DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA
17-2161 Nuclear Engineers
Occupational Description:
Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.| Percentiles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | Employment | Emp SE* | Mean | Mean SE* | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
| Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN | N/A | 45 | N/A | $1.22/hr | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Minnesota | 180 | 45 | $57.00/hr | $0.91/hr | $42.35/hr | $48.92/hr | $57.42/hr | $65.62/hr | $75.14/hr |
| U S | 15,850 | 650 | $58.63/hr | $1.76/hr | $34.91/hr | $43.80/hr | $55.11/hr | $67.19/hr | $87.16/hr |
| *SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate. | |||||||||
| Occupation (click title for details) | OES | Projections | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | Median Wage | % Change 2020 - 2030 | |
| Mechanical Engineers | 5,340 | $41.75/hr | 5.4% |
| Civil Engineers | 4,860 | $45.03/hr | 7.9% |
| Engineering Managers | 3,180 | $72.07/hr | 3.2% |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians | 1,250 | $30.49/hr | -2.8% |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 330 | $44.62/hr | 4.8% |
| Aerospace Engineers | 140 | $55.32/hr | 16.2% |
| Physicists | 90 | $39.38/hr | N/A |
| Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 10 | $51.31/hr | N/A |
| Petroleum Engineers | N/A | $58.48/hr | N/A |
Tasks for Nuclear Engineers
- Determines potential hazard and accident conditions which may exist in fuel handling and storage and recommends preventive measures.
- Performs experiments to determine acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear fuel reclamation, and waste disposal.
- Formulates equations that describe phenomena occurring during fission of nuclear fuels and develops analytical models for research.
- Examines accidents and obtains data to formulate preventive measures.
- Synthesizes analyses of tests results and prepares technical reports of findings and recommendations.
- Monitors nuclear operations to identify potential or inherent design, construction, or operational problems to ensure safe operations.
- Designs and oversees construction and operation of nuclear fuels reprocessing systems and reclamation systems.
- Formulates and initiates corrective actions and orders plant shut down in emergency situations.
- Computes cost estimates of construction projects, prepares project proposals, and discusses projects with vendors, contractors, and nuclear facility's review board.
- Directs operating and maintenance activities of operational nuclear facility.
- Writes operational instructions relative to nuclear plant operation and nuclear fuel and waste handling and disposal.
- Maintains reports to summarize work and document plant operations.
- Designs and develops nuclear machinery and equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, and associated instrumentation and control mechanisms.
- Inspects nuclear fuels, waste, equipment, test-reactor vessel and related systems, and control instrumentation to identify potential problems or hazards.
- Evaluates research findings to develop new concepts of thermonuclear analysis and new uses of radioactive models.
- Conducts tests to research nuclear fuel behavior and nuclear machinery and equipment performance.
- Plans and designs nuclear research to discover facts, or to test, prove, or modify known nuclear theories.
- Analyzes available data and consults with other scientists to determine parameters of experimentation and suitability of analytical models.
