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Career Exploration

Materials Engineers

Also called: Materials Engineer, Materials Research Engineer, Metallurgical Engineer, Metallurgist

What they do:

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.

On the job, you would:
  • Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
  • Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
  • Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration.
On the job, you'll need:

Engineering and Technology

  • product and service development
  • design

Math and Science

  • chemistry
  • physics

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

  • manufacture and distribution of products

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • group things in different ways
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Math

  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Visual Understanding

  • quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things

Realistic

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

  • Integrity
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Attention to Detail
  • Innovation
  • Persistence
  • Achievement/Effort

Analytical or scientific software

  • Minitab
  • The MathWorks MATLAB

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Computer aided design CAD software

  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Bright.

New job opportunities are very likely in the future. This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Median Annual Salary: $100,140

Education

Bachelor's degree or doctoral degree is usually needed.