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Nuclear Engineering Major

Nuclear Engineering

409 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
229 Master's Degrees Annually
#219 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Nuclear Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many nuclear engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 427
Master’s Degree 248
Doctor’s Degree 171
Basic Certificate 20
Graduate Certificate 19

What Nuclear Engineering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to nuclear engineering and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Nuclear Engineering Majors

Nuclear Engineering majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Nuclear Engineering Majors

nuclear engineering majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Nuclear Engineering Majors

As a nuclear engineering major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Nuclear Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with nuclear engineering:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers 5.5% $140,760
Engineering Professors 14.7% $101,720
Nuclear Engineers 4.0% $107,600

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering?

427 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
19% Percent Women
28% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 409 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering in 2021, making it rank #219 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 81% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of nuclear engineering majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 24
Black or African American 15
Hispanic or Latino 57
White 287
International Students 15
Other Races/Ethnicities 29

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Nuclear Engineering. About 3.5% of those with this major are international students.

Some degrees associated with nuclear engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for nuclear engineering careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 1.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 0.8%
Bachelor’s Degree 55.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 5.9%
Master’s Degree 19.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 3.3%
Doctoral Degree 11.1%
Post-Doctoral Training 3.3%

Online Nuclear Engineering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 0 0
Bachelor’s Degree 11 5
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 31 3
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 28 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to nuclear engineering.

Major Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering 43,522
Electrical Engineering 27,809
Civil Engineering 20,728
Computer Engineering 18,973
Biomedical Engineering 14,006
General Engineering 12,241
Chemical Engineering 11,830
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering 9,220
Industrial Engineering 8,722
Systems Engineering 4,148
Materials Engineering 3,397
Other Engineering 3,221
Environmental Engineering 3,012
Electrical and Computer Engineering. 1,988
Operations Research 1,907
Robotics Engineering 1,759
Engineering Science 1,338
Agricultural Engineering 1,328
Construction Engineering 1,284
Architectural Engineering 1,090
Engineering Physics 1,047
Manufacturing Engineering 942
Petroleum Engineering 941
Biological Engineering 411
Marine Engineering 390
Geoscience Engineering 315
Mining Engineering 300
Textile Engineering 292
Polymer & Plastics Engineering 290
Ocean Engineering 290
Engineering Mechanics 209
Metallurgical Engineering 195
Energy Systems Engineering 187
Biochemical Engineering 141
Surveying Engineering 123
Ceramic Engineering 60
Forest Engineering 57
Paper Science & Engineering 48
Electromechanical Engineering 47
Engineering Chemistry 27

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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