Careers in Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear engineering deals with designing, implementation, and maintenance of different systems that are related to nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. Nuclear engineers are those significant professionals who make this world a better place to live in for the mankind by harnessing the power of the atom and making it useful through transferring energy to power houses and businesses without producing greenhouse gases. They apply their expertise of mathematics, physics, and engineering to tackle several social and environmental issues by deriving benefits from nuclear energy and radiation. These great individuals devise how to use radio active materials in manufacturing, agriculture, medicine, power generation, and several other ways. Their field of work revolves around nuclear plants for power generation, nuclear power sources for military or space vehicles, systems for disposal of radioactive waste, equipment used in nuclear medicine to image the human body and destroy cancer cells, sterilize food and medical equipment, and create new pest or drought-resistant seeds for effective cultivation.

Course Details
To make a flourishing career in this field of engineering, almost all entry level jobs require a Bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering. Any 10+2 pass students, with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and English as compulsory subjects, can eligible to pursue this 4-year undergraduate degree program. Candidates need to qualify an entrance examination to find a place for admission in most of the institutions offering courses in nuclear engineering. They can also choose to take up diploma programs that specialize in nuclear engineering. Eligible engineering graduates or those with a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Physics have to qualify Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) to seek admission in the 2-year M.Tech program in nuclear engineering. Several doctoral (PhD) and postdoctoral research programs are also conducted by different research institutions.

Career Prospects
Aspirants with an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering can find diverse career options in several government agencies at all levels, in national laboratories, in companies that design and sell medical equipment and nuclear steam supply systems, in engineering and construction firms, in consulting service companies, and in the electric utility industry and its associated organizations. They can also search for employment opportunities in health and medical research, transportation, and food and water safety sectors. Adequate experience and advanced study provides better job offers in the field of teaching and research at numerous institutions and laboratories, in India and abroad. Besides, nuclear engineers can also pick up management or administration as a career option.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
Different levels of courses in nuclear engineering & technology are offered by a number of institutes and universities in India. These are: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kanpur and Madras; Delhi University, New Delhi; Sastra University, Thanjavur; Jadavpur University, Kolkata; Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal; Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar; Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore; College of Science & Technology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam; Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata; and SRM University, Chennai.

Remuneration
Nuclear engineering is considered as one of the highly paid jobs, even though they are always at a risk of exposure to unwanted nuclear hazards. In the beginning, nuclear engineers can receive excellent monthly salary packages of Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000, depending upon their skills, education, and type of organization they are hired by. Besides a handsome pay package, these professionals earn other benefits in terms of TA, DA, resident allowances, etc. The earnings of nuclear engineers gradually increase with higher qualification, experience, and promotion, reaching up to lakhs of rupees per month.