Nuclear scientist and nuclear engineer (integrated degree)
- Level
- 6
- Typical duration
- 36 months (about 3 years)
- Max funding band
- £27,000
- Route
- Engineering and manufacturing
Ensuring nuclear systems and equipment operate safely and efficiently and in an environmentally sustainable way.
About the role
On completion, a Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer Degree Apprentice will be able to use the knowledge, skills and behaviours developed to enable systems and equipment to operate safely, efficiently and in an environmentally sustainable way, meeting the requirements set out by the employer and those of the Professional Body Institutions. They will have a fundamental and core knowledge of engineering / science principles and practices and will be able to demonstrate discipline skills commensurate with their employed job role that typically will include design, plant performance enhancements, operational management, project management and maintenance of safety standards utilising analytical thinking to provide innovative solutions. They will also demonstrate good communication and team skills and the ability to communicate in a variety of forms to all levels within an organisation.
How it compares
At 36 months (about 3 years), it is about average length for a degree-level apprenticeship (the average across all 172 Level 6+ standards is 39 months).
The funding band — the maximum an employer's levy can contribute to training costs — is £27,000, at or above the £21,500 average for degree-level standards. Apprentices never pay tuition either way.
Typical job titles
- Process engineer
- Chemical engineer
- Mechanical engineer
- Electrical engineer
- Control & Instrumentation engineer
- Operations & Management
- Commissioning / Decommissioning
- Physicist
- Research Scientist
- Quality Engineer
What you'll learn
The official standard defines 10 knowledge areas, 5 skills, 12 behaviours. This is the actual assessed content of the apprenticeship — worth reading before an interview, because competency questions are usually written straight from these lists.
Knowledge 10
- Analyse engineering and scientific problems selecting and using mathematical, engineering and scientific tools to provide suitable solutions to nuclear applications, with considerations of the entire life cycle of a nuclear facility.
- Develop and critically apply knowledge of the concepts, principles and theories of engineering science relevant to the interdisciplinary fields of nuclear technology.
- Demonstrate an understanding of stakeholder requirements, commercial awareness, business improvement, project and business management techniques relevant to the nuclear industry.
- Specify, plan, manage, conduct and report on nuclear projects
- Synthesise information from a variety of sources and apply to the solution of a particular nuclear technology application.
- Demonstrate an understanding of Regulatory requirements both national and international.
- Develop technical reports that meet requirements of the prevailing verification process.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the nuclear industry (past, present and future) and the business, political and community environment in which the company operates including personal role within the organisation, ethical practice and codes of conduct.
- Demonstrate an understanding of root cause analysis and learning from experience (LFE) processes
- Demonstrate knowledge of the technology, safety, environmental and economics of nuclear fuels and the nuclear fuel cycle.
Skills 5
- Work competently in a technical nuclear environment, understand and promote personal responsibility for Health, Safety, Radiation Protection, Environmental Protection, Quality, Security, Safeguards and principles of Risk Management.
- Apply their science or engineering discipline knowledge to the development, operation, maintenance and progression of technologies used for Decommissioning (e.g. remote handling and robotics), Waste Management, Reprocessing, and Nuclear Power Generation.
- Accurately observe, record and draw conclusions from data and experimental evidence, recognising inherent uncertainties and limitations.
- Apply design processes including materials selection that meet nuclear industry standards.
- Apply the standards for nuclear professional practice as required by the industry and professional body institutions.
Behaviours 12
- Communicate effectively and appropriately using a full range of skills; technical speaking to a scientific / engineering audience, active listening, professional writing, professional body language, technical presentation.
- Demonstrate reliability, integrity and respect for confidentiality on work related and personal matters.
- Work autonomously and interact effectively within a wide, multi-disciplinary project team.
- Understand the impact of work on others, especially where related to diversity and equality.
- Manage time effectively, being able to plan and complete work to schedule.
- Demonstrate a supportive attitude to change and respond positively to change management processes.
- Take responsibility for personal development, demonstrating commitment to learning and self- improvement and be open to feedback.
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to personal safety behaviours and understanding of the consequences as set out in the nuclear industry requirements.
- Take responsibility to actively challenge unsafe behaviours and conditions in the workplace to help reinforce nuclear, radiological and conventional safety over competing goals to ensure the protection of people and the environment.
- Demonstrate compliance by following rules, procedures and principles to ensure work completed is fit for purpose and pay attention to detail and carry out error checks throughout work activities.
- Demonstrable commitment to sustainability in work design and application.
- Be an enthusiastic advocate for the nuclear industry with the ability to represent this industry to a variety of audiences.
Live vacancies
No live vacancies for this course as of 2026-07-24 — new adverts appear on Find an apprenticeship daily, and many degree apprenticeship employers recruit on their own careers sites instead.
Universities registered to deliver it
3 universities are on the government provider register for this standard. Registration means they can deliver it — live vacancies depend on employer partnerships each recruitment cycle.
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Official sources
- Official standard page (Skills England)
- Registered training providers (Find apprenticeship training)
Occupational summary, duties, knowledge, skills and behaviours reproduced from the ST0289 apprenticeship standard (last updated 2022-07-27) — contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Always check the official page before applying: standards get revised.