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The differences between nuclear engineers and radiation engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a nuclear engineer has an average salary of $99,677, which is higher than the $95,529 average annual salary of a radiation engineer.
The top three skills for a nuclear engineer include security clearance, oversight and project management. The most important skills for a radiation engineer are data collection, ITAR, and CMOS.
| Nuclear Engineer | Radiation Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,677 | $95,529 |
| Hourly rate | $47.92 | $45.93 |
| Growth rate | -11% | -11% |
| Number of jobs | 8,747 | 25,305 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A nuclear engineer directs the operation and maintenance of operational nuclear power plants. Nuclear engineers make sure that the power plants are efficient and in conformity with the safety standards. They research and create instruments, systems, and processes to derive the benefits of nuclear radiation and energy. Their duties and responsibilities include finding the medical and industrial uses of radioactive materials. They also perform other tasks related to nuclear technology and radiation.
Quality/reliability engineers oversee reliability assessment and management of operations that impact products and businesses. The career calls for individuals with speaking, mechanical, writing, and troubleshooting skills, as well as a background in Java. All of this will be useful as they will help in highlighting any failures or issues. Understanding manufacturing, design principles, and computer-aided design is important for the role.
Nuclear engineers and radiation engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nuclear Engineer | Radiation Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,677 | $95,529 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $147,000 | Between $73,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | - |
| Best paying company | Baker Hughes | - |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | - |
There are a few differences between a nuclear engineer and a radiation engineer in terms of educational background:
| Nuclear Engineer | Radiation Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between nuclear engineers' and radiation engineers' demographics:
| Nuclear Engineer | Radiation Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 18.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |