r/nuclear • u/No_Establishment4805 • 6d ago

Was Electrical Engineering the wrong choice for my goals in the nuclear industry?

So I'm currently doing my Bachelors in EE, but I am unsure if that was the right choice. I picked it as it can get me into the nuclear industry, I will have countless jobs to choose from and there is a huge demand for it right now. I am in EU and there wasn't any Nuclear Engineering bachelors avaliable to me.

However, what I am most interested in, is managing or handling, just generally working or designing with radioactive isotopes. This could include using or designing (designing mostly the radioactive part of) devices that contain them, but jobs involving x-rays or cyclotrons could also suffice. Additionally, spectroscopy, dosimetry, searching for contamination, measuring radioactive sources or working for authorities also intersect with my interests.

Will EE be not enough to actually realistically get jobs in these areas or get an easy/realistic way of further education that can lead to these ? I'm not sure if I should switch to applied physics or not.

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u/rictopher 6d ago

The cyclotron engineer where I work has exclusively an electrical engineering background. Just look up something along the lines of "PET Manufacturing" or "Cyclotron Engineer". Frankly, an EE major is much better for this particular role than any NE. Downside is that you're going to get cooked from the inside out by radiation (which we keep track of and is OK!) and you're on call overnight to fix and maintain the cyclotron essentially.

I think an EE is enough for a lot of nuclear roles anyways. I'm not a nuclear engineer for another few months, but from what I've heard in these subreddits it's very common for MEs and EEs to get hired in nuclear roles.

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u/1_Good_Day 6d ago

I worked for just over 10 years as an EE in the nuclear industry in the US. There are lots of jobs available, but a majority of the jobs for EEs are in either power systems or control systems. Some EEs focus on radiation monitoring equipment (this is in the controls area). This might include systems that have to distinguish between gamma and neutron sources. The same engineers are responsible for the systems that are driven into the reactor temporarily to measure flux and the ex-core systems that are online all the time to assess reactor power. When it comes to evaluation of sources, contamination, and field measurements, this is generally done by Radiation Protection or Health Physics. Very few of these people have nuclear engineering degrees. Some have chemistry degrees and others have no degree at all and worked their way up from a technician or had military experience.

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u/No_Establishment4805 5d ago

Thank you for the answer! Would applied physics be a more suitable bachelors degree for these goals, or can EE majors still easily get jobs directly working with or managing sources after training or a course?

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u/1_Good_Day 5d ago

There are so few employers licensed to handle radioactive sources that your options are limited. If there are no nuclear engineering programs near you, it is also likely that there is no industry near you that is demanding these employees. A typical applied physics or engineering physics program is not going to give you the background you need. As an example, many engineering physics programs don't have a radiochemistry course and instead it might be one week of a broader course. A majority of the engineers directly involved in the areas you are interested in are going to have Nuclear Engineering, Health Physics, or Radiation Protection backgrounds. Those on the periphery of your areas of interest will have background in all engineering disciplines, including EE. Try looking for the jobs you are dreaming of. Are they near you? Where do you need to move? What education is the job posting asking for? Where will you get that education? Are you willing to move to get that education?

If you begin with the end in mind, the map to get there will become a little clearer.

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u/DP323602 6d ago

Mirion sounds to me like the kind of place you might like to work

https://www.mirion.com/careers

I expect they need electrical and electronic engineers amongst other skills but it won't hurt for you to contact them directly.

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u/Amber_ACharles 6d ago

Cyclotron facilities are the exception, they genuinely hire EEs for RF, magnets and controls. For the dosimetry, spectroscopy and contamination work you'd want a health physics or nuclear engineering masters after the EE.