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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $108,310 in the US and is projected to grow 6% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.46 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include plastic resins, quality standards, types of plastic, optimise production processes parameters, measure furnace temperature.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £48,776 a year for Engineering professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £39,653 to £61,717 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2129). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Materials engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam JEE Main (Paper 1) for B.E./B.Tech; top JEE Main scorers can sit JEE Advanced for IITs; IIT/NIT/IIIT seats allotted via JoSAA[1][2][3]
- 2 · Qualification B.Tech / B.E. in Metallurgical / Materials Engineering (4 years) at an IIT, NIT or AICTE-approved college[3][4]
- 3 · Entrance exam GATE for M.Tech admission or for recruitment by public sector undertakings (PSUs) that use GATE scores[5]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- JEE (Main) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 — Eligibility criteria (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure (read on 2026-09-27)
- AICTE — Approval Process Handbook 2024-25 to 2026-27 (read on 2026-09-27)
- GATE 2027 — IIT Madras (organising institute) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Design
- Computers and Electronics
A day in the life
You start the morning in the lab looking at a cracked metal bracket returned by a customer, examining the fracture surface under a microscope to work out whether it failed from fatigue, corrosion or a flaw in the metal. You compare it with test data from the same batch and begin to suspect the heat treatment. Mid-morning you meet the production team to review furnace records and agree on a trial with a different tempering temperature. After lunch you check results from strength and hardness tests on incoming raw materials and sign off the batches that meet the specification. Later you advise a design engineer on the best way to join two different metals without weakening either, weighing performance against cost. Writing up test reports in careful detail is the slow part of the day. The satisfying part is when the trial parts pass their tests and you know the failures in the field will finally stop.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
- Design and direct the testing or control of processing procedures.
- Monitor material performance, and evaluate its deterioration.
- Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
- Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
- Modify properties of metal alloys, using thermal and mechanical treatments.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Materials engineers do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Materials engineers?
You start the morning in the lab looking at a cracked metal bracket returned by a customer, examining the fracture surface under a microscope to work out whether it failed from fatigue, corrosion or a flaw in the metal. You compare it with test data from the same batch and begin to suspect the heat treatment. Mid-morning you meet the production team to review furnace records and agree on a trial with a different tempering temperature.
How much does Materials engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Materials engineers in the US is $108,310.
What is the job outlook for Materials engineers?
The role is projected to grow 6% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 23,000 workers.
How do I become materials engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Materials engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include plastic resins, quality standards, types of plastic, optimise production processes parameters, measure furnace temperature, maintain furnace temperature. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Materials engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Materials engineers a score of 0.46 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Materials engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.