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Nuclear Engineering

Types of Degrees Nuclear Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Nuclear Engineering may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	43
Bachelor’s Degree	214
Master’s Degree	3

What Nuclear Engineering Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Nuclear Engineering develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Nuclear Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Nuclear Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Nuclear Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Nuclear Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Nuclear Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Nuclear Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
ZEMAX Optical Design Program	Computer aided design CAD software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Nuclear Engineering graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Optical Manufacturing Technician (Optical Manufacturing Tech)
• Electro-Optics Technician (Electro-Optics Tech)
• Photonics Engineering Technician (Photonics Engineering Tech)
• Laser Scanners Technician (Laser Scanners Tech)
• Optomechanical Technician (Optomechanical Tech)
• Surgical Laser Technician (Surgical Laser Tech)
• Photonics Engineer
• Fiber Optics Technician (Fiber Optics Tech)
• Fiber Optics Assembler
• Mobile Technician (Mobile Tech)
• Removal Technician (Removal Tech)
• Optical Fabrication Technician (Optical Fabrication Tech)
• Mobile Laser Technician (Mobile Laser Tech)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Nuclear Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	44.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25.9%
Bachelor’s degree	10.0%
Postsecondary certificate	8.1%
Some college courses	7.3%
Master’s degree	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Nuclear Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 91.2% of Nuclear Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	23	8.8%
Men	237	91.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Nuclear Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	209	80.4%
Asian	4	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	23	8.8%
Black or African American	6	2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.8%
Two or More Races	12	4.6%
Race Unknown	3	1.2%
International Students	1	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Nuclear Engineering Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Nuclear Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$97,846
4 years	$116,960
5 years	$132,222

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $132,222 — roughly 35% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Nuclear Engineering Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Nuclear Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	0
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Nuclear Engineering Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Nuclear Engineering graduates earn a median of $116,960 four years after completion — roughly 208% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Engineering Technologies	15
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.01
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.02
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.12
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	15.10
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.13
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.03
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians	15.04
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians	15.17
Engineering-Related Fields	15.15
Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians	15.11
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.99

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.