Annual Salary
£20,000 to £45,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to New energy or Recycling or go back to all job sectors
Materials engineers research the behaviour of materials used in industry to make them stronger, lighter and more hard-wearing.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings; occasionally
There will be
2.4% more Materials engineer jobs in 2027.
In your day-to-day duties you could:
You could work at a manufacturing plant, in a laboratory or in an office.
You can get into this job through:
You'll normally need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree.
Relevant subjects include:
You could also take a degree course specialising in one group of materials or their commercial use, for example metallurgy, polymer science, biomaterials, or sports and materials science.
You'll usually need:
Apprenticeships relevant to this role include:
You'll usually need:
You can find out more about careers in materials engineering from the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
With experience, you could move into project management or technical sales. You could also specialise in a particular material, or work in research and consultancy.
Materials engineer designs, tests and produces novel materials that are built to survive the harsh environment of space. In the future we will be recycling old satellites and space platforms, as well make new materials in space from mining asteroids and the moon. Materials Engineers will support the development of processes that will enable these new materials and ways of working space happen.
Examples of post-16 courses you could study at a local school or college
Examples of post-18 courses you could study at a local provider
Apprenticeships you may be able to take with local employers
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You'll need: