Career
Materials engineers
Develop the materials products are made from.
$112,860
Median pay
+7.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,300
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
- Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
- Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
- Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
- Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $112,860 a year and 1,300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Ceramic Sciences and EngineeringCIP 14.0601
- Materials EngineeringCIP 14.1801
- Metallurgical EngineeringCIP 14.2001
- Textile Sciences and EngineeringCIP 14.2801
- Polymer/Plastics EngineeringCIP 14.3201
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Materials Scientists$117,790 · +8.3%
- Chemical Engineers$125,040 · +4.7%
- Manufacturing Engineers
- Industrial Engineers$102,440 · +12.4%
- Mechanical Engineers$104,110 · +11.2%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.