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Materials Engineers
Develops the metals, plastics, ceramics and composites things are made of.
Read the full guide
Materials engineers create and test materials for everything from phone screens and batteries to airplane parts, medical implants and steel. They work in manufacturing, research labs and quality control.
Open the materials engineer guide
The guide checks the courses against your plan, with things to try each year. Free account needed.
High school courses that build toward it
- Calculus · Math
Builds math, which this job uses.
- Physics · Science
Builds physics, which this job uses.
- Engineering Design · Career and Technical
Builds engineering, which this job uses.
- Computer Science Principles · Computer Science
Builds computers and electronics, which this job uses.
- English 10 · English
Builds reading and writing, which this job uses.
- Ceramics · Arts
Builds design and technical drawing, which this job uses.
Ranked by how much the job relies on what each course teaches, from O*NET's knowledge ratings. Your school's own courses and the counselor have the final word.
Materials Engineers on O*NET OnLine · O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections 2025.