Materials Engineering
Materials Engineering
Career Overview
Materials engineers develop, process, and test materials used to create a wide range of products. They study materials such as metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and semiconductors, and work to improve their strength, durability, performance, cost, and sustainability. Their work can contribute to advances in fields such as aerospace, electronics, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Education
A bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering, materials engineering, or a related engineering field is typically required. Some research and development positions may require a master's degree or doctorate. Practical experience through internships, cooperative education, or engineering projects can also be valuable.
Future Outlook
Materials engineering is evolving as new materials and manufacturing technologies are developed for areas such as advanced electronics, renewable energy, electric transportation, aerospace, medical technology, and sustainable manufacturing. Employment opportunities are expected to grow as organizations continue developing new materials and improving the performance, efficiency, and sustainability of products and systems. Current projections indicate faster-than-average employment growth for materials engineers.
Work Environment
Materials engineers work in offices, laboratories, factories, manufacturing facilities, and research and development environments. They often work as part of teams with other engineers, scientists, technicians, and manufacturing professionals. Most work full time, and some positions may involve additional hours when projects or production schedules require them
Recommended High School Courses
- Chemistry
- Math
- Computer Programming
- Computer Science
- Algebra
- Physics
- Calculus & Vectors
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
- Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Conduct quantitative failure analyses of operational data.
- Direct quality control activities.
- Monitor the productivity or efficiency of industrial operations.
- Evaluate technical data to determine effect on designs or plans.
- Test characteristics of materials or structures.
- Prepare materials for processing.
- Determine operational methods.
- Direct design or development activities.
- Evaluate plans or specifications to determine technological or environmental implications.
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Direct industrial production activities.
- Resolve operational performance problems.
- Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
- Prepare operational reports.
- Prepare project budgets.
- Prepare proposal documents.
- Teach classes in area of specialization.
- Teach social science courses at the college level.
- Present research results to others.
- Create models of engineering designs or methods.
- Design industrial processing systems.
- Write articles, books or other original materials in area of expertise.
Schools
Alfred University
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Boise State University
Boston University
Brown University
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly- San Luis Obispo...
California Institute Of T...
California State Universi...
Carnegie Mellon Universit...
Case Western Reserve Univ...
Cuyahoga Community Colleg...
Florida International Uni...
Georgia Institute Of Tech...
Kettering University
Massachusetts Institute O...
Metropolitan State Univer...
Missouri University Of Sc...
Montgomery College- Rockv...
New Jersey Institute Of T...
New Mexico Institute Of M...
Northwestern University-...
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Stanford University
Stevens Institute Of Tech...
Suny At Stony Brook
University Of Arizona- Co...
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of Dayton
University Of Denver
University Of Minnesota-...
University Of New Hampshi...
University Of Texas- Dall...
University Of Texas- El P...
University Of Vermont
Westminster College- Penn...
Williams College
Youngstown State Universi...
Mcgill University
Mcmaster University
Ontario Tech Universit...
Polytechnique Montréal
Queen's University- Ki...
University Of British...
University Of Toronto-...
Potential Scholarships
5 Strong Scholarship
Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...
- Traditional Fulbright P...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$68,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$108,000.00 /yr
High End:
$172,000.00 /yr
Related Careers
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.