Materials Scientists: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

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.

• 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.
• Prepare reports, manuscripts, proposals, and technical manuals for use by other scientists and requestors, such as sponsors and customers.
• Perform experiments and computer modeling to study the nature, structure, and physical and chemical properties of metals and their alloys, and their responses to applied forces.
• Plan laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques used in the production of materials with special characteristics.

Salary

Materials Scientists with little to no experience tend to make between $52560 and $70400 while the more experienced ones can earn over $129470 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Materials Scientist is to move to a higher paying state like NM. Right now, the highest paying states for Materials Scientists are NM, IN, CT, NV and TX.

However, a higher pay at NM doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at NM might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Materials Scientist is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Materials Scientists what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Bachelor’s Degree followed by a PhD.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Materials Scientist.

What is the job like

67% of Materials Scientists said they were satisfied with their job and 62% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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