Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Nuclear Engineering Major

Find Schools Near

Nuclear Engineering

0 Master's Degrees Annually
#331 in Popularity (Master's)
$79,970 Median Salary

What Nuclear Engineering Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to nuclear engineering tech 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 Tech Majors

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

undefined
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • 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.

Skills for Nuclear Engineering Tech Majors

When studying nuclear engineering tech, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

undefined
  • 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.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Nuclear Engineering Tech Majors

As you progress with your nuclear engineering tech degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

undefined
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • 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).

How Much Do Nuclear Engineering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to nuclear engineering tech is $79,970. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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.

Median Salary for a Nuclear Engineering Major  79,970
0K
250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
0K
250K

Some careers associated with nuclear engineering 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 engineering tech careers below.

undefined
Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 30.8%
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) 18.5%
Some College Courses 7.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 37.2%
Bachelor’s Degree 6.5%

Online Nuclear Engineering Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 14 schools offered some type of nuclear engineering technology 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) 3 2
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 13 4
Bachelor’s Degree 0 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 1 1
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 Engineering Worth It?

The median salary for a nuclear engineering 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!

undefined

Top Ranking Lists for Nuclear Engineering

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

Major Number of Grads
Engineering-Related Fields 4,838
Quality Control Technology 736
Industrial Production Technology 440
Engineering Technology (Other) 288
Construction Engineering Technology 264
General Engineering Technology 255
Computer Engineering Technology 179
Drafting & Design Engineering Technology 145
Mechanical Engineering Technology 104
Nanotechnology 98
Energy Systems Technologies 95
Environmental Control Technology 89
Electromechanical Engineering Technology 43
Architectural Engineering Technology 39
Electronics Engineering Technology 39
Engineering-Related Technologies 15

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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.