Types of Careers | Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Professor or lecturer

National average salary: $56,568 per year

Primary duties: Professors or lecturers share their expertise in their related field to teach or mentor students in universities and community colleges. They also may continue their research within their departments or institutions. Job duties may include hosting lectures and seminars, developing and delivering courses, creating and distributing tests, grading student work, advising students or performing administrative work for the department.

Analytical chemist

National average salary: $65,880 per year

Primary duties: Analytical chemists analyze the chemical makeup of substances to determine how they respond to different environments. Some specializations include process development, quality control, toxicology, forensic analysis or drug development. Job duties may include developing research and experimentation techniques, interpreting data, working collaboratively on a team, analyzing samples or reporting findings.

Geotechnical engineer

National average salary: $75,282 per year

Primary duties: Geotechnical engineers test and analyze rocks and soil to determine whether construction projects can safely proceed. Job duties may include maintaining safety on construction sites, investigating potential environmental risks like landslides, analyzing rock and soil samples, making recommendations for site use and supervising other professionals.

Patent examiner

National average salary: $115,853 per year

Primary duties: Patent examiners assess patent applications to approve new inventions and protect candidates' ideas from duplication. They use technical and legal skills to report their findings back to candidates who can amend their patent requests until it's approved. Job duties may include collaborating with legal professionals, continuing education on current industry practices, advising candidates and inspecting all aspects of a patent application and the specified product or service.

Supplier quality engineer

National average salary: $78,769 per year

Primary duties: Supplier quality engineers ensure manufacturers produce defect-free products before shipping. These engineers often work in manufacturing or supply chain management. Job duties may include guiding other suppliers and employees, communicating with higher management about budgets and operations, solving supply chain issues or increasing process efficiency.

Metallurgical engineer

National average salary: $87,572 per year

Primary duties: Metallurgical engineers study different metals to design and improve products. They also study how industries and consumers can use various metals. This may include creating products such as computer chips, cars or surgical implants. Job duties may include converting raw materials into metals, designing methods for purifying metal, executing testing or experiments and monitoring how metals react in different environments.

Manufacturing engineer

National average salary: $84,454 per year

Primary duties: Manufacturing engineers design, develop and install manufacturing equipment or assembly lines in factory settings. They may also help build new plants or factories. Job duties may include using software to design and develop plans, working with other designers or consultants, supervising other factory employees, testing and monitoring equipment, visiting other production sites or meeting with managers to discuss efficiency or productivity.

Design engineer

National average salary: $84,648 per year

Primary duties: Design engineers design, develop and manage projects in different industries or areas such as construction, software, machinery, vehicles or other industrial materials. Duties may include designing aesthetics and materials of components, making models or prototypes, leading a team of engineers, writing technical reports or meeting with clients to discuss their needs.

Plastics engineer

National average salary: $81,859 per year

Primary duties: Plastics engineers develop and test new plastics for new products. They often work with other facility employees for product development, manufacturing and quality assurance procedures. Job duties may include designing and developing molds for plastic products, establishing manufacturing plans, improving existing plastics designs, experimenting with new materials to create plastics and auditing existing products.

Sales engineer

National average salary: $89,628 per year

Primary duties: Sales engineers sell scientific and technological products to businesses using their extensive product and scientific knowledge. They may also work with companies to research and develop new products. Job duties may include delivering presentations to clients, discussing client needs, arranging orders and delivery, helping clients with troubleshooting or installation and collaborating with other sales professionals to provide sales support.

Packaging engineer

National average salary: $86,332 per year

Primary duties: Packaging engineers design packaging for many uses and industries such as shipping, food and chemicals. They also design packaging to be sustainable and effective. Job duties may include using computer software to design and develop packaging, researching production and distribution methods, developing prototypes for new products, working together with other engineers and creating reports to document experiments and research.

Biomedical engineer

National average salary: $86,755 per year

Primary duties: Biomedical engineers use science and engineering principles to design and develop equipment, devices, computer systems and software for the medical industry. Job duties may include research, installation and maintenance of equipment, staff training, collaboration with other engineers and medical staff, development of statistical models and experimentation.

Product engineer

National average salary: $90,812 per year

Primary duties: Product engineers design and develop products and their manufacturing processes. They also work with product development teams to conduct industry and marketing research. Job duties may include assessing market and industry trends, developing products within a specified budget, using software to design and create models of products, supervising production and upholding safety standards for each product.

Ceramics engineer

National average salary: $93,226 per year

Primary duties: Ceramics engineers develop ceramic materials and processes to create products for various industries. This can include making glass for electronic displays or fuel nozzles for aircraft. Job duties may include researching and developing new products or processes, improving heat and fire resistance of ceramic materials and processing ceramics from natural materials. They may also design and install ceramic materials in factories and warehouses.

Quality manager

National average salary: $91,988 per year

Primary duties: Quality managers ensure products or services meet safety, legal, quality and customer standards. They also monitor or advise on quality management systems and produce reports or data related to designated internal and external standards. Job duties may include establishing a company's quality assurance procedures, reviewing client requirements for standards, reducing waste or implementing sustainability practices, train and manage other quality assurance employees or reviewing and amending existing policies.

Research scientist

National average salary: $95,565 per year

Primary duties: Research scientists often study and conduct experiments to analyze natural phenomena for the creation of new materials or devices. Examples of disciplines include astronomy, physics or materials science. Duties may include operating complex equipment, analyzing data and developing theories, developing new products, teaching students, maintaining accurate records or testing different materials or products.

Materials engineer

National average salary: $92,439 per year

Primary duties: A materials engineer works with ceramics, plastics, polymers or industrial minerals to improve their performance or advance products or technologies. Duties may include quality control, inspection and repair of products or the work environment, product durability testing, prototype building or sustainability studies.

Systems engineer

National average salary: $104,733 per year

Primary duties: Systems engineers design, integrate and manage complex systems. They also develop solutions to client-based problems and monitor these solutions to ensure they fix the problems. Job duties may include collaborating with project managers and other engineers throughout the systems development process, executing performance tests and designing software or robotics.

Staff engineer

National average salary: $133,876 per year

Primary duties: Staff engineers are senior contributors for software engineering organizations. They usually take on one of four roles, including tech lead, architect, solver and right hand. Job duties may include writing code and designing systems, software, machines or equipment. They also work with project managers on executing projects, testing and repairing products or developing new products and processes.

Aerospace engineer

National average salary: $103,595 per year

Primary duties: Aerospace engineers design, develop, manufacture and test aircraft or other aerospace products. They often specialize in fields such as aerodynamics, thermodynamics, materials, flight mechanics, propulsion or guidance and control systems. Job duties may include inspecting products for damage or malfunctions, developing new technology for defense systems or spacecraft, develop criteria for design, quality standards and sustainability, writing proposals or developing safety protocols.

Semiconductor engineer

National average salary: $110,207 per year

Primary duties: Semiconductor engineers make electrical products that integrate employees, materials, machines and energy. They often work in manufacturing environments. Job duties may include designing semiconductor systems and software, writing or presenting reports, assisting other engineers or resolving software issues.

Architectural and engineering manager

National average salary: $120,818 per year

Primary duties: Architectural and engineering managers direct and coordinate building activities at manufacturing or construction sites. They often oversee activities related to production, operations, quality assurance, testing or maintenance. Job duties may include developing new designs and products, supervising staff, collaborating with other construction professionals, solving technical problems, preparing budgets, hiring staff and ensuring quality and safety of construction processes.

*Job titles, salary, and duty information comes from "22 Jobs You Can Get With a Materials Engineering Degree" published by Indeed in December 2025.