Long-Term Prospects

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Job Satisfaction

General quality of life statement

Unfortunately, there aren't enough nuclear engineering majors to get an accurate estimation of the earning potential of the major. Sorry about that, but it's just not that common of a major yet. What we do know is that people entering a nuclear engineer career do pretty well, clocking in a median pay of a little over $104,000 (source).

Did your eyes just flash dollar signs or were we seeing things? It's important to note that's not the value of the degree itself, but rather one possible job you could get from it.

That is, if you get a job. Unfortunately, the unemployment levels are pretty high for people in this major.

Far better, though, is the job satisfaction figure. That's across the whole major, and that means two-thirds of nuclear engineering majors like what they do. Maybe they're just excessively happy that they actually have a job?

Considering this is a job handling ridiculously hazardous material and dodging the occasional Godzilla attack, two-thirds seems pretty high. Nice. It's also comforting to note that the people handling the plutonium are, by and large, happy.

So you might be rolling in bank and you might not, but you're going to be doing it cheerfully. Isn't that the most important thing? Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy gamma radiation. Which makes hulks. And it's always nice to have a hulk.

25th Percentile Salary

Median Salary

75th Percentile Salary

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