How hard is it to become a nuclear engineer?

Becoming a nuclear engineer is significantly challenging due to the rigorous educational requirements and the complexity of the field. To become a nuclear engineer, you typically need to earn a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering or a related field, such as mechanical or chemical engineering with a concentration in nuclear engineering. This degree often requires extensive coursework in mathematics, physics, and engineering principles.

What companies hire nuclear engineers?

Nuclear engineers are hired to work in industries ranging from power plant operations to medicine and agriculture. Employers include the U.S. military, General Electric, and Siemens. The majority of nuclear engineers work in the design and operation of nuclear power plants. Companies including G.E., First Energy, and Westinghouse produce nuclear-generated power and require the expertise of nuclear engineers to design and operate their plants.

How To Become A Nuclear Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a nuclear engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

Few professionals have been involved in cinematic plots as many times as nuclear engineers. The relationship of this job with the possibility of terrorist attacks is often used in films and television series. But this is far from the truth. In fact, one of the main tasks of this specialist is the security and protection that surrounds the nuclear process. Although the work of the nuclear engineer is usually associated with a power station, their tasks are much broader, being useful in several industries, including the medical world.

Among the responsibilities of a nuclear engineer are designing and building nuclear equipment, monitoring nuclear facilities, assessing and defining the causes of nuclear accidents, performing preventive and corrective maintenance of nuclear equipment, and determining new uses for nuclear energy.

To become a nuclear engineer, you must study many years. First, you need a university degree in chemical, industrial or civil engineering, then a postgraduate or master's degree in nuclear engineering, and probably some other training. Maybe you think that studying so much is not worth it, but when you consider that you can earn between $10,000 and $15,000 a month, it does not seem like that many years, does it?

What general advice would you give to a Nuclear Engineer?

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

President of the American Nuclear Society (2020-2021) Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering Associate Dean of the College of Science and Engineering Idaho State University, American Nuclear Society

Some challenges the nuclear industry has faced in 2020 included COVID-19 pandemic, retirements of highly experienced personnel, and announcements of additional nuclear power plant closures due to economic reasons. These challenges require focus on being efficient, cost-effective and adaptable to changing environments, while maintaining nuclear safety. The pipeline programs for new hires did not halt in 2020 and training programs for the new engineers continue as scheduled with COVID-19 mitigating precautions. Based on our experience in 2020, we depend on the entry-level nuclear engineers to be capable of working remotely, having an appreciation for the business side of running a nuclear power plant, bringing in new ideas and being flexible in a changing work environment. We have been very pleased with the personnel recruited into this environment.

ScoreNuclear EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $99,677

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate -11%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 17.23%

Black or African American 4.13%

Hispanic or Latino 10.30%

Unknown 4.69%

White 63.36%

Gender

female 12.74%

male 87.26%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.2

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a nuclear engineer

Explore nuclear engineer education requirements

Most common nuclear engineer degrees

Bachelor's

79.4 %

Master's

13.2 %

Associate

3.9 %

Start to develop specific nuclear engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Security Clearance	10.71%
Oversight	9.68%
Project Management	7.57%
Safety Analysis	7.46%
DOE	5.29%

Complete relevant nuclear engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New nuclear engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a nuclear engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real nuclear engineer resumes.

Research nuclear engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage the implementation of technology for better communicating and displaying radiological data used during emergency response.
Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
Perform and document technical evaluations in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59.
Provide technical support, resolutions, and oversight during shipboard operations.

Prepare your nuclear engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your nuclear engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a nuclear engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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Apply for nuclear engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a nuclear engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Nuclear Engineer Job

Arman Grigoryan

Nuclear Engineer

My name is Arman Grigoryan, I was born on December 3, 1993, in Yerevan, Republic of
Armenia. My journey into the world of nuclear engineering was deeply influenced by the fact
how nuclear power saved my country. I would like to share my story and delve into the pivotal
role of nuclear energy in my homeland’s national security, as well as the personal reasons that led
me to pursue a career in this strategic field.
I would like to start with an historical event that significantly shaped the field of nuclear energy
in my country. On April 26, 1986, one of the Soviet-designed reactors at the Ukraine, Chernobyl
nuclear power plant underwent a catastrophic power excursion. An enormous amount of
radioactive matter out of control emitted into the open atmosphere, leading to what is now
known as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, with widespread radioactive contamination, hundreds
of deaths from severe radiation, and likely thousands of additional deaths due to radiation-
induced cancers in the months and years that followed. The Cherbobyl explosion put
approximately 400 times more radioactive material into the Earth’s atmosphere than the atomic
bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The Chernobyl accident resonated worldwide, dramatically
undermining public trust in nuclear power as a safe source of energy and Soviet Armenia was not
an exclusion. 2 years after, in December 1988, the devastating earthquake of the Armenian
Spitak killed nearly 2 percent of Armenia’s population—and destroyed most of the country’s
infrastructure. An environmentalist movement sprang up, calling for the total shutdown of the
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) reactors. The authorities backed down, and in
compliance with a Decision of the USSR Council of Ministers the two reactors were turned off
on February 25 and March 18, 1989.
After the USSR collapse, the subsequent political cataclysms in 1990-1993 led to a partial
blockade of Armenia and, as a result, to a severe energy crisis in the republic. The established
situation brought about the only acceptable decision. The year I was born, in 1993, the
Government of Armenia made a decision to restart the ANPP Unit 2. Following the completion
of repair and safety upgrading activities, Unit 2 was connected to the power grid in November
1995 becoming the first commercial reactor that has been restarted after 6.5 years of shutdown,
just before the winter season. Armenia’s econ

How do nuclear engineers rate their job?