Nuclear Engineer

To be eligible to enlist in the U.S. Navy, candidates must be between the ages of 18-34

The most powerful energy sources in the world need the most powerful minds behind them. As a Nuclear Reactors Engineer, you’ll be responsible for researching, designing, maintaining, operating and regulating the nuclear reactors and power plants that drive the most advanced fleet of submarines and aircraft carriers on Earth. Here, you can fuel a passion for problem-solving by defining and redefining the cutting edge of nuclear propulsion, while setting the standard in nuclear reactor research and regulation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Naval Reactors Engineers have oversight of the Navy's entire fleet of nuclear-powered ships as well as shore-based prototypes and nuclear propulsion support facilities for America’s Navy. The wide array of technical areas involved in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion program include:

• Reactor and fluid systems design
• Reactor physics
• Materials development
• Component design such as steam generators, pumps and valves
• Instrumentation and control of reactor, steam and electric plants
• Testing and quality control
• Shielding
• Chemistry and radiological controls

As a Navy Reactors Engineer stationed at Naval Reactors Headquarters in Washington, D.C., you will provide technical oversight while managing projects ranging from reactor design to fleet operations to de-fueling and decommissioning warships.

PAY AND BENEFITS

From the day you start, you’ll receive:
• Competitive salary
• Free health insurance
• Free housing
• A retirement plan
• 30 days paid vacation per year
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to the best-in-class training and state-of-the-art facilities, current undergrad students who meet the prerequisite background will also get the chance to get paid while finishing school through the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) program. Students in majors like mathematics, engineering, physics and chemistry may receive preferred acceptance into the program.

If accepted into the NUPOC program as an aspiring Naval Reactors Engineer, you can:
• Receive a salary in excess of $4,000 per month for up to 18 months prior to your college graduation
• Receive an immediate one-time sign-on bonus of $15,000
• Enjoy military health care benefits while you are a student in the program

Postgraduate Education Opportunities

As a Naval Reactors Engineer, once you’re out of school you’ll have a position waiting as a respected professional and Officer affiliated with the most accomplished nuclear program on earth. Beyond undergraduate and formal Navy training and education, you can pursue additional graduate education through the following:

• Post-9/11 GI Bill
• Navy Tuition Assistance Program
• Completing Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) at one of the various service colleges
• Using Tuition Assistance to attend online or in-person graduate programs during shore assignments.
• Navy College Program
• VOLED Assistance Center
• VOLED Region Advisors
• The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)
• Navy War College (NWC)
• USAF Air University Air Command and Staff College

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• U.S. citizen between the ages of 19 and 29. Exceptions may be possible up to age 40.
• Graduate or current student pursuing a B.A., B.S. or M.S. (preferably major in mathematics, engineering, physics, chemistry or other technical areas).
• Those still in school may apply as early as 18 months from completion of an undergraduate degree for Naval Reactors Engineers.
• Applicants may also join the NUPOC program as early as 12 months from completion of a master's degree.
• Additional academic requirements include:
• Completed one academic year of calculus
• Completed one academic year of calculus-based physics
• A competitive GPA and a minimum grade of "B" in all technical courses

General qualifications may vary depending upon whether you’re currently serving, whether you’ve served before or whether you’ve never served before. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Preliminary training and eventual staff assignments center around Naval Reactors Headquarters at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. At Headquarters, you will be a part of an elite, streamlined staff of roughly 500 people who oversee the entire Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program from cradle to grave.
Even junior-level Naval Reactors Engineers assume responsibility for key technical work in a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, including:

• Two Department of Energy laboratories
• Two nuclear prototype/training sites
• Nearly 100 nuclear-powered ships and submarines
• Six shipyards
• More than 1,000 firms that support the Naval Reactors Program