Study and develop materials such as metals, ceramics, and composites to meet performance and cost needs.
You may also see this posted as: Materials Research Engineer, Metallurgical Engineer, Metallurgist, Extrusion Engineer, Materials Development Engineer, Research Engineer.
Labs, offices, and factories
Full time, regular hours
Realistic
working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world
Investigative
solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work
Conventional
organizing information, following systems, and getting details right
O*NET job zone 4 of 5
High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.
Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.
May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.
Bachelor's degree
Training path: Bachelor's in materials or related engineering.
Related work experience: None.
On-the-job training: None.
A Professional Engineer license is optional and mainly useful for senior roles.
Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.
Develops and tests the metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites that other products are built from.
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Standard Occupational Classification 17-2131. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.