Engineering

Materials Engineering

Prepares you to apply mathematical and materials science principles to the design, development and operational evaluation of materials and related processes used in manufacturing in a wide variety of settings; the synthesis of new industrial materials, including marrying and bonding composites; analysis of materials requirements and specifications; and related problems of system design dependent on materials factors.

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Where it can lead

Careers this field can lead to

Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.

Shrinking

Cost Estimators

Median pay: $78,740
Hiring change through 2035: −3.1%
Job openings a year: 17,600

To get hiredBachelor's degree

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Architectural and Engineering Managers

Median pay: $171,270
Hiring change through 2035: 5.5%
Job openings a year: 14,900

To get hiredBachelor's degree

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Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary

Median pay: $109,270
Hiring change through 2035: 7.8%
Job openings a year: 3,900

To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree

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Materials Engineers

Median pay: $112,860
Hiring change through 2035: 7.5%
Job openings a year: 1,300

To get hiredBachelor's degree

Explore this career

All work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $66,265 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.

Working style

How and where the work happens

Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.

0%of related openings involve substantial in-person or active work

Few of the careers connected to this field are measured as substantially in-person or active work. Compare the specific occupations to see how much time each one involves with people, equipment, and movement.

College options

Where to study it

Ordered by how many degrees each college awards in this field. Sort by any numbered column.

College	Degrees a year	Earnings, first year out	Admit rate	Average annual cost after aid
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL	92	$64,436	44%	$8,000
University of Florida FL	58	$70,098	24%	$7,000
Purdue University-Main Campus IN	56	$69,257	50%	$9,000
Ohio State University-Main Campus OH	54	$67,817	51%	$10,000
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA	53	$60,906	57%	$18,000
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA	52	$69,159	16%	$11,000
Texas A & M University-College Station TX	48	—	63%	$17,000
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA	46	$62,746	30%	$10,000
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI	44	$73,854	18%	$5,000
North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC	39	$53,714	40%	$13,000
Iowa State University IA	37	$66,475	89%	$15,000
University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA	35	—	43%	$8,000
Clemson University SC	31	$63,207	38%	$19,000
University of California-Los Angeles CA	29	—	9%	$10,000
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN	28	$60,883	77%	$10,000
University of Utah UT	27	$42,076	87%	$14,000
University of California-Davis CA	26	$55,386	42%	$12,000
University of California-Irvine CA	24	—	26%	$12,000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA	24	$80,203	5%	$1,000
University of Wisconsin-Madison WI	24	$64,892	43%	$8,000
Michigan State University MI	23	$68,609	84%	$17,000
Michigan Technological University MI	23	$67,484	88%	$6,000
Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ	22	$66,522	90%	$17,000
University of Maryland-College Park MD	22	$61,034	45%	$10,000
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus PA	22	—	50%	$23,000
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville TN	20	—	46%	$18,000
University of California-Riverside CA	19	—	63%	$13,000
University of Connecticut CT	18	$69,167	54%	$21,000
Drexel University PA	18	$59,744	78%	$35,000
Winona State University MN	17	$66,265	69%	$14,000
Cornell University NY	16	$74,526	8%	$7,000
Boise State University ID	15	$68,028	84%	$21,000
Northwestern University IL	15	—	7%	$8,000
University of Kentucky KY	15	—	92%	$16,000
University of Pennsylvania PA	15	—	6%	$10,000
Washington State University WA	15	$61,524	85%	$12,000
University of Alabama at Birmingham AL	14	$73,616	88%	$19,000
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY	14	$67,716	58%	$28,000
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire WI	14	—	76%	$13,000
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology NM	12	—	54%	—

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