Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RIC

Materials Engineers

Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.

Also called: Materials Research Engineer, Metallurgist, Process Engineer, Textile Engineer, Automotive Sheet Metal Engineer, Ceramic Engineer, Extrusion Engineer, Materials Development Engineer.

O*NET 17-2131.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $112,860; Middle half earn $88,080 to $142,720. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 80% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +6% · Faster than average; 23,000 jobs in 2024, projected 24,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Materials engineers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Mathematics4.0 / 5
Science4.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Engineering and Technology4.7 / 5
Mathematics4.3 / 5
Production and Processing4.2 / 5
Physics4.1 / 5
English Language3.9 / 5
Chemistry3.8 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic81
Investigative80
Artistic26
Social6
Enterprising18
Conventional52

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

surface engineer · DE Ingenieur Oberflächentechnik/Ingenieurin Oberflächentechnik · FR ingénieur traitement de surface/ingénieure traitement de surface
welding engineer · DE Ingenieur Schweißtechnik/Ingenieurin Schweißtechnik · FR ingénieur soudeur/ingénieure soudeuse
paper engineer · DE Ingenieur Papiertechnik und -produktion/Ingenieurin Papiertechnik und -produktion · FR ingénieur papetier/ingénieure papetière
synthetic materials engineer · DE Kunststoffingenieur/Kunststoffingenieurin · FR ingénieur matériaux synthétiques/ingénieure matériaux synthétiques
metallurgist · DE Metallurge/Metallurgin · FR ingénieur métallurgiste/ingénieure métallurgiste
materials engineer · DE Ingenieur Werkstofftechnik/Ingenieurin Werkstofftechnik · FR ingénieur matériaux/ingénieure matériaux

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Aerospace engineers (2126)41,700 employed
Production and process engineers (2125)56,900 employed
Engineering professionals n.e.c. (2129)124,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.04. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2131).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test