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Engineering

Materials Engineer

View this career for different education levels:

Primary Secondary Post-16

Imagine you have a toy made of plastic, or a bike made of metal, or even a yummy chocolate bar. A Materials Engineer is like a detective who understands what these things are made of and how they work. They study different stuff like metals, plastics, ceramics, and even squishy gels. Their job is to find the best materials for everything around us, from building speedy aeroplanes to making super-strong mobile phones that dont break easily. Materials Engineers also invent new materials! They might make a material that cleans itself, or one that is super light but incredibly strong. They help design things so they are safe, last a long time, and do exactly what they are supposed to do. They might work in a lab, testing materials with special machines, or help a company choose the best stuff for their new products. It is a very important job because everything we use is made of something!

Materials Engineer

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📊 Statistics

Starting Salary

A Materials Engineer just starting out in the UK might earn around 25,000 to 30,000 pounds a year.

Experienced Salary

With more experience, a Materials Engineer in the UK could earn between 35,000 and 55,000 pounds a year, and even more for very senior roles.

Job Openings

There are usually many job openings for Materials Engineers across the UK, especially in places that make new things or need strong, safe materials.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Toy Designer

Imagine new toys and games for children to play with. You'd think about what materials to use to make them strong and fun, just like a Materials Engineer thinks about materials for big things!

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Food Scientist

Explore different ingredients to make yummy new foods! You'd figure out which ingredients make a cake soft, or a biscuit crunchy, just like a Materials Engineer studies what makes things strong or flexible.

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Lego Master Builder

Use different Lego bricks and pieces to build amazing models and structures. You'd need to know which pieces are best for making things stand tall and strong, a bit like a Materials Engineer choosing the right materials.

Learn and Play with Materials

Explore Materials Around You

Look at all the different things around your house and school. What are they made of? Touch them, feel them, and think about why they are made that way.

Start by observing everyday objects. For example, why is a spoon made of metal but a bouncy ball made of rubber? What happens when you try to bend a plastic ruler compared to a wooden one? Thinking about these differences is the first step to understanding materials. You can ask an adult to help you explore different textures and properties of items safely.

Do Fun Material Experiments

Try simple experiments at home or school! See what happens when you mix different things, or try to build something with different types of paper or fabric.

You could try to build the tallest tower using only spaghetti and marshmallows, or see which fabric absorbs the most water. With an adult's help, you could explore how ice melts differently on wood, plastic, or metal. These hands-on activities help you see how different materials react and behave in various situations, which is a big part of what Materials Engineers do.

Read About Inventors and Scientists

Find books about famous inventors or scientists who discovered new materials or made amazing things. They were like the first Materials Engineers!

Look for stories about people like Thomas Edison, who invented many things, or Marie Curie, who studied different elements. Learning about how people in history experimented and discovered new things can inspire you. Your local library or school library will have lots of fun books about science and inventions, perfect for learning more.

Learn More at School

Focus on Science and Maths

When you go to primary and secondary school, pay extra attention in your science and maths lessons. They are super important for understanding materials!

Science helps you understand how materials work and what they're made of, like atoms and molecules. Maths helps you measure and predict how strong or heavy a material might be. These subjects are the building blocks for a career in engineering, so trying your best in them now will make future learning much easier and more fun.

Join Science Clubs

Ask if your school has a science club or a STEM club (that means Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths). It's a great way to do more exciting experiments!

Science clubs often do cool projects that you might not do in regular lessons, like building robots, making chemical reactions, or creating structures. These clubs are fantastic for meeting other children who love science and for getting hands-on experience with different materials and engineering challenges in a fun, friendly environment.

Visit Science Museums or Fairs

Go to science museums with your family or visit school science fairs. You'll see amazing new inventions and how materials are used in real life.

Science museums often have interactive exhibits where you can touch, feel, and learn about different materials and how they're used in technology, transport, and everyday items. Science fairs can show you what other children are inventing and experimenting with, giving you lots of ideas and showing you the exciting world of materials engineering.

Becoming a Materials Engineer

Go to University

After school, you would usually go to university to study 'Materials Science and Engineering'. This is where you learn all the clever stuff!

At university, you would take special courses that teach you deeply about different types of materials, like metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites. You'd learn how to test them, design new ones, and understand their properties at a very detailed level. It's like becoming a master chef, but for materials, learning all the secret recipes and how to invent new ones.

Get Work Experience

While you're studying or after university, try to find places that will let you see what engineers do every day. This is called 'work experience'.

Work experience could be helping out at a company that makes cars, aeroplanes, or even toys, to see how they choose and use different materials. It helps you understand how what you learn at university is used in the real world and can help you decide what kind of Materials Engineer you want to be. It's a great way to meet real engineers and ask them questions.

Start Your Engineering Job

Once you have your qualifications and some experience, you can start your exciting job as a Materials Engineer, making the world a better place!

As a Materials Engineer, you could work on designing lighter, stronger materials for new aeroplanes, developing biodegradable plastics to help the planet, or even creating special materials for medical equipment. Every day would be different, solving new challenges and working with clever people to create the future. Your creativity and problem-solving skills would be used to make amazing things.

🎬 Useful Videos

Expert Film: This is Laura Malone, who works as a Site Manager for Morgan Sindall. Laura talks about the stretchiness of materials.
1:14
Expert

Expert Film: This is Laura Malone, who works as a Site Manager for Morgan Sindall. Laura talks about the stretchiness of materials.

over 2 years ago
Expert Film: This is Matt Rees, who works as the Design Manager for Morgan Sindall. Matt talks about the properties of materials.
1:21
Expert

Expert Film: This is Matt Rees, who works as the Design Manager for Morgan Sindall. Matt talks about the properties of materials.

over 2 years ago
Expert Film: This is Andy Clayton, who works as the Social Value Manager for Morgan Sindall. Andy talks about the uses of materials.
1:32
Expert

Expert Film: This is Andy Clayton, who works as the Social Value Manager for Morgan Sindall. Andy talks about the uses of materials.

over 2 years ago

🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Materials Engineer. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

🎓 View Apprenticeships

Career Progressions

This page showcases various career options and the pathways to reach them. Each career listed here shares transferable skills and knowledge, making it easier for individuals to transition between them.

Your current career is highlighted to help you see how it fits into the broader landscape of potential career choices. By clicking on any career, you can learn more about it, including the training and education required to pursue it.

Remember, progressing in your career often involves further learning and training. This page provides insights into future career options as well as those that can lead up to your current one.

These career progression decisions are informed by comparing the skills and knowledge needed for different occupations, along with data on how people move between them. Explore the possibilities and discover the exciting journey ahead in your career!

Sample Qualifications

The user's input career 'Materials Engineer' is an exact match to one of the provided official job titles, making it the most direct and accurate classification.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship

University

You'll normally need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject, like:

  • materials engineering
  • materials science or technology
  • applied chemistry
  • applied physics

You could also take a degree course specialising in one group of materials or their commercial use, for example:

  • metallurgy
  • biomaterials
  • polymer science
  • sports engineering

If you have a related degree, for example, structural engineering, you may be able to take a postgraduate course in materials science and engineering.

You can search for materials science and engineering courses, accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, on the Engineering Council website.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths and a science for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

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Apprenticeship

You could apply for a degree apprenticeship to begin your materials engineering career. Examples include:

  • Materials Science Technologist Level 6
  • Space Systems Engineer Level 6
  • Materials Process Engineer Level 7

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

More Information

More Information

Career tips

Choosing to do an accredited course or a degree apprenticeship can help towards registration for incorporated or chartered engineer status with a professional body. This is a way to demonstrate your professional competence and expertise as your career progresses.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in materials science and engineering from:

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