← All careers

Engineering

Nuclear Engineers

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$133,970

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$93k – $196k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Nuclear Engineers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$40,175–$150,500

Time to qualify

4.2 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    FE exam (optional — PE track)

    Certification

    The Fundamentals of Engineering exam is the first step toward a PE license; many engineering roles never need it.

    $175–$500 · 2 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Nuclear Engineers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Nuclear Engineers Intern

    Internship

    $46,480

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Nuclear Engineers

    Entry / Junior

    $92,960

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Nuclear Engineers

    Established

    $133,970

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Nuclear Engineers

    Senior

    $165,130

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
  • •Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
  • •Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
  • •Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
  • •Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Engineering

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.