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

What is a radiological engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a radiological engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.16 an hour? That's $66,894 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -11% and produce -1,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Radiological 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.

ScoreRadiological EngineerUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,894

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 17.09%

Black or African American 4.39%

Hispanic or Latino 10.49%

Unknown 4.78%

White 62.97%

Gender

female 14.39%

male 85.61%

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 radiological engineer

Explore radiological engineer education requirements

Most common radiological engineer degrees

Bachelor's

58.6 %

Associate

18.9 %

Master's

15.3 %

Start to develop specific radiological engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
MRI	17.96%
ALARA	14.96%
Ultrasound	9.88%
Demolition	8.03%
Cath Lab	7.31%

Complete relevant radiological engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New radiological 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 radiological engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real radiological engineer resumes.

Research radiological engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage the implementation of technology for better communicating and displaying radiological data used during emergency response.
Review survey data and prepare for release records and final presentation to NRC.
Develop and coordinate the implementation of a formal training program for professional, supervisory, and technical personnel regarding NRC regulations.
Operate and troubleshoot vacuum deposition machinery used in the development of anodes vital to the design of novel lithium-sulfur battery technology.

Get radiological engineer experience

Prepare your radiological engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your radiological 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 radiological engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Radiological Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Radiological Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Radiological Engineer resume.

Apply for radiological engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a radiological 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

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