Because every product is made of something, materials engineers can find opportunities in nearly every industry. While materials applications in aerospace and nanotechnology may come to mind first, many other specialized industries also rely heavily on materials expertise. If you’re interested in sustainability, energy, semiconductors, or biotechnology, you may want to consider materials applications in these growing fields.
Dive into Vault Guides
Vault’s Industry Guides provide insight into an industry’s history, outlook, and strategies for entering the field, while Job Guides explore specific roles in greater detail, including employment trends, educational requirements, and day-to-day responsibilities.
If you are curious about careers in materials science and engineering, check out the guides below.
Be sure to use your Cornell log-in for full access, free.
Industry Guides
Jobs Guides
- Aerospace Jobs
- Alternative Energy Jobs
- Automotive Manufacturing Jobs
- Chemistry Jobs
- Electronics Manufacturing Jobs
- Metals Industry Jobs
- Mining Jobs
- Nanotechnology Jobs
- Oil and Gas Jobs
- Plastics Industry Jobs
- Packaging Industry Jobs
- Stone, Concrete, Ceramics, and Glass Jobs
Most of these guides specifically list materials engineers as a job within the highlighted industry. Some do not, but these fields may still be relevant to your interests. For example, the Packaging Industry Jobs Guide does not explicitly mention materials engineers, but packaging relies heavily on understanding how materials behave, especially when it comes to durability, sustainability, safety, cost, and product protection. In this case, review the job entry for Packaging Engineers.
While the Vault Guides cover a wide variety of occupations and industries, you may need to do some additional research if you are excited about a field or job that it isn’t included. For instance, the Textiles Industry Jobs Guide doesn’t reference the materials scientists and engineers who develop innovative performance materials for apparel companies. Consult with a career advisor when you need more advice or resources.
Keep a Pulse on Real Time Trends
Want even more info about employment trends, earnings, common job titles, and career outlook? Use real time Labor Market Insights (LMI) by Lightcast to learn more. Lightcast integrates official government labor statistics with real time data from job postings and other sources to generate up-to-date employment reports.
- For careers in material science, use the “Science, Technology, Engineering and Math” category.
- Select “Materials Scientists” or “Materials Engineers.”
- Pick “Nationwide” for U.S.-wide data or choose a particular state for regional labor market insights.
Who are the top employers in New York state right now? What are the median annual earnings? What job titles are frequently posted? LMI can show you.
Check Out Cornellians’ Next Moves
Curious where materials science and engineering graduates go after completing their degrees? Each year, Cornell Career Services surveys students about their plans. You can see where new grads are working and studying in the Student Career Outcomes Dashboard.
Note that salary data is suppressed in survey results for sample sizes under 10 to ensure respondents’ privacy. In this case, selecting multiple survey years can be helpful to have a more robust sample size.
Every industry needs people who are curious and excited to tackle new challenges. A multitude of possibilities exist if you aspire to a career working with materials. Explore your interests further by following professionals and companies on social media, connecting with more experienced students, faculty, and alumni, and talking with a career advisor as you go.
You don’t need to have your entire career mapped out now, but learning how your interests align with real-world opportunities is time well spent.
