Materials Engineering
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Overview:
Materials Science and Engineering is a field of
engineering that encompasses the spectrum
of materials types and how to use them in
manufacturing. Materials span the range:
metals, ceramics, fibers, polymers (plastics),
semiconductors, and combinations of
materials called composites.
Everything we see and use is made of
materials: cars, airplanes, computers,
refrigerators, TVs, dishes, silverware, athletic
equipment of all types, DVDs, and biomedical
devices such as replacement joints and limbs.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Overview (continued):
New materials technologies developed through
engineering and science will continue to make
startling changes in our lives in the future,
and materials engineers will continue to be
key in these changes and advances.
Materials Engineers deal with the science and
technology of producing materials that have
properties and shapes suitable for practical
use. Activities range from primary materials
production, including recycling, and the
design, development, and manufacturing of
new materials.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Preparation:
A bachelor's degree in engineering is required
for almost all entry-level engineering jobs.
Most major universities have academic BS
degree granting programs in one of the
specialty areas of Materials Science and
Engineering. The majority of undergraduate
programs provide a survey across the
spectrum of materials. Other programs focus
in one particular class of materials like
Ceramics, Metallurgy, or Polymers.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Preparation (continued):
Admissions requirements for engineering
schools include a background in mathematics
(algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus)
and science (biology, chemistry, physics), and
courses in English, social studies, humanities,
and computer and information technology.
Focus on becoming as well-rounded as
possible by taking a variety of humanities
courses, and include business and
communication courses whenever possible.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Day in the Life:
Materials engineers bring advances in the
auto, aerospace, construction, manufacturing,
electronics, computer, and communications
industries by developing new or improved
metals, plastics, ceramics, semiconductors
and composites.
They work to increase the strength of steel,
toughen ceramics, lower the cost of
composites and make faster computer circuits.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Day in the Life (continued):
Teams and Coworkers
In a manufacturing operation most tasks are
conducted by cross-functional teams of
people. Materials engineers are generally part
of a support group integral to these teams for
various functions -- from design concept
through manufacturing processes to final
product evaluations.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Accredited Programs
• The University of Akron • University of Alabama• Alfred University
• University of Arizona• Auburn University
• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine• University of California, Los Angeles
• Carnegie Mellon University• Case Western Reserve University• University of Cincinnati
• Colorado School of Mines• Cornell University• Drexel University• University of Florida
• Georgia Institute of Technology• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Illinois Institute of Technology• Iowa State University• The Johns Hopkins University
• University of Kentucky• Lehigh University• University of Maryland College Park
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology• Michigan State University
• Michigan Technological University• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities• Montana Tech of the University of Montana
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology• North Carolina State University at Raleigh
• Northwestern University• The Ohio State University• Clemson University
• University of Missouri-Rolla• Pennsylvania State University
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey• University of Idaho
• University of Nevada-Reno• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• University of Texas at El Paso• University of Pennsylvania• University of Pittsburgh
• Purdue University at West Lafayette• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• San Jose State University• University of Tennessee at Knoxville• University of Utah
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University• Washington State University
• University of Washington• Winona State University• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee• Wright State University
Materials Engineering
Day in the Life (continued):
Tasks
Therefore the work done under the heading of
Materials Science Engineering has an
unprecedented impact on our quality of life.
Although the field deals with materials, it
encompasses an incredible diversity of topics
and problems constituting the four elements
of the field -- processing, structure,
properties, and performance.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Day in the Life (continued):
Industry Sectors
There are four general sectors of industry
that employ materials engineers:
 Primary Materials Producing
 Manufacturing
 Service
 Other (such as education,
government, law firms, healthcare,
finance, insurance, and
wholesale/retail are some of the other
employers of materials engineers)
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Earnings:
Entry-level salaries vary based on your areas
of expertise, experience, education,
supervisory responsibility, accountability for
projects, and the geographic location, size,
and industry of the employer.
According the U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income
for materials engineers is $73,990. In terms
of starting salaries, the average starting
salary for materials engineers who have
earned a Bachelor's degree is $56,233.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Employment:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, materials engineers hold about
21,000 jobs in the U.S. This represents 1.5%
of the 1.4 million jobs held by engineers
nationwide.
Materials engineers work with metals,
ceramics, plastics, semiconductors, and
composites to create new materials that meet
certain mechanical, electrical, and chemical
requirements.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Employment (continued):
They also are involved in selecting materials
for new applications. Materials engineers have
developed the ability to create and then study
materials at an atomic level, using advanced
processes to replicate the characteristics of
materials and their components with
computers.
A sample list of employers of Manufacturing
Engineers is available at the Sloan Career
Cornerstone Center.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Career Path Forecast:
According to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, materials engineers
are expected to have employment growth of 4
percent over the projections decade of 2006 2016.
This is slower than the average for all
occupations.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Career Path Forecast (continued):
Although employment is expected to decline
in many of the manufacturing industries in
which materials engineers are concentrated,
growth should be strong for materials
engineers working on nanomaterials and
biomaterials.
As manufacturing firms contract for their
materials engineering needs, employment
growth is expected in professional, scientific,
and technical services industries also.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
Materials Engineering
Resources:
More information about Materials Engineering
is available at the Sloan Career Cornerstone
Center, including employer lists, accredited
Materials Engineering programs, suggestions
for precollege students, profiles of Materials
Engineers, a free monthly careers newsletter,
and a PDF that summarizes the field.
Associations:
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ASM International
American Ceramic Society
Materials Research Society
The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources
Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.