limited to, reactor operation and safety; simulation; quality assurance; radiological protection; and instrumentation and control technology. Graduates are well poised to obtain professional licensure upon successful completion of the TESU program.

TESU also offers a Master of Science in Applied Science and Technology degree in Nuclear Energy Technology Management.

Excelsior College offers a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology, but unlike the other schools on our list, it offers the option of completing the degree online. Indeed, it is one of only two in the country to offer an online option that is also accredited by ABET.

Students can therefore be reassured of the quality of education they will be receiving but also enjoy the flexibility of distance education, which Excelsior has been involved in since 1971. Excelsior supplements its course requirements through awarding credit for professional experience. Eligible experience includes military training, industry accredited training, and other non-classroom training upon the institution’s approval.