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Materials Engineers

	Median Wage (USD, 2025)	Projected Job Openings (2025-2035)	Projected Growth (2025-2035)
National Statistics	$112860	1500	5.7%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$112860

Median Wage (USD, 2025)

1500

Projected Job Openings (2025-2035)

5.7%

Projected Growth (2025-2035)

Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree

Related Work Experience: N.A.

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Detailed Work Activities

Present research results to others.
Conduct quantitative failure analyses of operational data.
Monitor the productivity or efficiency of industrial operations.
Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
Direct quality control activities.
Evaluate technical data to determine effect on designs or plans.
Test characteristics of materials or structures.
Prepare proposal documents.
Prepare operational reports.
Prepare project budgets.
Resolve operational performance problems.
Evaluate plans or specifications to determine technological or environmental implications.
Prepare detailed work plans.
Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
Design industrial processing systems.
Prepare materials for processing.
Direct design or development activities.
Determine operational methods.
Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
Direct industrial production activities.
Write articles, books or other original materials in area of expertise.
Create models of engineering designs or methods.
Teach classes in area of specialization.
Teach social science courses at the college level.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

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.
Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
Plan and evaluate new projects, consulting with other engineers and corporate executives, as necessary.
Supervise the work of technologists, technicians, and other engineers and scientists.
Supervise production and testing processes in industrial settings, such as metal refining facilities, smelting or foundry operations, or nonmetallic materials production operations.
Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration.
Replicate the characteristics of materials and their components, using computers.
Conduct training sessions on new material products, applications, or manufacturing methods for customers and their employees.
Modify properties of metal alloys, using thermal and mechanical treatments.
Teach in colleges and universities.
Design processing plants and equipment.
Present technical information at conferences.
Write for technical magazines, journals, and trade association publications.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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