Science
Materials Scientists
Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass. Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications. Includes glass scientists, ceramic scientists, metallurgical scientists, and polymer scientists.
Median salary
$104,160
Typical range
$61k – $169k
Job outlook
+5% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Materials Scientists
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Materials Scientists Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Materials Scientists
Entry / Junior
$61,460
~2 yrs to advance
Materials Scientists
Established
$104,160
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Materials Scientists
Senior
$136,330
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •Conduct research on the structures and properties of materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and ceramics, to obtain information that could be used to develop new products or enhance existing ones.
- •Test metals to determine conformance to specifications of mechanical strength, strength-weight ratio, ductility, magnetic and electrical properties, and resistance to abrasion, corrosion, heat, and cold.
- •Test material samples for tolerance under tension, compression, and shear to determine the cause of metal failures.
- •Determine ways to strengthen or combine materials or develop new materials with new or specific properties for use in a variety of products and applications.
- •Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Science
Explore all- Massachusetts Institute of Technology4% admit · $124,000 grad pay
- California Institute of Technology3% admit · $112,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- Stanford University4% admit · $122,000 grad pay
- University of California, Berkeley11% admit · $97,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.