Architecture and Engineering · Holland code IRC

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.

Also called: Engineer, Nuclear Engineer, Nuclear Licensing Engineer, Nuclear Reactor Engineer, Nuclear Design Engineer, Nuclear Process Engineer, Nuclear Safety Engineer, Nuclear Steam Supply System Engineer (NSSS Engineer).

O*NET 17-2161.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $133,970; Middle half earn $108,690 to $163,630. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 81% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: -1% · Decline; 15,400 jobs in 2024, projected 15,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Nuclear engineers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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 and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Science4.1 / 5
Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.6 / 5
Physics4.5 / 5
Mathematics4.4 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Public Safety and Security4.0 / 5
Chemistry3.9 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic65
Investigative91
Artistic17
Social15
Enterprising25
Conventional58

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

nuclear engineer · DE Nuklearingenieur/Nuklearingenieurin · FR ingénieur nucléaire/ingénieure nucléaire

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed
Engineering professionals n.e.c. (2129)124,800 employed
Quality control and planning engineers (2481)35,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.30. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2161).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test