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Engineering · Nuclear Engineering Rank #5 of 9

Nuclear Engineeringat Texas A & M University-College Station

Graduates earn $66,604/yr in their first year — about 8.0% below the national Nuclear Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $811K; scenarios range from $705K to $848K depending on AI disruption.

College Station, TX Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
67 SOLID
68
Optimistic
65
Pessimistic
Earnings
$66,604
1-year post-graduation
ROI
16.5x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$811K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
55% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Texas A&M

Pursuing Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M places you in a highly specialized field with a robust program at a top engineering institution. While initial earnings might appear slightly below the national average for this niche, consider the strong regional demand for engineers in Texas's diverse energy sector, which can sometimes influence starting salaries across disciplines. Your Aggie network is incredibly powerful for long-term career growth, connecting you with key employers in power generation, defense, and national labs like Los Alamos or Sandia.

Regarding AI risk, while automation will increasingly handle data analysis and system monitoring, the critical human element of complex problem-solving, safety protocols, and regulatory oversight remains paramount. To thrive, you'll need to proactively seek internships with utility companies or federal agencies, and build complementary skills in data science and advanced computational modeling. This blend ensures your expertise stays at the forefront of the evolving nuclear industry.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$705K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score65/100
Earnings Multiple13.5x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$811K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score67/100
Earnings Multiple15.5x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$848K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score68/100
Earnings Multiple16.2x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Texas A&M's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Nuclear Engineering graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Nuclear engineers
-1.1% 10-yr growth · 800 openings/yr
$127,520/yr
High
3
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Nuclear Engineering

How Texas A&M stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
IL · Public
56
DW Score
$81K
1-yr earn
11.7x
ROI
Missouri University of Science and Technology
MO · Public
67
DW Score
$78K
1-yr earn
14.2x
ROI
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
NY · Private nonprofit
57
DW Score
$77K
1-yr earn
3.0x
ROI
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
NC · Public
59
DW Score
$75K
1-yr earn
19.9x
ROI
Top score
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
TN · Public
69
DW Score
$74K
1-yr earn
16.4x
ROI
Also at Texas A&M

Other top programs at Texas A&M

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Texas A&M, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Nuclear Engineering offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Nuclear Engineering trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M

How does Texas A & M University-College Station's Nuclear Engineering program score?

A score of 67/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Texas A & M University-College Station trails the majority of Nuclear Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

How vulnerable is Nuclear Engineering to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Nuclear Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.