Nuclear Engineeringat University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Graduates earn $81,134/yr in their first year — about 12.0% above the national Nuclear Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $779K; scenarios range from $682K to $813K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UIUC
Your decision to pursue nuclear engineering at UIUC places you in a very specialized, high-demand field, leveraging the university's strong engineering reputation. The robust earnings reflect not just the inherent technical complexity of the work, but also the relatively small pool of qualified professionals and the critical national importance of the sector. You'll find graduates highly sought after by national laboratories, defense contractors, and power utilities, often in roles involving reactor design, safety analysis, or waste management. While the data notes a high AI risk, this often points to automation of routine tasks within engineering, not job elimination. To thrive, you'll want to focus heavily on gaining hands-on research or internship experience, as these practical skills and industry connections are invaluable for securing top roles and future-proofing your career in this essential, evolving domain.
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.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UIUC's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
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.
Peer schools offering Nuclear Engineering
How UIUC stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UIUC
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UIUC, 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 →Frequently asked about Nuclear Engineering at UIUC
How does University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Nuclear Engineering program score?
A score of 56/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 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.