Nuclear Engineering Salary

Nuclear Engineering Salary: A Guide To A Lucrative Career

One of the top paying fields among the working class belongs to the engineering profession. Within the realm of different engineering pathways is Nuclear Engineering, a field in which occupiers need to possess a higher order and somewhat out of this world set of skills and knowledge. Not to scare away any prospective students, the nuclear engineering salary is highly competitive. These engineers are very nicely compensated for their efforts at changing the world, even when weighing in the different factors that may affect the salary. These factors can consist of location, experience levels, affiliations or internships, any published works or whether working for a private sector or government regulated corporation.

Because of the nature of the work, nuclear engineers are better suited in densely populated cities and are therefore in high demand and well paid in or around these types of areas. Areas such as Pittsburgh, PA pay a median salary of about $114,362 per year. In contrast, Dothan, AL pays a median salary of $80,921 per year. This is still relatively high for a career coming out of college, but it is significantly below the national average. Also, the cost of living may need to be factored in. Don’t discard the love of country living for a higher pay if living comfortably can still be attained.

The level of experience or expertise weighs heavily on nuclear engineering salary. The levels are categorized by roman numerals next to the title, for example a nuclear engineer is a freshly graduated student, a nuclear engineer I is an engineer with 2 to 4 years of experience, a nuclear engineer II is an engineer with 4 to 6 years, and the pattern continues so forth. According to Salary Wizard, a nuclear engineer III earned an average salary of $92,641 as of April 2011. By contrast to a nuclear engineer I, which earned about $64,454 per year. A nuclear engineer V has a median salary of $117,179.

As with almost any profession, if you are affiliated with a certain corporation or organization, you are more likely to get hired or paid significantly more than a person with no extra curricular activities. Having an active membership to a prestigious organization such as The American Nuclear Society and regularly volunteering and donating looks very well on a resume. It shows that you understand the intricacies of a growing nuclear corporation and are also not in it just for the money. This can be the equivalent of experience in some situations and is likely to balance on the nuclear engineering salary.

Nuclear Engineering Salary: US Navy

Another option worth considering is whether to work for a private company or the military. A US Navy Nuclear Engineer makes an average of $102,900 after salary, bonuses and miscellaneous things. That may be the national average, but other things need to be considered Housing is an extra allowance that is paid for, educational costs are significantly less, and you can start working in an internship quickly with full benefits, along with any and all respect and authority that comes with being a member of the Armed Forces. Researching different factors is the best way to gauge the correct salary estimate.

Share and Enjoy

Top Nuclear Engineering Schools

Top Nuclear Engineering Schools: The United States Best

Making a decision about a college is always a tough one. There are so many choices to people that want to major in nuclear engineering. It can be overwhelming, but it is much easier when a potential student has sorted out some of the top schools. The information below shines a spotlight on some of the best nuclear engineering programs.

Top Nuclear Engineering Schools: Southern Schools

The south has several schools that are showing up on top nuclear engineering schools list. The University of Florida and the University may be well-known for their football teams, but they also have well-known nuclear engineer programs. North Carolina State and The Georgia Institute of Technology are also great choices for students that want to reside in the south.

Many students in the southern states will choose these schools if they have nuclear engineering majors. These schools have been recognized by print media like US News and various nuclear engineering journals. The student body for each of these schools is filled with a melting pot of races. That is what makes them stand out as some of the top nuclear engineering schools. The diversity among the students gives the program an outstanding collection of thinkers that will change the course of nuclear energy.

Top Nuclear Engineering Schools: Southwest and West Coast Programs

People that are interested in moving further southwest have options at schools like Texas A&M. Individuals that are completely engulfed in west coast living will consider the University of California – Berkeley. These are both great choices for students that are interested in large campuses with many different instructors for the various nuclear engineering courses. This is somewhat a contrast to a smaller school like the University of Tennessee. The Tennessee campus offers a more intimate environment with fewer variations between the instructors.

Top Nuclear Engineering Schools: Northern Schools

At the very top of most nuclear engineering list there will spots for colleges like the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. These schools are often followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Penn State. All of these schools have big enrollment with much larger campuses. The number of students enrolled in the engineering programs at MIT, for example, outnumbers the entire student body at schools like North Carolina State University.

The University of Illinois has also received lots of accolades for their nuclear engineering program. Much of this has to do with their outstanding faculty. There are lots of faculty members in this school that have been recognized for their contributions to research in nuclear engineering.

Quality of Education vs. Cost of Education

All the schools mentioned above have great nuclear engineering programs. Much of the final decision comes down to cost for students. It’s obvious that the larger campuses will cost more, but this is based on much more than the enrollment size. Larger campuses like Penn State have more research centers and more money that is needed to fund these nuclear engineering programs. The quality of instructor can be great at all of these schools, but the universities with more labs can create better learning environments. Fortunately, these top nuclear engineering schools all have great instructors that are producing skilled graduates.