Also called: Textile Materials Engineer, Fabric Development Engineer
Designs new fabrics and fibers, from stretchy athletic knits to fire-proof firefighter gear and bulletproof weaves.
You might start the morning testing how much a new running-shirt fabric stretches before it rips, then tweak the yarn blend on a lab loom. After lunch you sit with the product team to figure out why a batch of hiking pants is pilling, and you run the fabric through an abrasion machine that rubs it thousands of times.
Uses BLS materials-engineer wages; textile-specific roles in apparel brands can pay a bit less, defense/medical textiles more.
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 textile engineering, materials science or chemical engineering; NC State, Georgia Tech and Clemson have famous textile programs.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Textile Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). BLS projects materials engineers to grow about as fast as average; technical and smart textiles are the hot spot.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI helps simulate fabrics, but inventing and testing new fibers for protective and smart gear stays hands-on R&D.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus.
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.