Occupations/17-2161.00
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.
Usually a four-year bachelor’s degree.
AI automation risk
67%
Higher automation risk
Human characteristics
42%
Balanced human and task mix
Task orientation
55%
Mixed exposure
A day in this job
- Mostly routine
Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- Mostly routine
Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- Mostly routine
Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
The tasks we can read here lean routine. That sits next to the AI risk rank — it is not a forecast that the job disappears.
Core tasks
- 01Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
- 02Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- 03Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
- 04Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
- 05Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- 06Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks3.21
- Degree of automation1.70
- Time sitting3.86
- Originality (ability)3.38
- Conflict situations2.60
- Hands-on objects/tools2.10
- Outdoors / weather2.10
- Disease exposure1.17
- Decision freedom3.48
Top abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.62
- Written Expression4.12
- Written Comprehension4.00
- Oral Expression4.00
- Mathematical Reasoning4.00
- Information Ordering4.00
- Inductive Reasoning4.00
- Deductive Reasoning4.00
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension4.00
- Active Listening4.00
- Writing4.00
- Speaking3.75
- Mathematics4.00
- Science4.12
- Critical Thinking4.12
- Active Learning3.88
- Learning Strategies3.00
- Monitoring4.00
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 20 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $5,200 | 100% | 21% | 1 yr $86,424 2 yr — Master's · CIP 14.23 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $17,500 | 45% | 85% | 1 yr $74,576 2 yr $69,535 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $13,200 | 63% | 83% | 1 yr $67,995 2 yr $63,005 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $10,000 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr $67,324 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $11,800 | 17% | 91% | 1 yr $66,915 2 yr $69,338 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $19,600 | 55% | 86% | 1 yr $64,068 2 yr $66,287 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $9,200 | 47% | 84% | 1 yr $63,997 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $63,600 | 7% | 93% | 1 yr $62,409 2 yr $75,204 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $13,200 | 83% | 68% | 1 yr $59,417 2 yr $46,087 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $11,200 | 49% | 89% | 1 yr $57,318 2 yr $49,644 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $6,400 | 23% | 89% | 1 yr $53,358 2 yr $59,124 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public | Nuclear Engineering 14.2301 | $17,700 | 18% | 93% | 1 yr $47,327 2 yr $53,358 Bachelor's · CIP 14.23 |