Grad School

[Val_US]

For anyone out there with any grad work done, what are the better schools and programs for Nuke Officers to get into?  I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering (Concentration in Nuclear Engineering) and am going to apply for a graduate education program.  I am wonderng if anyone has any first-hand experience.  I have searched alot of schools, but personal testiments always prove more valuable for real information.  Thanks.

[Already Gone]

As I understand it, you are still an undergrad.  So, you are not yet a Navy officer.
Therefore, I think it is premature for you to be applying for a grad school that isn't going to happen for years.
One of us is having a misunderstanding.
Either you are going to join the Navy as a nuke officer, or you are going to grad school.  You can't do both at the same time.  So, my question is; in what order do you think you will be doing these things?
If it is the Navy first, then grad school is years away.  You'll go after you get out, or you'll be a career officer and go when they tell you you can.  Either way, it is at least four or five years away.
If it's grad school first, why?  The Navy doesn't actively look for people with post-grad degrees in nuc. eng.  Most nuke officers are ME's or EE's with a BS degree and impressive GPA's.
Talk to a nuke officer recruiter before you get too far into this process.

[Val_US]

I go to the Academy and am going to apply for the Bowman Scholarship when I can.  Bowman scholars are guaranteed Nuke Power and immediate grad school.  So I was just wondering if there was anyone who had some info on grad school.

[Beta_effect]

Do it now if you can. There is more to the Nuclear Navy's programs than just going to nuke school and being at a sea command. The Navy has research programs that they staff with their own. Naval Reactors, for instance, have their own engineers doing research on advanced propulsion systems. Get your fundementals in engineering exam out of the way before you leave the Naval Academy as only the best and most qualified are part of these programs, so I hope you have a smoking gpa-check these people out:

http://www.eweek.org/site/Engineers/newfaces/NAVY.shtml

These sites may also be of some interest:

http://www.musc.edu/nnp/Documents/PDF/2005%20NNP%20Fellowship%20Description%20FOR%20WEB.pdf

http://www.mbe.doe.gov/budget/03budget/content/nvlreact/navelrea.pdf

Also, a little warning if you do have a smoking gpa:  It is not necessarily a reliable indicator of how you will perform when you do go to nuke power school/prototype. Be prepared to work harder there then you did while at college. I was a reactor supervisor at a college research reactor and I had professor's who couldn't pass the reactor operator's licensing exam. My last stint in the Navy was as an instructor at a prototype and there were officers that washed out. There were also enlisted students that ran circles around any officer when it came to their operational knowledge of that facility. Also, when you get to a sea command-operationally the enlisted nukes will know more about that engineroom and reactor than any officer-unless that officer was a former enlisted nuke!

[Already Gone]

I go to the Academy and am going to apply for the Bowman Scholarship when I can.  Bowman scholars are guaranteed Nuke Power and immediate grad school.  So I was just wondering if there was anyone who had some info on grad school.

Now, that's a whole different can of beans.  Still, need more info.  Do you intend to stay with Nuc. Eng.?  Or, do you want to branch out a little?  I've heard good things about Penn State, Georgia Tech. and Princeton.  The problem is that a good program can be a not so good program in the blink of an eye.  It all depends on the faculty.  Someone once told me that to pick a school, you have to look at the textboks (and other highly-praised publications in the field) that are most widely used.  Then find out where the authors are teaching.
I'm guessing that there is some particular niche that has a hold on your imagination.  Who's leading the field in that area?  Where does he/she teach?
Or, ask your best instructors where they went to school.  Ask them where they would go tomorrow.

It's really a shame that Annapolis doesn't have a grad school of engineering.  It would be kickass if they did.

[taterhead]

It's really a shame that Annapolis doesn't have a grad school of engineering.  It would be kickass if they did.

Are you kidding me, man.  The heads on those Academy guys with the Bachelors degree is big enough already.  Can you imagine a whole new breed of Master's Degree holders walking out of that place and onboard ships?

They would have to build new staterooms for those egos.

Just pullin' yer chain, Val.

[Val_US]

I don't think it will get that bad.  We have the Naval Postgraduate School, which is pretty much the same, just in California.  Anyways, I want to stay with the Submarine pipeline solely while I am in uniform (20 yrs?).  Afterwards I will try and get a grab at other options.  But in service, Command at Sea is what I want.  As far as graduate programs go I would like Nuc Eng but Radiochemistry looks very interesting.  I do fairly well at Chem and I am thinking it could be a useful Masters.  Although it is still far off, the application for Bowman isn't so I am getting my info now.

[Already Gone]

That's al very interesting, but it seems that your educational goals and career goals are on diverging paths.  If you want a command at sea, getting an advanced degree in Radiochemistry (or Engineering for that matter) isn't going to aid you toward that end.
You need to be looking at things like Management, Logistics, Economics, or History.  The master of a ship needs to know not only how it works, but WHY it works and how to lead its crew into the mouth of peril.  Being an expert on the decay chain of Radium and Thorium isn't going to help you out of a tight spot in hostile waters.
I happen to have the resume of my old Division Officer.  He has been where you want to be.  I'm going to sent it to you privately, and you might get an idea of what it takes.

[allroy]

If you want a command at sea, getting an advanced degree in Radiochemistry (or Engineering for that matter) isn't going to aid you toward that end.

Amen!