Best programs to become a nuclear engineer
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for nuclear engineers. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Nuclear Engineering (IPEDS completions).
1 college program at 30 schools trains nuclear engineers, graduating 961 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $133,970 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About 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.
Best programs to study to become a nuclear engineer
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear Engineeringmain feeder CIP 14.2301 | 961 | 100.0% | 30 | $73,724 | $23,250 |
Top 30 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder program | 102 | Nuclear Engineering | 84% | — | 57% |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder program | 83 | Nuclear Engineering | 74% | — | 42% |
| 3 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 69 | Nuclear Engineering | 85% | — | 42% |
| 4 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder program | 62 | Nuclear Engineering | 93% | — | 16% |
| 5 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 1 feeder program | 52 | Nuclear Engineering | 83% | — | 50% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 46 | Nuclear Engineering | 86% | — | 61% |
| 7 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 46 | Nuclear Engineering | 93% | — | 11% |
| 8 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder program | 42 | Nuclear Engineering | 85% | — | 42% |
| 9 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Public · 1 feeder program | 41 | Nuclear Engineering | 70% | — | 77% |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder program | 41 | Nuclear Engineering | 90% | — | 45% |
| 11 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 40 | Nuclear Engineering | 96% | $11,666 | 5% |
| 12 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder program | 38 | Nuclear Engineering | 94% | — | 14% |
| 13 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder program | 35 | Nuclear Engineering | 91% | — | 24% |
| 14 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 32 | Nuclear Engineering | 85% | — | 58% |
| 15 | Idaho State University Pocatello, ID Public · 1 feeder program | 31 | Nuclear Engineering | 39% | — | — |
| 16 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO Public · 1 feeder program | 30 | Nuclear Engineering | 64% | — | 73% |
| 17 | United States Military Academy West Point, NY Public · 1 feeder program | 22 | Nuclear Engineering | 87% | — | 12% |
| 18 | Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management Wright-Patterson AFB, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 20 | Nuclear Engineering | — | — | — |
| 19 | University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM Public · 1 feeder program | 19 | Nuclear Engineering | 55% | — | 95% |
| 20 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 17 | Nuclear Engineering | 84% | $28,900 | 63% |
| 21 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD Public · 1 feeder program | 17 | Nuclear Engineering | 93% | — | 9% |
| 22 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO Public · 1 feeder program | 15 | Nuclear Engineering | 82% | — | 61% |
| 23 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder program | 13 | Nuclear Engineering | 86% | — | 55% |
| 24 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 1 feeder program | 12 | Nuclear Engineering | 65% | — | 86% |
| 25 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder program | 9 | Nuclear Engineering | 88% | — | 61% |
| 26 | University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 1 feeder program | 7 | Nuclear Engineering | 79% | — | 60% |
| 27 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder program | 6 | Nuclear Engineering | 34% | — | 91% |
| 28 | University of Idaho Moscow, ID Public · 1 feeder program | 6 | Nuclear Engineering | 57% | — | 76% |
| 29 | South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC Public · 1 feeder program | 5 | Nuclear Engineering | 37% | — | 83% |
| 30 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Public · 1 feeder program | 3 | Nuclear Engineering | 71% | — | 82% |
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What nuclear engineers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texaslimited | $128,340 | 190 | 0.14× | 1 | 102 |
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $133,250 | 340 | 0.58× | 3 | 84 |
| Tennesseelimited | — | 720 | 2.24× | 1 | 83 |
| North Carolinalimited | $131,850 | 460 | 0.94× | 1 | 69 |
| Michiganlimited | $129,940 | 330 | 0.76× | 1 | 62 |
| Californialimited | $172,400 | 1,070 | 0.60× | 1 | 46 |
| Illinoislimited | $134,510 | 1,040 | 1.74× | 1 | 42 |
| Massachusettslimited | $145,760 | 210 | 0.60× | 1 | 40 |
| New Yorklimited | $141,200 | 150 | 0.16× | 2 | 39 |
| Georgialimited | $132,440 | 200 | 0.41× | 1 | 38 |
| Idaholimited | $133,970 | — | — | 2 | 37 |
| Floridalimited | $135,400 | 120 | 0.12× | 1 | 35 |
| Ohiolimited | — | 190 | 0.36× | 2 | 29 |
| New Mexicolimited | $164,300 | 500 | 5.88× | 1 | 19 |
| Marylandlimited | $157,960 | 180 | 0.67× | 1 | 17 |
| Virginialimited | $128,890 | — | — | 1 | 13 |
| South Carolinalimited | $126,570 | 1,440 | 6.35× | 2 | 12 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to 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.
- Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
- Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance.
- Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
Skills
- Science4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Mathematics4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Writing4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Active Learning3.9
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology4.6
- Physics4.5
- Mathematics4.4
- English Language4.0
- Public Safety and Security4.0
- Chemistry3.9
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.6
- Written Expression4.1
- Information Ordering4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Category Flexibility4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
Core activities
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.8
- Working with Computers4.5
- Analyzing Data or Information4.4
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
- Getting Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
How to get in
How to become a nuclear engineer
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Nuclear Engineers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.2301Nuclear Engineering
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a nuclear engineer?+
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for nuclear engineers. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Nuclear Engineering (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a nuclear engineer?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Nuclear Engineering (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 program to this job, which graduates about 961 people a year.
How much do nuclear engineers earn?+
The median is $133,970 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $92,960 at the 10th percentile to $196,290 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for nuclear engineers growing?+
BLS projects a -1.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
30 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 program that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do nuclear engineers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Engineer, Nuclear Engineer, Nuclear Reactor Engineer, Nuclear Licensing Engineer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-2161.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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