Nuclear Engineering Degrees
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Salaries For Degrees in Nuclear Engineering
Graduates in Nuclear Engineering can work in a variety of jobs. It is impossible to say what you personally will do with a degree in Nuclear Engineering, our survey panel picked the following occupations as likely options:
- Nuclear engineers (Best salary!)
- Nuclear technicians
The median salary for people with a degree in Nuclear Engineering is $81,515.20. The lifetime value of this degree is approximately $2,063,025.00.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the employment of nuclear engineers will increase by almost eleven percent over the next eight years. The average salary for a nuclear engineer is $97,000 a year plus benefits, but some engineers earn well over $125,000 a year depending on job responsibilities as well as the company’s size, location, and focus within the nuclear industry.
Salaries are highly dependent on individual negotiating skill, seniority in the field, your employer, region, and more. The estimates we show on these pages are just that: estimates. Your individual experience will likely vary.
Where does this come from?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the US government, classifies all workers into some 800-odd occupational categories. We paid a team of freelancers to get their view on what type of degree a holder of each type of job would likely have majored in. For pairs which had a high degree of consensus, we created a link between the degree and the job.
From this, we calculated the average salary for Nuclear Engineering degrees and converted it into a lifetime value. We then compared it against other degrees at the same level of schooling (such as associate's, bachelor's, or master's), so that you can make informed educational and employment decisions.
A Degree in Nuclear Engineering Opens the Door for an Exciting Career of Discovery
Not everyone wants to study atomic nuclei, nuclear fusion, sub-atomic physics, medical radiation, or nuclear safety, but there is an enormous amount of excitement, discovery, and opportunity waiting for anyone who wants to pursue a nuclear engineering degree. Hi-tech companies, nuclear engineering companies, the federal government, and utility companies around the world are constantly looking for qualified nuclear engineers to address issues like thermodynamic transport, nuclear waste disposal, nuclear fuel and nuclear proliferation and radioactivity. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as the US Navy are two other agencies that need competent nuclear engineers to explore, regulate, and monitor nuclear activity in every corner of the world as well as in the minute world of the atom.
Nuclear engineering programs are available at the bachelor, masters, and doctoral degree levels. Some graduate programs include courses in related topics like medical or health physics, but at the bachelor degree level students must complete fundamental physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering science courses before they focus on reactor theory, radiation measurement, reactor design, reactor engineering, and fluid and heat behavior. A considerable amount of laboratory coursework is required plus students are expected to complete a senior design or research project.
Bachelor Degree Prerequisites and Coursework
Students who have demonstrate an interest or affinity for math and science and have a high school diploma, plus have decent scores on the ACT or SAT exams usually can pursue a degree in nuclear engineering either online or at a college or university that has a reputation for offering excellent nuclear engineering degree opportunities.
After student’s complete general math and science courses they usually enroll in nuclear reactor design, theory, and engineering courses. That curriculum includes:
- Calculus
- Physics
- Differential Equations
- Reactor Theory
- Reactor Design
- Reactor Shielding
- Reactor Protection
- Two Phase Flow
Students that earn a degree in nuclear engineering find employment as a nuclear waste manager, a medical equipment designer, a service company consultant, or a nuclear power systems designer.
Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering Prerequisites and Coursework
Graduates that earn an engineering degree must submit their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores to the college or university of their choice. Some schools require students to take a GRE physics subject test and have two letters of recommendation. The core courses selected by the student must include an advanced foundation in nuclear engineering that will support their research project. Most programs include classes in:
- Nuclear Reactor Systems
- Nuclear Reactor Safety
- Nuclear Reactor Engineering
- Nuclear Product Development
- Materials Degradation
- Engineering Modeling and Analysis
- Energy System Risks
- Operation of Reactors
Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Engineering Coursework and Prerequisites
If a career in teaching or research is the goal students can continue and complete core coursework before beginning a research project to earn a degree in a Ph.D. program. Most schools require five or six courses before a student can major in radiation safety, bionuclear physics, nuclear technology chemistry, nuclear waste management, or fusion system engineering and analysis. Writing as well as defending a thesis is also required before graduation.
Elective courses to earn a nuclear doctorate degree include:
- Applied nuclear Instrumentation
- Health Physics
- Reactor Safety Analysis
- Nondestructive Measurement
- Management of Nuclear Waste
- Material and Radiation Damage
- Reactor Design
- Regulation and Licensing
A PH.D. in nuclear engineering offers excellent teaching and research opportunities at a various colleges and universities, but interesting as well as rewarding job opportunities exist in other industries as well. Companies that deal in the nuclear arena in some way are always looking for radioactive waste managers, diagnostic medical equipment designers, nuclear reactor designers, and nuclear physics professors.
Online Schools That Offer Accredited Nuclear Engineering Degrees
There are four excellent online schools that offer nuclear engineering programs:
- The University of Tennessee Online offers two programs and all the coursework can be completed online
- The University of Ontario Institute of Technology Online offers six graduates diplomas in nuclear technology
- North Carolina State University offers bachelor, masters, and doctorate programs
- British Council USA offers a UK education through their online office in Washington DC.
Top Colleges & Universities Offering Excellent Campus-based Nuclear Engineering Programs
There are several colleges and universities that offer nuclear engineering degrees, but there are eight that stand out in the crowd:
- North Carolina State University
- University of Missouri
- Kansas State University
- University of North Texas
- University of Michigan
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois
Famous Nuclear Scientists and Engineers
Any list of famous people involved with the study of nuclear topics would not be complete unless Albert Einstein’s name appeared somewhere on the list. His accomplishments are well documented and his work continues to reveal new information about nuclear chemistry and the mysteries lodged within the atom.
Other great nuclear scientists include: Otto Hahn who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944; James Chadwick the English Nobel Laureate that discovered the neutron in 1932; Lise Meitner the Swedish physicist that helped identify nuclear fission; Glen Seaborg who served as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and is credited for discovering the element plutonium; Enrico Fermi the Italian physicist who developed the first nuclear reactor; Ernest Lawrence who developed the Cyclotron which is the device that accelerates nuclear particles; Irene Joliot-Curie and her husband Frederic Joliot-Curie who studied artificial radioactivity and helped discover the neutron. Both were awarded a Nobel Prize for their work.
The list of well known nuclear scientists would not be complete without Andrei Sakharov the Russian physicist; Chien-Shiung Wu the Chinese scientist who helped produce bomb grade uranium for the Manhattan Project; Edward Teller who is considered the father of the atomic bomb, and Hideki Yukawa who won the Nobel Prize in 1949 for his research in the theory of elementary particles.
Matt Groening, creator of The Simpson's was a Nuclear Electronics Technician in the United States Navy. The role of Homer Simspon was inspired by his experience in the US Navy.
