What Materials Engineers Do
Materials engineers do what their name suggests: engineer and develop materials. Along with this, they test substances such as metals and plastics to ensure their quality. They also are tasked with selecting the best materials for projects which involves looking at the efficiency and economic value of the material. Occasionally, the materials in their projects might fail, so they also need to be able to investigate and overcome product failures.
Materials engineers are able to specialize in a variety of engineering fields including: ceramics, composites, metallurgical, plastics, and semiconductor processing. Ceramic engineers focus on developing ceramic materials such as glass. The composites specialty works on developing materials for airplanes and cars. Metallurgical and plastics engineers focus on developing metals and plastics, respectively. The semiconductor processing specialty makes materials for computing and sensing.
How to Become a Materials Engineer
To become an entry-level materials engineer, you will need to receive a bachelor's degree in materials engineering or a related field. According to U.S. News Rankings, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign offer the best materials engineering undergraduate degrees.
Some of the skills that are important for materials engineers to have include: analytical, math, problem-solving, speaking, and writing skills. As materials engineers gain more experience, they may advance to become technical specialists or engineering managers.
Pay and Job Outlook of Materials Engineering
The median annual pay for materials engineers is $93,360 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Depending on the industry they are employed in, this amount can vary. For example, materials engineers working in research facilities make an average of $108,860 annually while those working in primary metal manufacturing make an average of $81,580 annually.
In terms of job outlook, there is little to no expected change for materials engineers in the next ten years. One reason for this is because of the increase in computer modeling to predict material performance which means less jobs for testing these materials in labs.
Sources
Information from:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Materials Engineers, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/materials-engineers.htm (visited July 16, 2020).
The Best Colleges for Materials Engineering. (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2020, from https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-materials
Picture from:
Facebook.com/commercegurus. (2016, January 02). Material Engineering. Retrieved July 31, 2020, from https://themedemo.commercegurus.com/factory/solutions/material-engineering/
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