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Nuclear & Radiological Technology

Types of Degrees Nuclear & Radiological Technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Nuclear & Radiological Technology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	93
Associate’s Degree	92
Bachelor’s Degree	6
Master’s Degree	147

What Nuclear & Radiological Technology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Nuclear & Radiological Technology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Nuclear & Radiological Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Nuclear & Radiological Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Physics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Mechanical — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Nuclear & Radiological Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Nuclear & Radiological Technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Nuclear & Radiological Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Nuclear & Radiological Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software	Industrial control software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Azure software	Development environment software	—
Data logging software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Nuclear & Radiological Technology graduates include:

• Nuclear Technician
• Radiochemical Technician
• Nuclear Power Plant Process Control Worker
• Cathodic Protection Technician
• Radiation Protection Monitor
• Decontaminator
• Metallographic Technician
• Radiation Monitor
• Systems Protection Technician
• Laboratory Control Specialist
• Radiation Safety Technician (Radiation Safety Tech)
• Nuclear Worker Technician
• Chemical Radiation Technician
• Instrumentation Control Specialist
• Radiation Safety Specialist

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	37.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	22.1%
Postsecondary certificate	16.2%
Bachelor’s degree	15.6%
Some college courses	9.0%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Nuclear & Radiological Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 81.7% of Nuclear & Radiological Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	62	18.3%
Men	276	81.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	189	55.9%
Asian	3	0.9%
Hispanic or Latino	40	11.8%
Black or African American	86	25.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.6%
Two or More Races	15	4.4%
Race Unknown	3	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Nuclear & Radiological Technology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Nuclear & Radiological Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,486
4 years	$80,722
5 years	$98,073

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $98,073 — roughly 131% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Nuclear & Radiological Technology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Nuclear & Radiological Technology. 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	1	1
Bachelor’s	2	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 & Radiological Technology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Nuclear & Radiological Technology graduates earn a median of $80,722 four years after completion — roughly 112% 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
Science Technologies Technicians	41
Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians	41.01
Physical Science Technologies/Technicians	41.03
Science Technologies/Technicians, Other	41.99
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES/TECHNICIANS	41.00

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.