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

What is a reactor engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

The job of a reactor engineer is as cool as it sounds. As a reactor engineer, you are responsible for designing and developing nuclear reactor programs, meaning your role is mission-critical.

But what exactly does a reactor engineer do? The specific duties of a reactor engineer typically include overseeing operations of the reactor core, developing testing processes, conducting safety analyses, facilitating the control room, and so much more. You may also play a vital role in projects conducted by internal and external engineering teams.

This highly critical job requires at least a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering, but an advanced degree is always a plus. More than that, anyone who wants to become a nuclear engineer must have prior work experience in a similar role, as well as deep familiarity with safety standards and procedures.

As you would expect, the compensation for a reactor engineer is above average, which is about $87,000 a year. However, there are some engineers that make as much as $122,000 per year.

What general advice would you give to a reactor 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.

ScoreReactor EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,752

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 17.05%

Black or African American 4.29%

Hispanic or Latino 10.75%

Unknown 4.74%

White 62.87%

Gender

female 15.38%

male 84.62%

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 reactor engineer

Explore reactor engineer education requirements

Most common reactor engineer degrees

Bachelor's

81.7 %

Master's

16.9 %

Diploma

1.4 %

Start to develop specific reactor engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
DOE	70.18%
Technical Specifications	9.48%
NRC	5.20%
Nuclear Power	3.04%
Engineering Support	2.18%

Complete relevant reactor engineer training and internships

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

Research reactor engineer duties and responsibilities

Present recommendations to improve NRC's project management and scheduling practices to achieve realistic and dynamic project schedules.
Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
Develop programs and scripts (MATLAB) to effectively postprocess results.
Develop and implement NRC processes and procedures for NRC's project scheduling operations.

Apply for reactor engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a 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