Also called: Forensic Materials Engineer
Investigates why things broke, from cracked airplane parts to exploding phone batteries.
A broken part arrives in an evidence bag. You photograph it, examine the fracture surface under a microscope, and piece together what went wrong, sometimes for court cases.
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 materials or mechanical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). Growth is for materials engineers overall.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps read fracture images, but investigating broken parts and testifying stay human detective work.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Chemistry, Photography.
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.