Nuclear & Radiological Technology

Types of Degrees Nuclear & Radiological Technology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many nuclear and radiological technicians graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Associate Degree	151
Basic Certificate	93
Undergraduate Certificate	48
Graduate Certificate	4
Bachelor’s Degree	3

What Nuclear & Radiological Technology Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to nuclear tech were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Nuclear Tech Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in nuclear tech should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills for Nuclear Tech Majors

A major in nuclear tech prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Nuclear Tech Majors

Nuclear Tech majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nuclear & Radiological Technology?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 2 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nuclear and radiological technicians in 2021, making it rank #347 in popularity.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	3
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

How Much Do Nuclear & Radiological Technology Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $79,970 to $95,310 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to nuclear tech. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Nuclear & Radiological Technology

Some careers associated with nuclear tech require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 tech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	35.3%
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)	16.9%
Some College Courses	8.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	26.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	12.9%

Online Nuclear & Radiological Technology Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 26 schools offered some type of nuclear and radiological technicians program. 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)	7	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	16	1
Bachelor’s Degree	3	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Nuclear & Radiological Technology Worth It?

The median salary for a nuclear tech grad is $79,970 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 100% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $801,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Nuclear & Radiological Technology

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

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Science Technicians	2,909
Other Science Technologies/Technicians	2,451
Biology & Biotech Lab Technician	732
General Science Technologies/Technicians	60

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.