Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
If you're thinking of nuclear engineering as a major, either you have a sincere desire to harness the most powerful energy source on the planet in a safe way, or you're a supervillain. If you are the latter, we at Shmoop would just like to point out that we are a trusted voice in education and would be very good at getting your message out there, Dr…Sir? If you're the former, could you check and make sure Dr. Sir is gone?
You're going to work somewhere in the nuclear field, but that's only the first step of your job search. It's a good idea to know some of the available options for you. While it's not like plutonium is available at every corner drugstore (there's another prediction you got wrong, Doc Brown), there are a number of different places that would be interested in someone with a nuclear engineering degree. Or if you're anything like Charlie Papazian, eventually you'll just chuck it all and brew beer in your garage. We'd recommend one of the following instead, though.
Common Career Fields
Plant engineer. This is probably what you thought of when you had this major in mind. Despite being a total given, it's still a useful and intuitive destination for someone who just learned all of that nuclear engineering. You would likely be working in one of the nation's nuclear power plants, somewhere along the fuel cycle. That's the transformation of radioactive material into useful energy.
Research engineer. Maybe you're more of a creative thinker who would rather not deal with the day-to-day of a power plant. That's just fine. In fact, there are lots of fields that could use you. Chemistry, physics (especially particle physics), and, of course, engineering. Your work will still be helping people; it's just the kind of help that comes with new and better technology.
Central Intelligence Agency . That's right, the CIA. Since nuclear weapons are a persistent danger on the world stage, America's intelligence apparatus could use some experts. This isn't an opening to be James Bond. It's more like those people in the big computer room behind Bond. You know, the ones figuring out if the bad guy has his doomsday weapon yet. You want to talk about important work? Well, you can't. It's classified. It's still pretty important, though.
Education. This is always a possible destination for anyone who makes it out of college. Don't think of it as a safety net that only catches the unworthy. There are a lot of people who legitimately love the work and shine when they get to do it. Maybe you're one of those people who looks forward to shaping the next generation. We think that's pretty great.
Public Policy. Nuclear power is potentially a world-shaking force for good or evil. If you're on the public policy side of things, it's your job to help determine which. Don't get too excited: you don't have signs that say "good" or "evil." That would be weird. You're a consulting expert. Lawmakers will come to you for advice on the issues of your specialty.
Engineer. This can be any number of engineering careers from nuclear engineering to mechanical engineering. Some places will only want an engineering degree and not worry too much about your specific field. You'll have all the necessary training for what they want, so why not, right? Unless it's a nuclear engineering job, in which case you'll likely go right to the front of the line.
Administration. Companies and federal departments have administrative arms, and those that deal with nuclear energy could use your help. You still have all of the skills you learned in college, from organization to research. Plus, you have a greater breadth of knowledge from your engineering courses. This combination can be irresistible, even in positions that don't directly deal with nuclear power. You have enough know-how to understand what's really going on, which makes you much more valuable than your standard administrator. It's not a bad place to go.
Current unemployment of the major
11.0%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
64%Stats obtained from this source.