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Nuclear engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a nuclear engineer. Nuclear engineers usually study mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, or electrical engineering. 79% of nuclear engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 697 real nuclear engineer resumes to see exactly what nuclear engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for nuclear engineers are the Old Dominion University and the Old Dominion University.
There are also many online nuclear engineer courses to help get the education required to be a nuclear engineer.
There are certain nuclear engineer certifications that you should consider. These nuclear engineer certifications include Engineer In Training Certification (EIT) and Certification in Nuclear Medicine.
What education do you need to become a nuclear engineer?
What degree do you need to be a nuclear engineer?
- Bachelor's, 79%
- Master's, 13%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a nuclear engineer?
- Nuclear Engineering, 22%
- Other Majors, 31%
Most common colleges for nuclear engineers
| Nuclear engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Old Dominion University | 17.88% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 9.50% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 7.82% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 7.26% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 5.59% |
Best majors for nuclear engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 29.9% |
| 2 | Nuclear Engineering | 22.0% |
| 3 | Electrical Engineering | 10.6% |
| 4 | Chemical Engineering | 5.8% |
| 5 | Engineering | 4.8% |
Best colleges for nuclear engineers
The best colleges for nuclear engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A nuclear engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for nuclear engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become nuclear engineers.
1. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
8. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for nuclear engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for nuclear engineers
The most affordable schools for nuclear engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for nuclear engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for nuclear engineers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nuclear engineers
The hardest universities for nuclear engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for nuclear engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for nuclear engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nuclear engineers
The easiest schools for nuclear engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, oklahoma wesleyan university, and capitol technology university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a nuclear engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for nuclear engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
10. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
Average nuclear engineer salary by education level
| Nuclear engineer education level | Nuclear engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $111,864 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $97,599 |
| Doctorate Degree | $125,651 |
Nuclear engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025