Employment
 According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, materials engineers hold about
21,000 jobs in the United States.
This represents 1.5% of the 1.4 million jobs held by engineers
nationally.
Materials engineers
are involved in the development, processing, and testing of the
materials used to create a range of products, from computer chips and
television screens to golf clubs and snow skis. They work with metals,
ceramics, plastics, semiconductors, and composites to create new
materials that meet certain mechanical, electrical, and chemical
requirements. They also are involved in selecting materials for new
applications. Materials engineers have developed the ability to create
and then study materials at an atomic level, using advanced processes to
replicate the characteristics of materials and their components with
computers. Most materials engineers specialize in a particular material.
For example, metallurgical engineers specialize in metals such as steel,
and ceramic engineers develop ceramic materials and the processes for
making ceramic materials into useful products such as glassware or fiber
optic communication lines.
Employers
The following is a partial
list of employers of materials scientists and engineers:
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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