Skills
Nuclear Engineer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in nuclear engineers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do nuclear engineers need?
Nuclear Engineers need technical skills such as reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, and radiation protection, plus people skills like attention to detail and integrity. They also use tools such as MCNP and RELAP.
Technical (hard) skills
- Reactor physics
- Thermal hydraulics
- Radiation protection
- Safety analysis
- Nuclear codes
- Regulations
People (soft) skills
- Attention to detail
- Integrity
- Problem-solving
- Communication
Tools, equipment and technology
- MCNP
- RELAP
- MATLAB
- Plant computers
- Radiation detectors
- Python
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how nuclear engineers put their skills to work:
- How to apply ALARA to a radiation job
- How to review a plant design change
- How to plan a refueling outage
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Reactor physics” and “Thermal hydraulics.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “attention to detail,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as PE license near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our nuclear engineer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Nuclear Engineer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.