Chooses and develops the right materials for products like cars, medical implants, and rockets.
You figure out why a part cracked, test a lighter material for an aircraft, and work with manufacturing on how to process it.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in materials science and engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI speeds material selection and data review; solving cracked parts with factories and testing stay human.
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.