Engineering

Nuclear Engineers

Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.

Median salary (BLS)

$133,970

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$93k – $196k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Nuclear Engineers

Qualification costs Stack income Best cities/states School ROI Job-posting fit Tailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

Nuclear Engineers Intern
Internship
$46,480
~4 mos to advance
Junior Nuclear Engineers
Entry / Junior
$92,960
~2 yrs to advance
Nuclear Engineers
Established
$133,970
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Nuclear Engineers
Senior
$165,130

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

•Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
•Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
•Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
•Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
•Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Engineering

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.