Also called: Metallurgist, Process Metallurgist
Specializes in metals: how they are melted, alloyed, shaped and heat-treated.
You stand on a catwalk above a glowing furnace at a steel mill, checking temperature readouts. You adjust the recipe so the steel for car frames is stronger and pull a sample to test in the lab.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in metallurgical or materials engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI tunes heat treatment and casting settings; troubleshooting metal problems on the plant floor stays human.
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Welding or metal shop, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2131.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.