Designs systems that keep things colder than anywhere in nature, for rockets, MRI magnets, and quantum computers.
You design tanks for liquid hydrogen rocket fuel or cooling for superconducting magnets, solving problems where metal turns brittle and air freezes solid.
Based on mechanical engineers; specialists earn above average.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in mechanical engineering or physics.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Aerospace Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Growth is for mechanical engineers overall.
Low risk for 10 years. AI speeds thermal design, but booming rocket, MRI and quantum work needs engineers to build and test real systems.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
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.