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

What is a nuclear reactor engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Erin Blumsack

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a nuclear reactor engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $46.27 an hour? That's $96,241 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 reactor engineer?

Erin Blumsack

External Relations Coordinator, Pennsylvania State University

Have an open mind: you will be surprised at what your career ends up looking like versus what you expected it to look like. Step outside your comfort zone as much as you can. Take on things that are outside your normal interests. Try not to box yourself in to one thing. Even if your goal is to become a subject matter expert, make sure you pay attention to things outside your area of expertise. Cultivate relationships with people in and out of work. Be on the lookout for gaps in your institution's skill sets. If there is one person who does a certain thing and they are going to be retiring in a decade, ask them to mentor you. Pay attention to things you do not enjoy in your job to inform your future decisions. If your relationship with your employer is not symbiotic, look for another job.

ScoreNuclear Reactor EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $96,241

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate -11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 18.27%

Black or African American 3.19%

Hispanic or Latino 7.54%

Unknown 4.39%

White 66.34%

Gender

female 16.00%

male 84.00%

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 reactor engineer

Explore nuclear reactor engineer education requirements

Most common nuclear reactor engineer degrees

Bachelor's

82.6 %

Master's

13.0 %

Diploma

4.3 %

Start to develop specific nuclear reactor engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Nuclear Safety	70.06%
Nuclear Power	29.94%

Complete relevant nuclear reactor engineer training and internships

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

Research nuclear reactor 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 internal and INPO assessments.

Apply for nuclear reactor engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a nuclear reactor 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