Nuclear Engineering: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 14.23. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 101 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 3 | 31 | Data unavailable | $96,054 | $27,000 1 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 25 | 431 | $77,686 | $99,297 | $23,458 11 programs |
| Master's degree | 32 | 311 | $100,456 | $117,400 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 29 | 169 | $114,550 | $143,572 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 11 | 17 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA · Public · 17 graduates measured | $80,881 | $95,861 | $27,000 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville TN · Public · 17 graduates measured | $90,657 | $99,139 | $19,500 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public · 17 graduates measured | $82,743 | $116,047 | $21,000 |
| Missouri University of Science and Technology MO · Public · 20 graduates measured | $80,397 | $89,929 | $24,141 |
| Purdue University-Main Campus IN · Public · 18 graduates measured | $77,236 | Data unavailable | $25,495 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg PA · Public · 42 graduates measured | $76,869 | $94,365 | $26,000 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA · Public · 42 graduates measured | $76,869 | $94,365 | $26,000 |
| Texas A&M University-College Station TX · Public · 57 graduates measured | $75,747 | $103,438 | $19,500 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M University-College Station TX · Public · 20 graduates measured | $103,822 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Doctoral degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public · 18 graduates measured | $126,268 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Nuclear Engineering
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering managers | $171,270 | +5.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Nuclear engineers | $133,970 | +0.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Engineering teachers, postsecondary | $109,270 | +7.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (1)
- 14.2301 Nuclear Engineering