Also called: Powder Metallurgist, AM Materials Engineer
Develops and tests the metal powders, plastics and resins that 3D printers use, and figures out why printed parts fail.
You load a new titanium powder into a test printer, build little test bars and pull them apart in a machine until they snap. Then you look at the fracture under an electron microscope. Your findings decide whether a new alloy is safe enough for a jet engine.
Estimate; based on materials scientists and engineers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's or PhD in materials science or metallurgy.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Materials Science & Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Chemistry.
Growing faster than average. Small but growing research field.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI speeds materials discovery and data analysis; lab testing and explaining why parts crack stay human.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2032.
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.