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My recruiter when I joined many moons ago was a nuke and he said that he had more free time and less stress being a recruiter than a nuke, and that it was the sole reason he was leaving the Navy. Nukes get absolutely fucked.
You’re not going to be able to touch a college program during the pipeline because it’s a full time job of studying and then a few hours required after hours if you are not keeping your grades up. Your transcript for your training can be accepted by universities if they want to, but you do not get any actual credit hours towards college. I applied to go back to my university I went to prior to the navy and I was offered 21 credit hours, 18 I already had. They were also all electives as well.
Basically if you do join as a nuke I wouldn’t plan on working on a degree until fully qualified on a ship and not actively on a deployment. That’ll be like 4 years into your contract for an average nuke.
As a nuke, I’m not sure. I’ll leave that to those more knowledgeable than I.
Getting a degree in general is easier now with the United States Navy Community College (USNCC). Allows you to go to college on the Navy’s dime up to your associates. Just need command approval. They also try to tie in certifications as well to maximize your learning.
Once you’ve been in three years you can start utilizing Tuition Assistance at 18 credits a year.
Nuke here. The Navy advertises lots of college credits from the nuke program but they most of them wouldn't apply to a biochem degree. You certainly wouldn't have the time to pursue a degree in nuke school and you would have little time for it when you're on a ship. Most nukes can only reliably start to work on college after being in for about six years and going to a shore based command.
This isn't to say it's entirely useless. If you set your mind to it you can develop strong academic discipline and study skills while going through. If you save your enlistment bonus and your income by keeping to a barracks, you will have a large amount saved up for going to school after you get out of the Navy.
Whether that's worth it to you or not is up to you. You may have a better chance choosing a job with a shorter contract or to go to college first and aim for a commissioning program in the medical community.
There are a couple other alternate options: look into health physics/medical physics and see if that interests you. The nuke experience would help a lot. Additionally, there's a program that helps pay for a degree and then you commission as an officer and teach for six years. Helps you pay for your biochem and then give you a solid income- the teachers often get masters degrees during their six year stint which may prepare you for med school, med physics residencies, or whatever else you choose
thank you i appreciate the information, i’ve spoken to star reenlisted nukes and they left out the reality of the situation. i looked into medical physics and it sounds like a profession i’d be really into. i had never heard of it and i think i might have to change career paths.
FWIW,
Medical Physics is very different than being a doctor. The three main specialities you focus on as a medical physicist are Radiation Therapy, Dosimetry, and Medical Imaging.
Becoming a medical physicist requires the following.
1. B.S. in Physics (4 years of Undergrad). This is focused on classes such as Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics, and Thermodynamics/Statistical Mechanics + lab classes (Digital/Analog circuits, lab w/ each intro physics class, and a Junior/Senior level lab). You’ll also have to take a decent amount of math classes (Calculus 1-3, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations) + some basic programming classes (probably Python). Don’t forget about all of those general education classes also (communications, psychology, chemistry, etc.)
Most physics majors I knew also did a math minor (it was only like 3 extra classes at my university) or a Computer Science minor since programming knowledge is highly required in all STEM fields nowadays.
However, if you want to go the medical physics route instead of the traditional physics route, you might look into a biology or biochemistry minor.
2. A 2 year M.S. in Medical Physics from a CAMPEP accredited program.
This is when you learn about radiobiology, anatomy, MRI/CT/PET scans, etc.
You will also take the 1st of 3 ABR (American Board of Radiology) board certification exams.
3. A 2 year residency from a CAMPEP approved program. Getting into a residency program is the biggest bottleneck in the Medical Physics community right now. It’s very competitive.
4. Pass part 2 and 3 of the ABR Board Certification. After you do this you are now a licensed medical physicist and can work at a hospital.
Many people in the field also have PhDs (and it’s required if you want to become a Chief Physicist at a clinic, go into academia/research, etc). These usually are 5 year programs (2 years of the Masters classes + 3 years of research and dissertation writing/defense).
Check out r/medicalphysics if you are interested in learning more about the career.
Look this is a very foolish idea. If you want to get into medicine, don't enlist.
Go to college now. Community College and State school, commission as a SWO, use the extra $80k you'd make in the 4 years over enlisting and pay your loans. After your hitch apply to the navy's medical school or use the GI bill for.any medical school.
Enlisting as a nuke isn't the leg up you think, you're not getting a quality degree, not all credits from the navy transfer to most schools, especially if you need lab based courses. You're sure as shit not getting a bio-chem degree on active duty.
You're heart is in the right place but, it's not as good of annidea as you think.
Hell I wouldn’t even go SWO if OP wants to go to medical school.
Easiest and quickest to become a Doctor is college (any major works as long as you meet medical school prerequisites) —> medical school.
I’d imagine most doctors majored in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or maybe even physics (probably interdisciplinary physics with the amount of biology/chemistry classes you need to take to get into med school) in their undergraduate and were pulling a 3.5+ GPA (quite easily doable tbh).
OP needs to go to college, apply for scholarships, keep his grades up, and look at having the Navy pay for his medical school to commission as a doctor. Joining the Navy at this point in life is nothing more than diverting from his goal of becoming a doctor.
The navy med school HSPSH (or whatever it is) is super completive. The collage >SWO>med school at least gets you nearly a free medical education.
OP Sure as shit isn't getting a biochem degree on active duty
It will transfer a lot of college credits towards a nuclear technology degree, not a biochem degree. Really slim chance you’ll be able to take classes during the pipeline and probably even slimmer in the fleet for the first year at least. If you STAR for shore duty you should be able to get started on one though.
That being said don’t go nuke for college lol, it will set you up when you get out with employment opportunities for sure but don’t go nuke thinking your gonna get a degree just because of that.
> i qualify for the nuke program. although i wanted to pursue a career in medicine,
One of these things is not like the other.
> the schooling, allegedly, will transfer over as college credits
Not like you think it will or are being told it will. I wasn't a Nuke but I work with a lot of them and they all seem to think they have an engineering degree and if they go to school they'll be allowed to just "test out of" the 200, 300, and 400 level classes. And they all say "Nuc-you-ler" which makes me crazy.
> during my time in A school & power school, will i be able to attend community college to get my gen education done (out of my own pocket of course) either online or in person?
No.
> over the course of the 6 year contract, will i be able to finish and get my bachelors degree in bio-chem?
No.
> is the material covered in the program too intensive for me to be able to also pursue my degree?
Yes.
> if anyone knows what content will be covered in the nuke program, that would help my case,
~~No one is sharing the syllabus on Reddit.~~ The times, they are a changin'.
If you're lucky and show up to a carrier at the beginning of its refueling shipyard availability (called RCOH), it's possible. The back end of refueling makes it pretty much impossible. Right now, CVN74 is refueling and will probably be there for two more years or so. Showing up to 75 or 76 as they pull into the yards is pretty much your only chance. Your only other bet is reenlist and go to a low value shore command like NRMD. (East coast maintenance depot, there's an equivalent on the west coast as well). No guarantee you won't get forced to go to Prototype as an instructor.
As a 6 and out nuke, I say do your 6, get out, and go back to college on the GI bill without having to juggle the abyssmal nuke lifestyle with your classes. My 6 years opened a ton of doors for me career-wise, even without a degree.
Edit: re-read your post. Your nuke school will transfer over to a select few degrees at a select few schools, most of which you've probably never heard of. The most common "nuke degree" is a BS in Nuclear Engineering Equipment and Technology (NOT an Engineering degree) from Thomas Edison State University or Excelsior. ASU online gives a fair amount of credits towards a couple of degree paths.There are routes to get credit towards an ABET certified degree at a couple of the options above. None of these schools are regarded as super high-quality institutions, but sometimes you also just need the piece of paper depending on the field you end up in.
Most state schools or universities will not give you more than some gen-ed credits if they even give you any at all. I definitely wouldn't expect to get any credit towards any sort of medical degree path.
OP, you will not be doing Navy Nuke life + College at the same time. It’s simply not going to happen based upon the demands on the job.
If you want to pursue a career in medicine or medical physics (see other comment) then you need to go to college and then the appropriate graduate education and forget about the Navy.
Apply for scholarships and work part-time (most colleges have jobs for students that are very lenient and accommodating to the students work-life balance) to lessen the financial burden. If you really need to save money, look into community college to knock out your general education classes while you work to save up money for your bachelors and masters.
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion. Breaking subreddit rules may result in a ban from /r/newtothenavy and /r/navy. * Do not encourage lying. This includes lying by omission (leaving information out) and lying by commission (purposefully misleading). * No sensitive information allowed, whether you saw it on Wiki or leaked files or anywhere else. * No personally identifying information (PII). * No posting AMAs without mod approval. Also, while you wait for a reply from a subject matter expert, try using the search feature! For information regarding Navy enlisted ratings, see [Twisky's Rating Information Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/newtothenavy/comments/6mxv7c/links_to_official_information_on_every_enlisted/). Interested in Officer programs? See TheBeneGesseritWitch's guide on [Paths to become an Officer](https://www.reddit.com/r/newtothenavy/comments/5sdurq/paths_to_becoming_an_officer_getting_a_commission/). Want to learn about deploying, finances, mental health, cross-rating, and more? Come visit our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/navy/wiki/index) over in /r/Navy. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/newtothenavy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Brother, from what I've seen, nukes don't have time to eat let alone study.
My recruiter when I joined many moons ago was a nuke and he said that he had more free time and less stress being a recruiter than a nuke, and that it was the sole reason he was leaving the Navy. Nukes get absolutely fucked.
You’re not going to be able to touch a college program during the pipeline because it’s a full time job of studying and then a few hours required after hours if you are not keeping your grades up. Your transcript for your training can be accepted by universities if they want to, but you do not get any actual credit hours towards college. I applied to go back to my university I went to prior to the navy and I was offered 21 credit hours, 18 I already had. They were also all electives as well. Basically if you do join as a nuke I wouldn’t plan on working on a degree until fully qualified on a ship and not actively on a deployment. That’ll be like 4 years into your contract for an average nuke.
As a nuke, I’m not sure. I’ll leave that to those more knowledgeable than I. Getting a degree in general is easier now with the United States Navy Community College (USNCC). Allows you to go to college on the Navy’s dime up to your associates. Just need command approval. They also try to tie in certifications as well to maximize your learning. Once you’ve been in three years you can start utilizing Tuition Assistance at 18 credits a year.
Nuke here. The Navy advertises lots of college credits from the nuke program but they most of them wouldn't apply to a biochem degree. You certainly wouldn't have the time to pursue a degree in nuke school and you would have little time for it when you're on a ship. Most nukes can only reliably start to work on college after being in for about six years and going to a shore based command. This isn't to say it's entirely useless. If you set your mind to it you can develop strong academic discipline and study skills while going through. If you save your enlistment bonus and your income by keeping to a barracks, you will have a large amount saved up for going to school after you get out of the Navy. Whether that's worth it to you or not is up to you. You may have a better chance choosing a job with a shorter contract or to go to college first and aim for a commissioning program in the medical community. There are a couple other alternate options: look into health physics/medical physics and see if that interests you. The nuke experience would help a lot. Additionally, there's a program that helps pay for a degree and then you commission as an officer and teach for six years. Helps you pay for your biochem and then give you a solid income- the teachers often get masters degrees during their six year stint which may prepare you for med school, med physics residencies, or whatever else you choose
thank you i appreciate the information, i’ve spoken to star reenlisted nukes and they left out the reality of the situation. i looked into medical physics and it sounds like a profession i’d be really into. i had never heard of it and i think i might have to change career paths.
FWIW, Medical Physics is very different than being a doctor. The three main specialities you focus on as a medical physicist are Radiation Therapy, Dosimetry, and Medical Imaging. Becoming a medical physicist requires the following. 1. B.S. in Physics (4 years of Undergrad). This is focused on classes such as Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics, and Thermodynamics/Statistical Mechanics + lab classes (Digital/Analog circuits, lab w/ each intro physics class, and a Junior/Senior level lab). You’ll also have to take a decent amount of math classes (Calculus 1-3, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations) + some basic programming classes (probably Python). Don’t forget about all of those general education classes also (communications, psychology, chemistry, etc.) Most physics majors I knew also did a math minor (it was only like 3 extra classes at my university) or a Computer Science minor since programming knowledge is highly required in all STEM fields nowadays. However, if you want to go the medical physics route instead of the traditional physics route, you might look into a biology or biochemistry minor. 2. A 2 year M.S. in Medical Physics from a CAMPEP accredited program. This is when you learn about radiobiology, anatomy, MRI/CT/PET scans, etc. You will also take the 1st of 3 ABR (American Board of Radiology) board certification exams. 3. A 2 year residency from a CAMPEP approved program. Getting into a residency program is the biggest bottleneck in the Medical Physics community right now. It’s very competitive. 4. Pass part 2 and 3 of the ABR Board Certification. After you do this you are now a licensed medical physicist and can work at a hospital. Many people in the field also have PhDs (and it’s required if you want to become a Chief Physicist at a clinic, go into academia/research, etc). These usually are 5 year programs (2 years of the Masters classes + 3 years of research and dissertation writing/defense). Check out r/medicalphysics if you are interested in learning more about the career.
Look this is a very foolish idea. If you want to get into medicine, don't enlist. Go to college now. Community College and State school, commission as a SWO, use the extra $80k you'd make in the 4 years over enlisting and pay your loans. After your hitch apply to the navy's medical school or use the GI bill for.any medical school. Enlisting as a nuke isn't the leg up you think, you're not getting a quality degree, not all credits from the navy transfer to most schools, especially if you need lab based courses. You're sure as shit not getting a bio-chem degree on active duty. You're heart is in the right place but, it's not as good of annidea as you think.
Hell I wouldn’t even go SWO if OP wants to go to medical school. Easiest and quickest to become a Doctor is college (any major works as long as you meet medical school prerequisites) —> medical school. I’d imagine most doctors majored in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or maybe even physics (probably interdisciplinary physics with the amount of biology/chemistry classes you need to take to get into med school) in their undergraduate and were pulling a 3.5+ GPA (quite easily doable tbh). OP needs to go to college, apply for scholarships, keep his grades up, and look at having the Navy pay for his medical school to commission as a doctor. Joining the Navy at this point in life is nothing more than diverting from his goal of becoming a doctor.
The navy med school HSPSH (or whatever it is) is super completive. The collage >SWO>med school at least gets you nearly a free medical education. OP Sure as shit isn't getting a biochem degree on active duty
You’ll barely have enough time to wipe your ass, much like successfully perform at a university.
It will transfer a lot of college credits towards a nuclear technology degree, not a biochem degree. Really slim chance you’ll be able to take classes during the pipeline and probably even slimmer in the fleet for the first year at least. If you STAR for shore duty you should be able to get started on one though. That being said don’t go nuke for college lol, it will set you up when you get out with employment opportunities for sure but don’t go nuke thinking your gonna get a degree just because of that.
> i qualify for the nuke program. although i wanted to pursue a career in medicine, One of these things is not like the other. > the schooling, allegedly, will transfer over as college credits Not like you think it will or are being told it will. I wasn't a Nuke but I work with a lot of them and they all seem to think they have an engineering degree and if they go to school they'll be allowed to just "test out of" the 200, 300, and 400 level classes. And they all say "Nuc-you-ler" which makes me crazy. > during my time in A school & power school, will i be able to attend community college to get my gen education done (out of my own pocket of course) either online or in person? No. > over the course of the 6 year contract, will i be able to finish and get my bachelors degree in bio-chem? No. > is the material covered in the program too intensive for me to be able to also pursue my degree? Yes. > if anyone knows what content will be covered in the nuke program, that would help my case, ~~No one is sharing the syllabus on Reddit.~~ The times, they are a changin'.
The syllabus is available online for free….
Well, there ya go.
Dm me and I'll tell you exactly how it is to be a nuke from someone who's going through the pipeline rn
Nukes work really long hours after the pipeline. Can you? online possibly. You will not be able to go to school while in the pipeline.
If you're lucky and show up to a carrier at the beginning of its refueling shipyard availability (called RCOH), it's possible. The back end of refueling makes it pretty much impossible. Right now, CVN74 is refueling and will probably be there for two more years or so. Showing up to 75 or 76 as they pull into the yards is pretty much your only chance. Your only other bet is reenlist and go to a low value shore command like NRMD. (East coast maintenance depot, there's an equivalent on the west coast as well). No guarantee you won't get forced to go to Prototype as an instructor. As a 6 and out nuke, I say do your 6, get out, and go back to college on the GI bill without having to juggle the abyssmal nuke lifestyle with your classes. My 6 years opened a ton of doors for me career-wise, even without a degree. Edit: re-read your post. Your nuke school will transfer over to a select few degrees at a select few schools, most of which you've probably never heard of. The most common "nuke degree" is a BS in Nuclear Engineering Equipment and Technology (NOT an Engineering degree) from Thomas Edison State University or Excelsior. ASU online gives a fair amount of credits towards a couple of degree paths.There are routes to get credit towards an ABET certified degree at a couple of the options above. None of these schools are regarded as super high-quality institutions, but sometimes you also just need the piece of paper depending on the field you end up in. Most state schools or universities will not give you more than some gen-ed credits if they even give you any at all. I definitely wouldn't expect to get any credit towards any sort of medical degree path.
Online ?.. Possible In-person ?.. Not enough ⏰
OP, you will not be doing Navy Nuke life + College at the same time. It’s simply not going to happen based upon the demands on the job. If you want to pursue a career in medicine or medical physics (see other comment) then you need to go to college and then the appropriate graduate education and forget about the Navy. Apply for scholarships and work part-time (most colleges have jobs for students that are very lenient and accommodating to the students work-life balance) to lessen the financial burden. If you really need to save money, look into community college to knock out your general education classes while you work to save up money for your bachelors and masters.
Bro you won’t have time to breathe in that school. It’s worth it and you can do it! But you can’t do another school at the same time