How To Become A Nuclear Power Plant Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a nuclear power plant engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a nuclear power plant engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $34.42 an hour? That's $71,596 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 nuclear power plant 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.

ScoreNuclear Power Plant EngineerUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $71,596

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 17.08%

Black or African American 4.27%

Hispanic or Latino 10.69%

Unknown 4.74%

White 62.94%

Gender

female 9.80%

male 90.20%

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

Key steps to become a nuclear power plant engineer

Explore nuclear power plant engineer education requirements

Most common nuclear power plant engineer degrees

Bachelor's

67.7 %

Master's

9.7 %

Associate

9.7 %

Start to develop specific nuclear power plant engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Outage	65.67%
Fire Protection	20.07%
Nuclear Power	14.26%

Complete relevant nuclear power plant engineer training and internships

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

Research nuclear power plant engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage the implementation of technology for better communicating and displaying radiological data used during emergency response.
Generate radiological technology initiatives for new tools and new technologies to improve the process of overhaul.
Perform routine, entry and exit whole body counts using ND6750 equipment and Canberra whole body counter and isotopic identification equipment.

Apply for nuclear power plant engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a nuclear power plant 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