Also called: SMR Engineer, Microreactor Engineer
Designs the next generation of smaller, factory-built reactors that could power data centers, towns, and military bases.
You model how a molten-salt or high-temperature gas reactor cools itself in an emergency, build test loops, and work through the long licensing process with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in nuclear or mechanical engineering; master's or PhD common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering.
Growing much faster than average. Booming investment from tech companies; not tracked separately by BLS.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI-accelerated design and simulation shrink some junior analysis work; the SMR boom still needs many engineers.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, AP Computer Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2161.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.