To assist in filling the nuclear technician pipeline, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will begin offering an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Nuclear Engineering Technology beginning fall 2009.
Approximately 50 percent of the nuclear engineering workforce is poised to retire in the next five years. That fact, coupled with the U.S. Department of Energy’s estimate of a 20 percent increase in the use electricity by 2030, has educational institutions and nuclear energy plants across the country joining in partnership to train a new generation of nuclear technicians. Today’s nuclear technicians are expected to enter the field with the knowledge of physics, chemistry and nuclear engineering, which they can obtain through an associate’s degree program.
Exelon Nuclear’s Limerick Generating Station, located less than seven miles from MCCC’s West Campus in Pottstown, projects more than 200 openings for nuclear technicians over the next 10 years, with similar projections for other nearby power plants.
“Our College is in synch with the workforce and educational needs of our community. As a result we are able to change and adapt rapidly to accommodate shifts in the employment market,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, President, MCCC. “The Nuclear Engineering Technology program is one of several new programs that the College has launched in the past year as a direct result of student, industry and community demand.”
The Nuclear Engineering Technology degree program is made possible by an articulation partnership with Lakeland Community College in Ohio. MCCC’s students will enroll in Lakeland’s nuclear engineering courses via e-Learning, with the laboratory components of the courses being taught by MCCC faculty at the College’s Central Campus in Blue Bell. MCCC’s faculty will also participate in lectures and will assist Lakeland’s faculty members during instruction. Limerick Generating Station will provide industry experience and knowledge to the students and the curriculum.
“There is a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge available through our team at Limerick and being able to share that experience is a great way for us to give back to our community,” said Limerick Site Vice President Chris Mudrick.
Students will enroll in 25 credits at Lakeland, while paying MCCC’s tuition prices. The remaining 44 credits required for the associate’s degree are courses already offered by the College. Scholarship funds that cover student-paid costs for the Lakeland courses are available through 2011 through a Department of Labor grant in partnership with Delaware County Community College. Lakeland’s Nuclear Engineering program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the key accreditation body for Engineering.
Students who earn an AAS in Nuclear Engineering can obtain positions in nuclear energy plants as nuclear technicians, as well as positions in related industries, such as refuel operations and fuel manufacturing. The average starting salary for a nuclear technician is $22-$25 per hour, or $50,000 per year.
For more information on the Nuclear Engineering program at Montgomery County Community College, contact Tom Tucker, Assistant Professor of Engineering Technology, at 215-641-6469 or ttucker@mc3.edu.
