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Career Details :: Materials Scientists

Description

Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and manmade 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.

Experience

A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Education

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Training

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Tasks

• Plans laboratory experiments to confirm feasibility of processes and techniques to produce materials having special characteristics.
• Reports materials-study findings for other scientists and requesters.
• Guides technical staff engaged in developing materials for specific use in projected product or device.
• Studies structures and properties of materials, such as metals, alloys, polymers, and ceramics, to obtain research data.

Related Careers

• Chemical Technicians
  
• Chemists
  
• Geologists
  
• Natural Sciences Managers
  
• Physicists
  

Important Abilities

• Written Comprehension
• Written Expression
• Originality
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Oral Expression

General Work Activities

• Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Processing Information
• Documenting/Recording Information

Important Skills

• Science
  
• Writing
  
• Reading Comprehension
  
• Active Learning
  
• Mathematics
  

Frequent Work Context

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
• Indoors
• Job-Required Social Interaction
• Frustrating Circumstances

Related Majors

Major (A) Associate (B) Bachelors (C) Certificate (D) Doctor (M) Master	Add to XapPack
Biomedical Materials Engineering Science (B)	[ add ]
Biomedical Materials Engineering Science (M)	[ add ]
Chemical Engineering/Materials Science/Engineering (B)	[ add ]
Chemistry/Bio-Organic/Environmental/Materials (B)	[ add ]
Chemistry/Materials Science (B)	[ add ]
Electrical Engineering/Materials Science/Engineering (B)	[ add ]
Interdisciplinary Materials Science (M)	[ add ]
Interdisciplinary Materials Science (D)	[ add ]
Material Acquisition Management (M)	[ add ]
Material Science Engineering (D)	[ add ]
Material Science Engineering (M)	[ add ]
Materials (M)	[ add ]
Materials (D)	[ add ]
Materials Chemistry (D)	[ add ]
Materials Engineering Science (D)	[ add ]
Materials Engineering/Science (M)	[ add ]
Materials Science (M)	[ add ]
Materials Science (D)	[ add ]
Materials Science (A)	[ add ]
Materials Science (B)	[ add ]
Materials Science and Engineering (M)	[ add ]
Materials Science Engineering (B)	[ add ]
Materials Science Engineering (A)	[ add ]
Materials Science/Commerce (B)	[ add ]
Materials Science/Engineering (M)	[ add ]
Materials Science/Engineering (D)	[ add ]
Materials Science/Engineering (B)	[ add ]
Materials Sciences Engineering (M)	[ add ]
Materials Technology (B)	[ add ]
Materials/Chemical Synthesis (M)	[ add ]
Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science (D)	[ add ]
Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science (B)	[ add ]
Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science/Engineering (B)	[ add ]
Mechanical/Materials Science (M)	[ add ]

Institutions Offering Related Majors

College	Key Facts	Add to XapPack
Alfred University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Arizona State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Boise State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Boston University	[ view ]	[ add ]
California Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Carnegie Mellon University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Case Western Reserve University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Clemson University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Colorado School of Mines	[ view ]	[ add ]
Columbia University - Fu Foundation School of Engineering	[ view ]	[ add ]
Cornell University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Drexel University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Duke University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Florida Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Florida International University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Georgia Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Harvard University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Howard University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Illinois Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Iowa State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Johns Hopkins University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Lehigh University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
McGill University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Michigan State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Michigan Technological University	[ view ]	[ add ]
New Jersey Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Norfolk State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
North Carolina State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Northwestern University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Ohio State University, The - Columbus	[ view ]	[ add ]
Oregon State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Penn State University Park	[ view ]	[ add ]
Polytechnic University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Princeton University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Rice University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Rochester Institute of Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Rutgers University - New Brunswick Campus	[ view ]	[ add ]
San Jose State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology	[ view ]	[ add ]
Southwest Missouri State University - Springfield	[ view ]	[ add ]
Stanford University	[ view ]	[ add ]
State University of New York at Binghamton	[ view ]	[ add ]
State University of New York at Stony Brook	[ view ]	[ add ]
Tuskegee University	[ view ]	[ add ]
UC Berkeley	[ view ]	[ add ]
UC Davis	[ view ]	[ add ]
UC Irvine	[ view ]	[ add ]
UC Los Angeles	[ view ]	[ add ]
UC Merced	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Alabama	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Alabama - Huntsville	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Alabama at Birmingham	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Arizona	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Central Florida	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Cincinnati	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Connecticut	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Delaware	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Denver	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Florida	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Idaho	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Illinois - Urbana	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Maryland - College Park	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Missouri - Rolla	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Nevada - Reno	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of New Hampshire	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of North Texas	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Pennsylvania	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Pittsburgh	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Rochester	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Southern California	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Tennessee - Knoxville	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Texas - Arlington	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Texas - Austin	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Texas - Dallas	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Texas - El Paso	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Toronto	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Utah	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Vermont	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Virginia	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Washington	[ view ]	[ add ]
University of Wisconsin - Madison	[ view ]	[ add ]
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Washington State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Washington University in St. Louis	[ view ]	[ add ]
Wayne State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	[ view ]	[ add ]
Wright State University	[ view ]	[ add ]
Youngstown State University	[ view ]	[ add ]