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SOC 17-2161
Nuclear engineers (O*NET-SOC 17-2161.00) apply nuclear science and engineering principles to research, design and operations involving nuclear energy and waste: designing reactor cores, radiation shielding, and instrumentation and control equipment; monitoring nuclear facility operations and identifying designs and operations that violate safety regulations or endanger safety; initiating corrective actions or ordering reactor shutdown in emergencies; writing operating procedures and technical reports; participating in environmental compliance, waste disposal and decommissioning plans; and communicating with regulators, suppliers and review committees. This page uses only official sources to explain occupational scope, tasks, preparation requirements, Chinese and US statistical definitions, and authorization boundaries.
Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((50+50+75)/3+0.5)=58; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.
Conduct an off-site exercise using a fictional operating condition: draw an event timeline for a hypothetical abnormality, list three monitoring parameters that must be checked and two escalation criteria, and draft a table of contents for a one-page technical explanation. The exercise does not authorize real design, operation or reactor shutdown.
First hurdle | Verify authorization boundaries first: who may decide operation and reactor shutdown, sign safety analyses and hold an operator license. US nuclear engineers typically do not need licensure to enter the occupation, but reactor operator licenses are granted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission through statutory procedures. In China, special nuclear safety personnel, including civilian nuclear facility operators, registered nuclear safety engineers, welders and nondestructive examination personnel, are subject to qualification licensing under the Nuclear Safety Law and related rules. Registration is not an operator license.
20—120-minute safe trial | Conduct an off-site exercise using a fictional scenario: draw an event timeline for a hypothetical abnormal operating condition, list three monitoring parameters that must be checked and two judgment criteria requiring escalation, and draft a table of contents for a one-page technical explanation. Do not use this exercise to make operating, reactor shutdown or compliance conclusions about any real facility.
Nuclear engineers (O*NET-SOC 17-2161.00) apply nuclear science and engineering principles to research, design and operations involving nuclear energy and waste: designing reactor cores, radiation shielding, and instrumentation and control equipment; monitoring facility operations and identifying practices that violate safety regulations or endanger safety; initiating corrective actions or ordering reactor shutdown in emergencies; writing operating procedures and safety analysis reports; and participating in environmental compliance and waste disposal. Actual permitted activities depend on education, professional qualifications, role licensing and operating authorization. Distinguish shutdown recommendations, authorized decisions and actual operation; the job title itself does not confer permission to operate control systems.
Career direction comparison
Selection signal | Compare more than the fact that all these occupations work in the nuclear industry. Consider who decides operation and reactor shutdown, who signs safety analyses, and whether starting the role requires an operator license or professional registration.
| Career direction | Core work and output | Key differences | Best-fit choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjacent technical or operational directions | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. Specific requirements should draw on official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules to produce verifiable results, records or deliverables. | Centers on on-site operation and fault response, bears direct responsibility for operational safety, and requires a regulator-issued license. | Consider operator work if you prefer long-term shift operations and unit operation and are willing to pass licensing assessments. Consider this occupation if you prefer design, analysis and regulatory communication. |
AI impact on this career
Tools may assist with technical document drafts, regulatory searches, data organization and calculation scripts. Qualified engineers and licensed personnel remain responsible for safety conclusions, compliance judgments, change approvals and operating decisions. AI Impact Score 58% is an editorial estimate. Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((50+50+75)/3+0.5)=58; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.The three tasks, ratings and sources are listed in the FermatMind method source record on this page.
FermatMind AI Impact Score estimation method v1
FermatMind / 费马测试 · 2026-10-18
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Chinese mainland salary reference
Definition comparison | The National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of employees in urban units by industry section, without listing nuclear engineers separately. This page uses electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply industry-section averages as a reference, alongside scientific research and technical services averages.
Verifiable reference | In 2025, average annual wages for employees in urban nonprivate units in electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply were RMB 160,897, compared with RMB 66,451 in urban private units in the same industry. Scientific research and technical services averages were RMB 182,064 for nonprivate units and RMB 83,560 for private units. Coverage includes legal entities in urban areas with 5 or more employees; individually owned businesses and freelancers are excluded.
Not obtained; no substitute entered
US wages and employment
BLS data relayed by US O*NET: 2025 exact occupation 17-2161.00 median annual wage of USD 133,970, median hourly wage of USD 64.41, and annual wage percentiles spanning USD 92,960—196,290；The 2025 BLS OEWS data displayed by O*NET report the exact occupation 17-2161.00: median hourly wage of USD 64.41 and median annual wage of USD 133,970. These figures are not starting salaries or individual quoted rates.
| Wage level | Annual wage reference | Hourly equivalent | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage (P50) | $133,970 / year | $64.41 / hour | Represents only the median annual wage, not a starting salary or individual quoted rate.；National annual wage percentiles under the same definition are USD 92,960 at the 10th percentile, USD 108,690 at the 25th, USD 163,630 at the 75th and USD 196,290 at the 90th. Corresponding hourly wages are USD 44.69, 52.26, 78.67 and 94.37. |
| 25th—75th percentiles | $108,690—$163,630 / year |
Career fit guide
Key fit signals for this occupation include continuously verifying assumptions and evidence throughout long projects, reporting deviations and events according to procedures, clearly explaining assumptions and accepting challenges in multidisciplinary teams, and building safety analysis and regulatory application skills over time.
Fit signals： Continuously verify assumptions and models throughout long projects, report deviations according to procedures, explain risks and evidence clearly, and accept review.
Signals for caution： A tendency to replace analysis with experience, offer definite conclusions despite insufficient evidence, or become impatient with written records and regulatory review.
Low-cost trial： Use a fictional operating condition to practice an event timeline and parameter checks, and obtain evaluation in a teaching or guided training setting.
Work pressures, risks and professional boundaries
Direct answer | The main risks are safety analyses relying on unconfirmed assumptions, abnormal monitoring data dismissed as instrument faults, treating regulatory minimums as sufficient conditions, design changes bypassing review, and unclear escalation routes in emergencies. Controls depend on independent review, clear safety margins and acceptance criteria, procedural reporting and operating experience feedback, and licensed personnel's operating authorization.
US O*NET figures for accuracy at 71% / extremely serious errors at 40% / very high safety responsibility at 38% / daily radiation exposure at 19% are survey results, not accident rates. NRC operator licensing and China's 2021 operator rules each apply to control system operation; institutional engineering and emergency authority require separate verification. Review controls are editorial recommendations tailored to roles.
Typical scenario：Reusing existing models or experience-based assumptions without verifying operating conditions, materials and boundary conditions
Roles most affected：
Entry, qualifications and career development
US O*NET JobZone4, with 81% bachelor's / 19% master's degrees, and BLS's typical related engineering bachelor's degree and on-site training for new employees. Job Zone is not a fixed number of years for everyone. PE is a state engineering license. NCEES administers the nuclear engineering PE examination, but passing does not automatically confer state licensure. BLS states that US entry roles do not require a license; this does not exempt all senior service roles. NRC licenses for operating / supervising control systems are distinct from engineering appointments. China's registered nuclear safety engineer qualifications follow 2026 eligibility requirements. Distinguish examination passage, registration and employer task authorization; registration certificates and engineering degrees cannot replace operator licenses.
Career outlook and transitions to related occupations
BLS17-2161, United States: 2025 employment of 16,600 and tabulated 2035 employment of 16,600, precise change of 0.4%, an increase of 0.1 thousand, and 800 average annual openings. Employment stocks are rounded; equal displayed figures cannot be used to recalculate 0. OOH rounds to 0% / little or no change. O*NET's 2025 industry details show 39/23/18, while the separate subpage's other 20 has no year.
Nationwide US 17-2161 data in current O*NET and OOH both cover 2025—2035. Distinguish OOH's integer 0% from BLS's precise 0.4%; they are not two different periods. · Exact occupation 17-2161.00 Nuclear Engineers
BLS growth of 0.4% (OOH rounded to 0%), with 800 average annual openings
US employment change
Interpretation | Overall employment is essentially flat, but annual openings remain, indicating replacement-driven demand. The effects of unit life extension, decommissioning and advanced reactor research on staffing structures require separate verification by project and region.
According to O*NET 17-2161.00, core work includes designing or developing reactor cores, radiation shielding, and instrumentation and control equipment; monitoring nuclear facility operations and identifying designs, construction and operations that violate safety regulations or endanger safety; initiating corrective actions or ordering reactor shutdown in emergencies; investigating accidents and developing preventive recommendations; directing operation and maintenance activities and ensuring compliance with safety standards; preparing operating procedures, technical reports, environmental impact statements and regulatory presentations; testing fuel behavior and cycles; designing processes to reduce radioactive waste; and communicating with suppliers, contractors and review committees.
Choose a real task from this page for a small practice project or a conversation with someone in the field. Use the planning guides to set a date, an output and feedback questions before deciding whether to continue.
One-sentence assessment | This career is worth exploring further only if you are willing to use engineering and physics to address extremely high-risk nuclear safety issues with personal accountability, repeatedly verify evidence across design, operational monitoring and compliance judgments, and accept regulatory review and formal recordkeeping requirements.
Core output | Connect design bases, safety analyses, operational monitoring data, compliance judgments and response recommendations into traceable technical documents: design or modification proposals, safety analysis reports, operating procedures, monitoring and event reports, and explanatory materials for regulators, rather than just a conclusion.
Nuclear engineers (O*NET-SOC 17-2161.00) apply nuclear science and engineering principles to research, design and operations involving nuclear energy and waste: designing reactor cores, radiation shielding, instrumentation and control and related equipment; monitoring facility operations and identifying designs, construction and operations that violate safety regulations or endanger safety; initiating corrective actions or ordering reactor shutdown in emergencies; writing operating procedures and technical reports; contributing to environmental compliance, waste disposal and decommissioning plans; and communicating with regulators, suppliers and nuclear facility review committees.
Work primarily combines offices and facility sites. O*NET work context data show that 90% use email daily, 65% communicate by telephone daily, 55% have face-to-face discussions daily, and 65% work indoors in controlled conditions daily. Meanwhile, 62% work more than 40 hours per week and 76% have regular schedules.
The emphasis is on traceable safety arguments: aligning design assumptions, analytical models, monitoring data and regulatory clauses, and specifying escalation routes when evidence is insufficient or abnormalities arise, rather than relying on experience alone for conclusions.
The workflow proceeds as follows: requirements and safety objectives → design and safety analysis → review and approval → construction or modification and commissioning → operational monitoring and deviation handling → event reporting, operating experience feedback and continuous improvement. Occupational boundaries | This occupation is distinct from nuclear facility operators, nuclear monitoring technicians and nondestructive examination personnel. Operation, on-site monitoring and inspection each have separate qualifications and authorization.
| Dimension | Primary track | Comparison track |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Clarify requirements and safety objectives | Objectives |
| Step 2 | Complete design and safety analysis | Design |
| Step 3 | Obtain professional review and approval | Review |
| Step 4 | Construction or modification and commissioning | Implementation |
| Step 5 | Operational monitoring and deviation handling | Monitoring |
| Step 6 | Event reporting and operating experience feedback | Reporting |
| Step 7 | Change management and continuous improvement | Improvement |
Design and development | Design or develop nuclear equipment and systems such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, and instrumentation and control equipment.
Operational monitoring and compliance judgments | Monitor nuclear facility operations and identify designs, construction or operating practices that violate safety regulations or may endanger safety.
Emergency response | Initiate corrective actions or issue reactor shutdown orders in emergencies.
Accident investigation and technical analysis | Investigate accidents and obtain data for designing preventive measures; synthesize test results into analyses and recommendations.
Procedures and reports | Write operating instructions for nuclear facilities and nuclear fuel / waste handling and disposal; prepare technical reports, environmental impact statements and presentations.
Fuel and waste, environmental compliance and collaboration | Test fuel behavior and cycles, design processes to reduce radioactive waste, direct environmental compliance activities, and discuss construction and modification proposals with suppliers, contractors or review committees.
Qualified and authorized engineers hold responsibility for safety analysis and compliance judgments; operating and reactor shutdown decisions rest with licensed operators and facility management.
Nuclear engineers
Licensed operators
Safety review committee
Facility management
Regulators
| Adjacent technical or operational directions | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. Specific requirements should draw on official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules to produce verifiable results, records or deliverables. | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. It differs from adjacent occupations in specific requirements grounded in official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules, as well as outputs and authorization chains. | The choice depends on whether you prefer responsibility for execution, interpretation, design, coordination or management. |
|---|
| Adjacent technical or operational directions | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. Specific requirements should draw on official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules to produce verifiable results, records or deliverables. | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. It differs from adjacent occupations in specific requirements grounded in official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules, as well as outputs and authorization chains. | The choice depends on whether you prefer responsibility for execution, interpretation, design, coordination or management. |
|---|
| Adjacent technical or operational directions | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. Specific requirements should draw on official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules to produce verifiable results, records or deliverables. | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. It differs from adjacent occupations in specific requirements grounded in official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules, as well as outputs and authorization chains. | The choice depends on whether you prefer responsibility for execution, interpretation, design, coordination or management. |
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| Adjacent technical or operational directions | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. Specific requirements should draw on official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules to produce verifiable results, records or deliverables. | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. It differs from adjacent occupations in specific requirements grounded in official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules, as well as outputs and authorization chains. | The choice depends on whether you prefer responsibility for execution, interpretation, design, coordination or management. |
|---|
| Adjacent technical or operational directions | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. Specific requirements should draw on official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules to produce verifiable results, records or deliverables. | Nuclear engineer work forms a verifiable occupational workflow around the work object, task process, review of results and transfer of responsibilities. It differs from adjacent occupations in specific requirements grounded in official occupational sources, employer procedures and local rules, as well as outputs and authorization chains. | The choice depends on whether you prefer responsibility for execution, interpretation, design, coordination or management. |
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Nuclear facility operators | Center their work on reactor operations and fault response and require regulator-issued licenses. This occupation handles design, safety analysis and technical support and typically does not directly operate reactors.
When moving to an adjacent role, first compare transferable skills, including safety analysis, standards application, documentation and review. Then obtain licenses, industry code knowledge or professional training specific to the target direction. Comparison does not imply mutual recognition of qualifications or automatic job transfer.
Document and code drafts are candidates for assistance. Model applicability, safety calculations and result reliability require specialized validation and are not established by tasks / Hot Technologies.
2025 US Hot14 software: Office7/Excel5/Python5/PowerPoint4/C ++2 / MATLAB2/Word1/SAP1/Linux1/Access1, with Java/Salesforce/SAS/UNIX marked NA. Job posting mentions do not establish generative AI adoption.
BLS17-2161, United States: 2025 employment of 16,600 and tabulated 2035 employment of 16,600, precise change of 0.4%, an increase of 0.1 thousand, and 800 average annual openings. Employment stocks are rounded; equal displayed figures cannot be used to recalculate 0. OOH rounds to 0% / little or no change. No causal judgment that AI caused employment changes is made.
| Work area | Task | Current change | Human control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and development | Design reactor cores, shielding, and instrumentation and control equipment | Plan drafts and parameter organization may receive assistance | The engineer remains responsible for design assumptions and safety margins |
| Operational monitoring | Monitor operations and identify violations or hazardous practices | Data limit alerts may receive assistance | The engineer remains responsible for abnormality judgments and escalation |
| Emergency response | Initiate corrective actions or order reactor shutdown | Information organization is a candidate for assistance, without replacing emergency decisions or operating authority | Decisions follow institutional emergency authorization; control system operation / supervision follows licenses and license conditions |
| Safety analysis and reporting | Prepare safety analyses and technical reports | Formatting and searches may receive assistance | The engineer remains responsible for conclusions and signatures |
| Accident investigation | Investigate accidents and develop preventive recommendations | Evidence organization may receive assistance | The investigation team remains responsible for determining causes |
| Environment and waste | Environmental compliance and waste reduction plans | Compliance clause searches may receive assistance | The engineer remains responsible for compliance conclusions |
| Regulatory communication | Prepare technical materials for licensing and inspections | Material drafts may receive assistance | The engineer remains responsible for external explanations |
Tasks and Hot Technologies support descriptions of responsibilities and 2025 US recruitment skills. Occupational generative AI adoption, calculation validation, effects and causality were not obtained. Assistance in the table is editorial analysis under authorized conditions.
Conditional task analysis across three directions; adoption and automation effects have not been verified.
AI primarily changesCalculation scripts and document drafts may receive assistance
Human responsibility remainsAssumption selection, conclusions and signing
AI primarily changesData screening and regulatory searches may receive assistance
Human responsibility remainsCompliance judgments and escalation decisions
AI primarily changesInformation organization and plan drafts may receive assistance
Human responsibility remainsSafety arguments and regulatory communication conclusions
Accountability must remain intact when tools enter engineering and safety analysis procedures: check inputs, conditions of use, output review, recordkeeping and escalation of abnormalities in sequence.
Confirm design inputs, monitoring data sources, model versions and applicable standard versions.
Process controlled data within authorized systems and contractual scope, following confidentiality and information classification requirements.
Professional or peer review checks whether tool-generated calculation results and document drafts are consistent with assumptions.
Retain calculation documents, review comments, change requests and approval records.
Escalate unexplained deviations, invalid assumptions or requests beyond authorization according to procedures.
Invalid assumptions can remove the safety margin from conclusions
Control: Rejustify assumptions, document applicability boundaries and obtain professional review
Early abnormalities may signal equipment or operating condition problems
Control: Review instrument availability and operating condition records, and report under procedures when necessary
License conditions and institutional procedures may be stricter
Control: Compare license conditions, standards and institutional procedures clause by clause before judging
Changes with unassessed impacts can undermine the safety argument
Control: Assess safety impacts and obtain renewed review and approval under change procedures
Engineering decision authorization and control system operator licensing are distinct constraints and require separate verification
Control: Define authorization boundaries; refer decisions beyond them to authorized personnel and retain records
Potential assistance (editorial analysis) | In authorized settings, assistance with technical document drafts, standards searches, record organization and code drafts may be evaluated. This review did not obtain occupational deployment, accuracy or safety calculation validation evidence; Hot Technologies does not provide such proof.
Candidate data checks | Verify rule-based alarms, trend analysis and generative AI separately. Actual deployment effects were not obtained; abnormal operating conditions, instrument status and safety impacts require review by responsible personnel.
Human control points | Verify input data and model versions, confirm applicable regulatory clauses, review calculation results and safety margins, and have authorized personnel sign and implement escalation and reporting procedures.
Capability development | Build expertise in reactor physics and thermal hydraulics, safety analysis and probabilistic safety assessment, application of regulations and standards, abnormal operating condition judgments and regulatory communication, beyond generating documents faster.
The available evidence does not support a replacement conclusion: O*NET provides no generative AI adoption rate for this occupation. Calculation and document work may receive assistance, but qualified engineers must still handle safety conclusions, compliance judgments and change approvals.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
Document, search and code drafts are candidates for assistance. Verify monitoring alarms and professional simulations separately from generative tools; actual effects and safety validation were not obtained in this review.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
Safety conclusions and compliance judgments, decisions on reactor shutdown and corrective actions, signing safety analysis reports, approving design changes, and submitting formal explanations to regulators.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
O*NET Hot Technologies reports mention percentages for engineering and office software, including Python 5% and MATLAB 2%. These indicate only employer-mentioned preferences, without establishing proficiency or the extent of automation.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
Treat this as task-level analysis. Read "current changes" and "human control points" line by line, without interpreting them as causal conclusions about job replacement or layoffs.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
Verify use scope against data classification, contracts, client authorization and system permissions. Handle confidential information under applicable rules. Public teaching models are not uniformly controlled, and unvalidated calculation outputs must not be accepted directly.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
Traceable design bases and safety analyses, complete monitoring data and deviation handling, clear applicable regulatory clauses, abnormalities reported and resolved under procedures, and reviewed and approved changes.
Source: O*NET OnLineOriginal source ↗
When moving to an adjacent role, first compare transferable skills, including safety analysis, standards application, documentation and review. Then obtain licenses, industry code knowledge or professional training specific to the target direction.
RMB 160,897 / year (2025)
RMB 182,064 / year (2025)
Public information on responsibilities, regulatory frameworks and qualification pathways may support career exploration, but cannot be used to infer individual income in mainland China.
| Education stage | Job direction | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering or a related specialty | Enter design, analysis or technical support roles | BLS's typical related bachelor's degree is a US reference and does not establish requirements for most Chinese roles. In China, follow target institutions' and specific positions' hiring conditions. |
| Master's or doctoral degree | Undertake complex safety analysis, research and technical responsibility | Education does not replace role qualifications or authorization. |
| Professional qualifications, such as registered nuclear safety engineer | Professional credentials for nuclear and radiation safety-related roles | After passing the examination, registration under the framework is still required to practice as a registered nuclear safety engineer; this is not an operator license. |
| Role qualification licensing and operating authorization | Operator licenses and specific role authorization | Granted by regulators and employers through statutory procedures. |
For income judgments, verify the specific employer type, role category, region and contract terms.
Verify license conditions, role authorization and allocation of operating responsibilities.
Verify specialization, safety analysis capabilities and project types.
Verify equipment licensing, quality systems and on-site service requirements.
Insufficient evidence: this review did not obtain nationwide Chinese occupational wages on a comparable basis. Industry averages serve only as references for related nuclear power operation and engineering technical service employers and do not establish occupational medians. Verify registered nuclear safety engineer examination education / experience requirements and four subjects against the 2026 notice. Passing the examination, practicing under the registered title after registration, and institutional authorization require separate verification.
| $52.26—$78.67 / hour |
| The 25th—75th percentiles represent the middle 50% of the verified 2025 national distribution, not experience levels or starting salaries；The percentiles and medians all use 2025 BLS OEWS national data and cannot be directly compared across years, regions or employer types. |
| 10th—90th percentiles | $92,960—$196,290 / year | $44.69—$94.37 / hour | The 10th—90th percentiles have been verified; they are not individual quoted rates or after-tax values；OEWS measures pretax wages for regular working hours and excludes the self-employed and owners and partners of unincorporated businesses. It includes hazard pay, incentives and production bonuses, while excluding overtime premiums, shift differentials and meals and lodging, among other items. It does not categorically exclude all project bonuses. |
|---|
10th percentile wage：$92,960 / year ($44.69 / hour)；2025 BLS OEWS national 10th percentile；a lower percentile is not a starting salary for new graduates
25th percentile wage：$108,690 / year ($52.26 / hour)；2025 BLS OEWS national 25th percentile
Median wage：$133,970 / year ($64.41 / hour)；2025 BLS OEWS national median；not a starting salary or individual quoted rate
75th percentile wage：$163,630 / year ($78.67 / hour)；2025 BLS OEWS national 75th percentile
90th percentile wage：$196,290 / year ($94.37 / hour)；2025 BLS OEWS national 90th percentile
The median wage is not a starting salary or an individual income commitment.；Lower percentiles are not starting salaries for new graduates or newcomers, and distribution data cannot be used to estimate individual take-home pay or after-tax income.
The same-year national five percentile values have been verified. Lower percentiles do not equate to new graduates or support direct cross-regional comparison；Compensation structures differ among operating organizations, design institutes, suppliers and regulatory technical support institutions. Verify the specific employer, region and role category. US figures cannot be converted into individual income in mainland China.
BLS17-2161, United States: 2025 employment of 16,600 and tabulated 2035 employment of 16,600, precise change of 0.4%, an increase of 0.1 thousand, and 800 average annual openings. Employment stocks are rounded; equal displayed figures cannot be used to recalculate 0. OOH rounds to 0% / little or no change.
Current O*NET and BLS OOH both cover 2025—2035. OOH rounds 0.4% to 0%, while the original table retains 0.4%; this does not establish different periods.
| Industry | Industry background (not industry wages) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | Verify the specific position | 2025 details show professional, scientific and technical services at 39%, including various research and engineering services; this is not a wage. |
| Utilities | Verify the specific position | 2025 details show utilities at 23%. Verify licenses and role conditions with the target institution; evidence that they are stricter than other industries was not obtained. |
| Government | Verify the specific position | 2025 details show government at 18%; the US government category cannot be equated with Chinese state-owned nuclear energy institutions. |
| Other industries | Verify the specific position | The subpage's other 20% includes administrative support and manufacturing without a listed year; verify role responsibilities employer by employer. |
Verify position structures and responsibility scope at operating organizations, design institutes, suppliers or regulatory technical support institutions.
PE is a state engineering license. NCEES administers the nuclear engineering PE examination, but passing does not automatically confer state licensure. BLS states that US entry roles do not require a license; this does not exempt all senior service roles. NRC licenses for operating / supervising control systems are distinct from engineering appointments.
Verify on-site assignment arrangements and radiation-area work requirements for new construction, life extension, decommissioning and research projects.
The precise original table value is not recalculated from rounded employment stocks
The annual average of 800 includes growth and replacement, not an individual's hiring probability
O*NET occupational interest baseline
IRCO*NET assigns this occupation the interest code IRC: Investigative preferences involve researching and analyzing physical and engineering problems; Realistic preferences involve designing, building and operating equipment; Conventional preferences involve organizing information according to procedures and standards. Interests indicate only which activities you are willing to sustain and cannot predict engineering competence or hiring outcomes.
Compare interest signals with real experience: whether you are willing to sustain quantitative analysis and document review, remain cautious when evidence is insufficient, and clearly write out the reasoning behind safety conclusions, beyond looking only at interest scores or self-labels.
What abilities and working approach do nuclear engineers need?
Caution signal | You are mainly attracted by the energy industry but are unwilling to bear safety responsibility and compliance pressure, or expect relatively little regulatory constraint as in ordinary engineering roles.
Do not use it this way: Interest codes describe activity preferences only and cannot determine engineering competence, qualifications or hiring outcomes.
View the RIASEC interest assessmentWhat abilities and working approach do nuclear engineers need?
You may use it as a reference for reflecting on tolerance for review and recordkeeping discipline, but it cannot replace checking safety responsibilities and regulatory requirements.
Do not use it this way: Personality labels cannot determine engineering competence or hiring outcomes.
View the RIASEC interest assessmentWhat abilities and working approach do nuclear engineers need?
Assessment results are for self-exploration only and do not establish professional qualifications, operating authorization or evidence for hiring.
Do not use it this way: Type labels cannot determine analysis quality or hiring outcomes.
View the RIASEC interest assessmentWhat abilities and working approach do nuclear engineers need?
Assessment results are for self-exploration only and do not establish professional qualifications, operating authorization or evidence for hiring.
Do not use it this way: Labels cannot predict interprofessional collaboration or review performance.
View the RIASEC interest assessmentWhat abilities and working approach do nuclear engineers need?
Assessment results are for self-exploration only and do not establish professional qualifications, operating authorization or evidence for hiring.
Do not use it this way: A single test cannot establish occupational competence or hiring outcomes.
View the RIASEC interest assessmentWhat abilities and working approach do nuclear engineers need?
Assessment results are for self-exploration only and do not establish professional qualifications, operating authorization or evidence for hiring.
Do not use it this way: Test results cannot determine interprofessional or regulatory communication performance.
View the RIASEC interest assessmentFits better when: Reactor operations and fault response
Watch for: If you prefer long-term shift operations and are willing to pass licensing assessments
Explore related career: Nuclear facility operatorsFits better when: Instrument monitoring and sample measurements
Watch for: If you prefer on-site monitoring without safety analysis responsibility
Explore related career: Nuclear monitoring techniciansFits better when: On-site technical support and equipment checks
Watch for: If you prefer equipment and technical support roles
Explore related career: Nuclear techniciansFits better when: Process design and process safety
Watch for: If you prefer chemical processes over nuclear safety arguments
Explore related career: Chemical engineersFits better when: Environmental compliance and remediation plans
Watch for: If you prefer environmental assessment and remediation
Explore related career: Environmental engineersFits better when: Equipment inspection and standards-based interpretation
Watch for: If you prefer on-site inspection and interpretation
Explore related career: Nondestructive testing specialistsReactor physics and thermal hydraulics, safety analysis and probabilistic safety assessment, application of regulations and standards, abnormal operating condition judgments, document writing and multidisciplinary collaboration.
No. Interest codes describe activity preferences only. Fit should be assessed through course and project performance, trainer evaluations and review feedback.
O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone 4 (SVP 7.0 to <8.0), with an education survey showing 81% bachelor's degrees and 19% master's degrees. BLS lists a bachelor's degree in a related field as typical entry education.
PE is a state engineering license. NCEES administers the nuclear engineering PE examination, but passing does not automatically confer state licensure. BLS states that US entry roles do not require a license; this does not exempt all senior service roles. NRC licenses for operating / supervising control systems are distinct from engineering appointments. Chinese professional qualifications for key nuclear safety roles follow applicable frameworks. Verify examination passage, registration and operator licensing separately; do not extend one certificate to all nuclear engineering roles.
BLS lists a related engineering bachelor's degree as typical. Feasibility for physics or other graduates depends on courses, projects and hiring requirements; working first as a technician or monitor does not promise a natural transition to engineer. China's 2026 registered nuclear safety engineer examination also requires corresponding education and experience for other specialties; examination eligibility is not job acceptance.
O*NET shows that 62% work more than 40 hours per week, 71% consider accuracy extremely important, 40% report extremely serious error consequences, and 19% face daily radiation exposure. Regulatory review and formal documentation requirements must be accepted.
BLS17-2161, United States: 2025 employment of 16,600 and tabulated 2035 employment of 16,600, precise change of 0.4%, an increase of 0.1 thousand, and 800 average annual openings. Employment stocks are rounded; equal displayed figures cannot be used to recalculate 0. OOH rounds to 0% / little or no change.
Retain calculation documents and design descriptions, safety analyses and review records, change requests and approval records, event reports and operating experience feedback entries, and professional qualification and training records.
No. Assessments are for self-exploration only and do not establish competence, professional qualifications or operating authorization.
Use a fictional operating condition to practice an event timeline and parameter checks, and request feedback from experienced engineers, avoiding contact with real facilities.
Possible consequence：Possible consequences | Incorrect safety analyses or unidentified abnormalities may cause equipment damage, radioactive releases and personnel exposure. Missing records and change controls may make safety arguments untraceable and trigger regulatory penalties. Unauthorized operating decisions entail direct safety and legal responsibility.
How to reduce risk：Rejustify assumptions, specify applicability boundaries and obtain professional and peer review
Evidence：O*NET occupational profile (17-2161.00) · NRC operator licensing
Typical scenario：Treating unexplained monitoring deviations as instrument faults without review
Roles most affected：Personnel responsible for operational monitoring and technical support
Possible consequence：Early abnormalities develop into equipment damage or events
How to reduce risk：Review instrument availability and operating condition records, reporting and escalating under procedures when necessary
Evidence：O*NET occupational profile (17-2161.00) · NRC operator licensing
Typical scenario：Treating regulatory minimums as sufficient conditions without comparison to license conditions and institutional procedures
Roles most affected：Personnel responsible for compliance judgments and regulatory communication
Possible consequence：Regulators reject compliance conclusions, creating remediation costs
How to reduce risk：Compare license conditions, standards and institutional procedures clause by clause before judging
Evidence：NRC operator licensing · China's 2021 operator qualification provisions
Typical scenario：Implementing design or procedural changes without assessing their effects on the safety argument
Roles most affected：Engineering teams responsible for change requests and reviews
Possible consequence：Safety arguments do not match the actual state
How to reduce risk：Assess safety impacts and obtain renewed review and approval under change procedures
Evidence：NRC operator licensing · O*NET occupational profile (17-2161.00)
Typical scenario：Inadequate protection and work controls when entering radiation-controlled areas or performing on-site work
Roles most affected：Engineering and technical support personnel who need to enter facility sites
Possible consequence：Excessive occupational radiation exposure or on-site injury
How to reduce risk：Follow radiation protection and work permit requirements, recording doses and protective measures
Evidence：NIOSH occupational safety and health resources · O*NET occupational profile (17-2161.00)
Typical scenario：Issuing directive conclusions on operation or reactor shutdown without operating qualifications or authorization
Roles most affected：All roles involved in operational support and compliance judgments
Possible consequence：Invalid operating decisions and safety and legal liability
How to reduce risk：Engineering / emergency decisions follow the authorization chain. Control system operation or supervision requires separate operator licensing checks; engineering titles do not automatically confer authority
Evidence：NRC operator licensing · China's 2021 operator qualification provisions
Education, professional qualifications through registration or certification, role qualification licensing and operating authorization are distinct statuses. A registered nuclear safety engineer certificate is not a civilian nuclear facility operator license. No qualification removes institutional safety responsibility, license conditions or regulatory review.
| career.column.stage | career.column.task | career.column.boundary | career.column.evidence | career.column.next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry and guided learning stage | Organize design inputs, review calculations and search regulations and standards | Do not sign safety analyses or compliance conclusions | Calculation review records and trainer evaluations | Undertake component-level analysis tasks |
| Independent analysis stage | Complete component or subsystem analyses and write design descriptions | Submit for review under institutional procedures; do not approve changes independently | Calculation documents and design descriptions | Undertake system-level safety analyses |
| Systems and safety analysis stage | Prepare safety analyses and participate in event investigations and operating experience feedback | Conclusions require professional review and approval | Safety analysis reports and review records | Lead a technical specialty or professional review |
| Technical responsibility and review stage | Oversee safety argument consistency and standards implementation | Take responsibility for technical conclusions on major changes | Review comments and quality control records | Participate in regulatory communication and standards matters |
| Regulatory communication and standards direction | Provide technical support for license applications, inspections and standards development | Communicate externally within the authorized scope | Regulatory correspondence and standards work records | Continue developing along institutional pathways |
| career.column.scenario | career.column.action | career.column.review | career.column.evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring data show unexplained deviations | Defer conclusions and review instrument availability and operating condition records | Confirmation by operations and technical leads | Deviation records and review explanations |
| Assumptions underlying the safety analysis are inapplicable | Rejustify assumptions or supplement analyses and document limitations | Professional or peer review | Revised analysis documents and review comments |
| Design or procedural changes affect the safety argument |
| career.column.state | career.column.proof | career.column.authority | career.column.condition | career.column.gap | career.column.owner | career.column.next |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering degree (bachelor's or master's) | Entry education requirement for most positions | Awarded by educational institutions and recognized by employers | Verify specialty and curriculum requirements | A degree is not equivalent to professional qualifications or operating authorization | Educational institutions and employers | Verify specialization and courses |
| PE nuclear engineering state license (United States, role-dependent) |
Typical scope：Organize design inputs, review calculations and search regulations and standards
Readiness evidence：Calculation review records and trainer evaluations (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Engineering degree and internal training
Next moves：Undertake component or subsystem analyses
Typical scope：Complete component or subsystem analyses and write design descriptions
Readiness evidence：Calculation documents and design descriptions (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Verify state PE licensure by role in the United States. NCEES examinations are not state licenses; verify other jurisdictions separately
Next moves：Undertake system-level safety analyses
Typical scope：Prepare safety analyses and participate in change reviews
Readiness evidence：Safety analysis reports and review records (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional review qualification authorization
Next moves：Lead a technical specialty
Typical scope：Oversee safety argument consistency and standards implementation
Readiness evidence：Review comments and quality control records (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional appointment and professional experience
Next moves：Participate in regulatory and standards matters
Typical scope：Organize operating data and deviation records and support technical evaluations
Readiness evidence：Data review records (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Internal training and facility access
Next moves：Compare compliance clauses
Typical scope：Compare license conditions, standards and institutional procedures and form judgments
Readiness evidence：Compliance judgment records and review comments (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional authorization and training records
Next moves：Participate in inspections and regulatory communication
Typical scope：Prepare licensing and inspection technical materials and participate in communication
Readiness evidence：Regulatory correspondence (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Institutional authorization
Typical scope：Organize site information and environmental monitoring data
Readiness evidence：Document lists and monitoring records (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Project access training
Next moves：Analyze decommissioning or waste plans
Typical scope：Prepare analytical materials for decommissioning, waste reduction and disposal plans
Readiness evidence：Plan analysis reports (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional authorization
Next moves：Participate in environmental impact assessment
Typical scope：Prepare environmental impact statements and public communication materials
Readiness evidence：Assessment documents and communication records (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional authorization and training
Under guidance, help organize design inputs, review calculations and search references and regulations, while learning institutional change control and document management procedures.
Undertake component- or subsystem-level analysis and design within the authorized scope, produce calculation documents and design descriptions, and submit them for review under procedures.
Undertake system-level safety analysis and compliance judgments, participate in design change reviews, event investigations and operating experience feedback, and provide technical materials for regulatory communication.
Lead a technical specialty or professional review, oversee overall consistency of safety arguments, standards implementation and team development, and take responsibility for technical conclusions on major changes.
Does not establish：Limitations | Macroeconomic projections do not guarantee individual hiring. Industry distribution and outlook do not establish specific employers' license categories, role authorization or allocation of safety responsibilities.
Nationwide United States (exact occupation) · O*NET National Wages 17-2161.00（2025 BLS OEWS）
Median USD 133,970 / year; annual wage percentiles spanning USD 92,960—196,290
Occupational wage distribution (United States)
The page provides median and five percentile wage values for the exact occupation 17-2161.00.
Does not establish：OEWS measures pretax wages for regular working hours and excludes the self-employed and owners and partners of unincorporated businesses. It includes hazard pay, incentives and production bonuses, while excluding overtime premiums, shift differentials and meals and lodging, among other items. It does not categorically exclude all project bonuses.
Mainland China (industry-section definition) · National Bureau of Statistics 2025 average wages of employees in urban units, electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply industry section
Nonprivate units RMB 160,897 / year, private units RMB 66,451 / year (2025)
Chinese industry-section average wages (proxy)
The National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages by industry section. This section covers various energy and utility roles without listing nuclear engineers separately.
Does not establish：Industry-section averages do not list this occupation separately and exclude individually owned businesses and freelancers.
These are capability relationships, not automatic promotions or credential waivers.
Transfers：Understanding nuclear facility systems and safety requirements
Build next：Requires passing regulatory licensing assessments and bearing operating responsibility
View career profileTransfers：Radiation measurement and instrumentation knowledge
Build next：Requires training in on-site monitoring and sample measurement operations
View career profileTransfers：Foundations of nuclear facility equipment and testing
Build next：Requires equipment operation and on-site support skills
View career profileTransfers：Process design and process safety
Build next：Requires chemical process and materials knowledge
View career profileTransfers：Environmental compliance and assessment methods
Build next：Requires environmental engineering and remediation technology knowledge
View career profileTransfers：Safety analysis and risk control
Build next：Requires occupational health and safety management systems knowledge
View career profileTransfers：Inspection standards and interpretation foundations
Build next：Requires method qualifications and on-site work training
View career profileTransfers：Understanding energy systems and operations
Build next：The target power-plant-operators is not all power dispatch and system roles. Verify equipment, shift training and employer permissions separately
View career profileNuclear facility operators center their work on reactor operations and fault response, require regulator-issued licenses and bear direct responsibility for operations. Nuclear monitoring technicians and nuclear technicians handle instrument monitoring, sample measurements and on-site support, without responsibility for preparing or signing safety analysis reports. Nuclear safety equipment nondestructive examination personnel inspect according to qualification levels and do not reach operating compliance conclusions. This occupation primarily involves design, safety analysis, compliance judgments and regulatory communication and typically does not directly operate reactors.
The available evidence does not support a replacement conclusion: O*NET provides no generative AI adoption rate for this occupation. Its Hot Technologies list only employer-mentioned engineering and office software, including Microsoft Office software at 7%, Excel at 5% and Python at 5%. Calculation and document processing may receive assistance, but qualified engineers must still handle safety analysis assumptions, regulatory applicability judgments, change approvals and regulatory communication, while licensed operators retain operating and reactor shutdown decision authority.
Technical document drafts and formatting checks, regulation and standards searches, monitoring data organization and preliminary trend screening, calculation and simulation script writing, and filing operating experience feedback entries. Humans must still verify model assumptions, applicable boundaries, validation status and regulatory versions; these functions cannot replace safety conclusions.
Making safety conclusions and compliance judgments, deciding reactor shutdown or corrective action, signing safety analysis reports, approving design changes, and submitting formal explanations to regulators. Observable verification includes analysis documents traceable to assumptions, model versions, calculation reviews and regulatory clauses, reviewed and approved changes, and abnormalities and events reported under procedures and traceable.
The 2025 BLS OEWS data displayed by O*NET report a median annual wage of USD 133,970 and median hourly wage of USD 64.41 for the exact occupation 17-2161.00, with annual wage percentiles spanning USD 92,960—196,290. The survey excludes self-employment and partnership income and does not reflect on-site allowances or nuclear power project bonuses; it does not represent individual take-home income. Mainland China has not published a corresponding national occupational wage distribution; this page shows only 2025 averages for electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply and scientific research and technical services industry sections as references.
O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4, with SVP 7.0 to <8.0. The education survey reports 81% bachelor's degrees and 19% master's degrees. BLS lists a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering or a related field as typical entry education, usually without a license required to enter. Actual job requirements follow employer announcements; nuclear safety-related roles also require institutional qualifications and authorization.
US nuclear engineers typically do not need a professional license. Optional credentials include NCEES PE Nuclear Engineering certification and ASNT radiation safety personnel certification, while reactor operator licenses are granted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission through statutory procedures. China's special nuclear safety personnel include civilian nuclear facility operators, registered nuclear safety engineers, civilian nuclear safety equipment welders and nondestructive examination personnel, subject to qualification licensing under the Nuclear Safety Law and related rules. Registration is not an operator license.
Use a fictional operating condition to practice an event timeline and parameter checks, and assess whether you can accept long-term analysis and review work. Then verify target employers' education requirements, role categories and qualifications. The exercise does not authorize real design, operation or reactor shutdown and cannot replace engineering education or institutional qualification review.
Consider interests, practical circumstances and job characteristics together. This occupation requires long-term specialist knowledge, responsibility for high-consequence outcomes and regulatory review. O*NET reports that 71% consider accuracy extremely important and 40% report extremely serious error consequences. Overall employment is essentially flat, but average annual openings remain, primarily from replacement. Next, verify target employers' role categories, required qualifications and operating authorization boundaries.
Chinese and US data are presented separately and cannot be substituted for one another. AI scenarios are not evidence of actual adoption. Paper exercises do not authorize real design, operation or reactor shutdown.
Reviewed 2026-10-11; selected wage and industry data from 2025 and projections for 2025—2035; protected historical content retained.
This review verified selected O*NET2026 tasks, comprising 20 core tasks, education / work contexts, all OEWS2025 five percentile values, and BLS2025—2035 precise growth of 0.4% versus OOH rounding to 0%. Access is 1% in Hot14; industry shares of 39/23/18 and other 20 are distinguished by year. Conditions and four subjects were visually verified on the first 3 pages of China's scanned 2026 notice, separately from the 2021 operator framework and registration framework. The NCEES examination is not a state license. Older shared quick-answer FAQ projections, Hot Technologies and authority summaries are retained.
Limitations：Official outlook for the exact nuclear engineer occupation, but its projection period differs from O*NET's 2024—2034 period, so values cannot be compared directly.
Limitations：An institutional entry page, without separate statistics for nuclear engineers; does not replace regulator, such as NRC, or institutional work permit requirements.
Limitations：A regulator entry page explaining licensing and licensed operation boundaries; does not establish corresponding Chinese requirements.
Limitations：Average wages for industry sections, without separate figures for nuclear engineers; the survey excludes individually owned businesses and freelancers.
Limitations：Explains China's special personnel qualification framework; specific eligibility and assessment arrangements follow announcements for the applicable year.
Limitations：Explains examination organization; does not allocate job responsibilities or define compensation.
Limitations：US occupational scope; does not establish Chinese qualifications. The same page as source-pack-onet-details.
Limitations：OEWS surveys wage and salary employees in establishments, excludes self-employment and partnership income, and does not represent individual take-home income.
Limitations：Macroeconomic projections, not an individual's hiring probability; the page provides no industry breakdown of job changes.
Limitations：Applies only to the listed O*NET occupation and US market; does not establish a Chinese mapping or legal authorization.
Limitations：Applies only to the listed O*NET occupation and US market; contains no conclusions on Chinese qualifications or wages.
Limitations：Employer mentions do not establish proficiency, generative AI adoption rates or the extent of automation.
Limitations：Industry distribution does not establish specific employers' position structures, license categories or safety responsibilities.
Limitations：The certification lookup does not confer professional practice or operating permissions; operator licenses are granted by regulators through statutory procedures.
Limitations：A program list is not equivalent to job entry, employer authorization or regulatory licensing.
Limitations：Explains eligibility and examination subjects; specific requirements follow the announcement and syllabus for the applicable year.
Limitations：Limited to the specified geography, entities and activities; does not establish individual authorization or rules across all jurisdictions
Limitations：Limited to the specified geography, entities and activities; does not establish individual authorization or rules across all jurisdictions
Limitations：Limited to the specified geography, entities and activities; does not establish individual authorization or rules across all jurisdictions
Limitations：Limited to the specified geography, entities and activities; does not establish individual authorization or rules across all jurisdictions
Limitations：Limited to the specified geography, entities and activities; does not establish individual authorization or rules across all jurisdictions
Limitations：Limited to the specified geography, entities and activities; does not establish individual authorization or rules across all jurisdictions
Limitations：Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
The evidence supports only scope-limited judgments within the specified markets, occupational definitions and periods. It does not establish individual income, hiring or operating authorization. Design, safety analysis, compliance judgments and operating decisions must be handled by appropriately qualified and authorized personnel.
MBTI personality test (English page) · Big Five personality model test (English page) · MBTI assessment in Chinese · Big Five personality assessment in Chinese
Suppliers and contractors
| Approval by authorized bodies / personnel under licensing and change procedures, rather than a uniform review committee for every case |
| Change requests and approval records |
| A request is made to decide operation or reactor shutdown beyond your authorization | Explain authorization boundaries and submit the decision to authorized personnel | Decisions follow the facility emergency authorization chain; verify licensing separately for control system operation / supervision | Communication records and authorization basis |
|---|
| Demonstrates professional engineering competence |
| NCEES provides the PE examination; state boards issue licenses |
| Verify examination and work experience requirements |
| Typically not required for entry roles; passing the examination does not automatically confer state licensure or operating authority |
| NCEES and state boards |
| Verify examination eligibility and registration requirements |
| NRC reactor operator licensing | Legal prerequisite for operating civilian reactors | Granted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission through statutory procedures | Verify training, assessment and license categories | Nuclear engineers may separately obtain operator licenses; the occupational title cannot establish the share who hold them | NRC and licensees | Verify license categories and permissions |
|---|
| Registered nuclear safety engineer (China) | Professional qualification for nuclear and radiation safety-related roles | Examination and certification jointly organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment | Verify education, specialty and nuclear and radiation safety experience against the 2026 notice; practicing under the registered title also requires registration | Registration is not an operator license | Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) | Verify examination eligibility and registration requirements |
|---|
| Civilian nuclear facility operator license (China) | Legal prerequisite for operating nuclear facilities | Approved and issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) | Verify training and assessment requirements | Limited to the facility and position specified in the license | National Nuclear Safety Administration and licensee | Verify license scope |
|---|
| Employer role authorization | Determines actual tasks and signing authority | Granted by employers according to role and project | Verify job descriptions and internal procedures | Authorization scope must not be extrapolated | Employer and project lead | Verify authorization documents and limits |
|---|
Next moves：Oversee the compliance system
Typical scope：Oversee the compliance system, training and completion of operating experience feedback actions
Readiness evidence：Inspection reports and remediation records (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional appointment
Next moves：Participate in standards and policy matters
Next moves：Oversee environmental projects
Typical scope：Oversee environmental project safety arguments and regulatory communication
Readiness evidence：Project documents and regulatory comments (editorial recommendation, not a uniform employer assessment requirement)
Credential boundary：Institutional appointment
Next moves：Participate in standards and policy matters
