Nuclear Science and Engineering MSc

Hi, I have a question about my career prospects after completing an MSc in Nuclear Science and Engineering. I have an offer to study this course at a prestigious university, however my undergraduate degree is in an unrelated subject (geography and economics from UCL). Would I be a competitive candidate for working in the nuclear industry or for a nuclear energy PhD despite not having a relevant undergraduate degree? For additional information, I have worked in nuclear energy consulting for the past two years. Thanks for any help!

How quantitative is the course, to enter into engineering industry I think you’ll find they are interested in your technical capabilities and understand quantitative problems.

The course title on paper sounds fine for entry into something like nuclear engineering however this field from a technical point of view is filled with engineering & physics graduates.

A typical engineering msc probably wouldn’t accept geography & economics however perhaps if your specific economics modules are very analytical maybe they’ve made an exception.. but it’s the modules and ensuring technical problem solving is involved in the degree that will make a big difference imo.

Hi, I have a question about my career prospects after completing an MSc in Nuclear Science and Engineering. I have an offer to study this course at a prestigious university, however my undergraduate degree is in an unrelated subject (geography and economics from UCL). Would I be a competitive candidate for working in the nuclear industry or for a nuclear energy PhD despite not having a relevant undergraduate degree? For additional information, I have worked in nuclear energy consulting for the past two years. Thanks for any help!

What kind of (new) role are you looking for in the nuclear industry? You have some experience in consulting so far, what did that involve?

I’ve taken maths modules in all three years of the course alongside econometrics modules. I discussed this with the course director before applying who advised that I should stress this and my experience in the nuclear industry when making an application.

I have received an offer for the course, however I worry that I would be a less competitive candidate for entering industry or applying to PhDs in the field compared to applicants who have physics and engineering undergraduate degrees. What’s your opinion on this?

Hi, thanks for replying. I’m interested in working in research in nuclear technology (and completing a relevant PhD), or in a more operational role within the industry. At the moment I’m a consultant for nuclear new builds in the UK, so this involves techno-economic and life cycle analyses for new nuclear sites (mostly SMRs)

Given your experience, you are probably better placed to answer your queries than us. For the roles you're interested in, I would check job descriptions (and LinkedIn profiles) to see what academic qualifications are required (or typically held). The same for the degrees/PhDs. You can also reach out to universities to enquire whether your background would be suitable. Also, do you have any industry contacts that may be able to help?

Hi, I have a question about my career prospects after completing an MSc in Nuclear Science and Engineering. I have an offer to study this course at a prestigious university, however my undergraduate degree is in an unrelated subject (geography and economics from UCL). Would I be a competitive candidate for working in the nuclear industry or for a nuclear energy PhD despite not having a relevant undergraduate degree? For additional information, I have worked in nuclear energy consulting for the past two years. Thanks for any help!

Hey there! Did you ever apply? We are in such similar boats, I did my undergraduate in Environmental Science and am considering Nuclear Science for my postgraduate. I was wondering how youve found it so far (esp the maths side of things) if you ended up doing it?

Hi! That’s great to hear from someone in a similar situation haha. I didn’t apply for the Nuclear Science MSc in the end, but for an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures at Imperial College which I’m starting in September . The course has a couple of modules on nuclear energy but it also covers renewable energy generation and energy modelling so it aligned more with my interests. There’s some pre course reading on Thermodynamics and solving basic equations but once I got my head around the main concepts it hasn’t been too challenging! Which nuclear science course are you interested in?