Nuclear Engineers

Median salary

$133,970

Average salary

$140,420

Employment

15,280

Projected growth

1.1% decline

Annual openings

800

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Nuclear Engineers Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 2.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.6/5
Physicsimportance 4.5/5
Mathematicsimportance 4.4/5
English Languageimportance 4.0/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.0/5
Chemistryimportance 3.9/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.7/5
Designimportance 3.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.9/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
Telephone Conversations4.6/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.3/5
Health and Safety of Other Workers3.9/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Materials Scientists94% skill match
Aerospace Engineers94% skill match
Mechanical Engineers93% skill match
Agricultural Engineers92% skill match
Chemical Engineers92% skill match
Materials Engineers92% skill match
Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers92% skill match
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors92% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.0/5
Operations Analysisimportance 3.8/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.8/5
Systems Evaluationimportance 3.8/5
Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
Time Managementimportance 3.5/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

ANSYS simulation software

Other Software Used

ANISN dose assessment computer code
BERMUDA nuclear transport computer codes
Discrete ordinates DORT dose assessment computer codes
FOLLOW code
Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
Graphics software
INCORE code
MCNP dose assessment computer code

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Integrity
Cautiousness
Intellectual Curiosity
Self-Control
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

InvestigativeHigh
RealisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow
SocialLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.