The number of bachlelor’s degrees awarded in nuclear engineering rose by 10 percent last year over 2007 and was the highest recorded in 20 years, according to a new survey conducted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

The number of Ph.D.’s was up by 43 percent over 2007 and up by 70 percent since 2000, and the number of master’s degrees in nuclear engineering was up by almost 15 percent in 2008, the ORISE report said.

Eric Abelquist, a vice president of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, which manages the institute for the Dept. of Energy, said the numbers are indicative of a recovering nuclear industry.