Kristin McElroy

My Career Project

How to become a Material Engineer

Description: Material Engineers create new types of materials. Usually specialize in ceramics, metals, semiconductors, polymers and composites. Physical material engineers study and test out the nature, structure and properties of materials and recommend materials for specific uses. They are involved in the modification or testing of properties and qualities of materials and creating new ones. This job does require working under supervision of your boss along with working apart of a team.

Setting: These engineers may work in industries like electronics, aerospace design, transportation, energy conversion or household appliances. So the setting may vary but it will most likely be in a testing laboratory. Other sites are inspection firms, industrial plants, research faculties, government agencies and manufacturing companies.

Step 1: Career exploration

History: The stone age, bronze age, iron age, steel age are great examples that show that material science is one of the oldest forms of engineering. This science is driven by the development of revolutionary technologies such as plastics, semiconductors and biomaterials and has grown incredibly. Material science came from metallurgy engineering, and became its own university program in the early 1960’s.

Earnings: From $45,000 to $180, 000 per year

Hours: average of 40 – 50 hour work week. Some shift work and overtime will be required.

This is a full time job.

Benefits: high paid salary, will receive a benefits package from the company that hires: including a chance for bonuses, a health and medical care package, dental coverage, or paid vacation time.

This is not a union job.

Working conditions:(may differ according to employer and field)

Step 2: Finding out the details

Say this job doesn’t happen to work out as planned…

Here are some other choices that are related to this path:

Aerospace engineer

Nuclear engineer

Engineering tech

Environmental engineer

Chemical engineer

Physicist

Step 3: The back up plan

Future Outlook: This career path has a sufficient outlook because it is even though it is projected to show little change from 2012 to 2022. It may become more popular in the future for developing new medical or scientific products. In Canada, there are about 23,200 positions as a material engineer. The wage average has also grown.

Step 4: Post Secondary Plan

A master’s degree or a PhD is usually necessary for advanced research positions. Also, a PhD is needed to become a professor.

Universities that offer this education for undergrad, masters and doctoral degrees include:

University of BC

University of Alberta

McMaster University

University of Western Ontario

Step 5: Solving the more specific details for university

Here is a sample course selection for somebody in the first two years of schooling who wanted to become a material engineer.

Year 1 Year 2

Semester 1 Semester 1

101 engineering and technology 221 processing and properties design

103 materials fundamentals 240 calculus III

104 calculus I 210 stats and strengths of materials

104 general chemistry for engineers 254 mechanics of liquids and solids

Semester 2 Semester 2

124 calculus II 241 calculus IV

105 intro to material design 251 Analytical methods for engineering

102 intro physics for engineers 247 material engineering design

113 engineering problem solving 256 applied engineering