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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $127,520 in the US and is showing modest growth of -1% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.39 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include contamination exposure regulations, radioactive contamination, nuclear reprocessing, engineering principles, safety engineering.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £48,776 a year for Engineering professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £39,653 to £61,717 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2129). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Nuclear engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Physics
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Chemistry
- Computers and Electronics
- Design
A day in the life
You start the morning at the power station reviewing overnight readings from the reactor instruments with the operations team, checking that temperatures, pressures and radiation levels all sit within safe limits. Mid-morning you walk part of the plant with a maintenance crew, confirming that a planned repair follows the approved procedure and that workers are properly shielded. Back at your desk you study a report on an equipment fault at another plant and consider whether your own design needs a change to prevent something similar. After lunch you revise the written operating instructions for handling spent fuel, a slow and exacting task where every word matters. Later you meet the environmental compliance team to review discharge monitoring before an inspection by the regulator. The paperwork is heavy and nothing is done in a hurry. The reward is steady and serious: a day in which the plant produced power safely, partly because your checks were thorough.
In India: In India nuclear power is run entirely by the public sector, so nuclear engineers usually join government research centres or state-owned power corporations through their own recruitment and training schemes, often living in plant townships.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Nuclear engineers do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Nuclear engineers?
You start the morning at the power station reviewing overnight readings from the reactor instruments with the operations team, checking that temperatures, pressures and radiation levels all sit within safe limits. Mid-morning you walk part of the plant with a maintenance crew, confirming that a planned repair follows the approved procedure and that workers are properly shielded.
How much does Nuclear engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Nuclear engineers in the US is $127,520.
What is the job outlook for Nuclear engineers?
The role is showing modest growth of -1% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 15,400 workers.
How do I become nuclear engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Nuclear engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include contamination exposure regulations, radioactive contamination, nuclear reprocessing, engineering principles, safety engineering, technical drawings. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Nuclear engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Nuclear engineers a score of 0.39 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Nuclear engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.