Home › The University of Tennessee-Knoxville › Nuclear Engineering

Nuclear Engineering at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Knoxville, TN · Public · Bachelor's Degree
67 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
69
Optimistic
67
Base Case
62
Pessimistic
Earnings $73,724/yr (2% vs median)
AI Risk High (49% exposed)
Job Market Medium (19,400 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Nuclear Engineering graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $984K $754K $542K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 18.3x 14.0x 10.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 7.7x 5.9x 4.2x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 69 67 62

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$53,936
Out-of-state: $127,896
Median Debt at Graduation
$22,500
3.7 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$94,044
28% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Nuclear Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 19,400 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Nuclear engineers $127,520 800 -1.1% 55%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%

Compare & Explore

Nuclear Engineering at Other Schools

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($81,134) Missouri University of Science and Technology ($77,947) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ($77,014) North Carolina State University at Raleigh ($74,540) Oregon State University ($69,657) Oregon State University-Cascades Campus ($69,657) Texas A & M University-College Station ($66,604) Purdue University-Main Campus ($63,226)

Other Majors at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Chemical Engineering ($76,302) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($75,316) Computer Engineering ($74,085) Industrial Engineering ($73,822) Computer Science ($70,193) Mechanical Engineering ($65,756) Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($65,298) Civil Engineering ($64,386)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Nuclear Engineering at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville?
This program scores 67/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 69 (optimistic) to 62 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Nuclear Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Nuclear Engineering graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $541,721 (pessimistic) to $984,375 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Nuclear Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Nuclear Engineering have roughly 19,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Nuclear Engineering at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 14.0x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 10.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.