Quick answer: Fully online ABET-accredited materials programs are uncommon because the discipline is laboratory-defined - mechanical testing, metallography, failure analysis and characterization all require equipment. Materials engineers earn a median $112,860 per year, or $54.26 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The credential runs through a ABET-EAC-accredited ABET-accredited bachelor’s in materials or metallurgical engineering.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $112,860 |
| Median hourly wage | $54.26 |
| Employed nationally | 22,770 |
| Bottom 10 percent | $72,300 |
| Top 10 percent | $175,720 |
| Middle half | $88,080 to $142,720 |
| Projected change, 2024-34 | 5.7% |
| Annual openings | about 1,500 |
Wage and employment figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Growth and openings: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
Fully online ABET-accredited materials programs are uncommon because the discipline is laboratory-defined - mechanical testing, metallography, failure analysis and characterization all require equipment. Hybrid and degree-completion routes exist, and online master’s options are more available for those already holding an engineering bachelor’s.
This degree sits above credentials many readers already hold. The rungs run:
Employment is projected to change by 5.7% between 2024 and 2034, with roughly 1,500 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Openings come from growth and from replacing people who leave the occupation, which is why the annual figure can look large relative to the percentage.
Materials engineering follows the standard state-administered Professional Engineer framework: an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, qualifying experience, then the PE. As in mechanical engineering, many materials engineers work under what is commonly called the industrial exemption. In welding specifically, the AWS Certified Welding Engineer credential is a separate industry certification rather than a state license.
Separately from programmatic accreditation, the institution itself should hold accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor. Credit transfer between institutions is decided by the receiving school and genuinely varies, so get any transfer evaluation in writing before enrolling.
Materials engineers decide what a part should be made of and why, then prove it: selecting alloys and composites, writing and qualifying welding procedures, running failure analysis when something breaks, and specifying heat treatment and coatings. For anyone who has welded, this is the discipline that explains the behavior already observed at the bench - why a weld cracked, why a joint failed at the heat-affected zone.
Coursework covers thermodynamics and phase diagrams, crystal structure and defects, mechanical behavior and failure, metallurgy, polymers and composites, corrosion, and characterization methods, with laboratory work throughout. Welding-focused tracks add joining metallurgy and procedure qualification, which is the most direct continuation of a fabrication background.
This site does not publish tuition figures, because there is no sourced dataset behind them and the number varies enormously by institution and residency. What can be stated is the wage structure the degree leads into. The middle half of materials engineers earn between $88,080 and $142,720, with the bottom 10 percent at $72,300 and the top 10 percent at $175,720 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is the honest range to plan against - not the median alone, and not the top figure.
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | $165,600 | 450 |
| Maryland | $140,640 | 740 |
| Washington | $139,840 | 1,000 |
| Delaware | $131,320 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $128,670 | 90 |
Highest-paying states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living is not held constant, so a higher median does not automatically mean more disposable income.
| State | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3,020 | $128,470 |
| Ohio | 1,790 | $106,510 |
| Texas | 1,440 | $117,700 |
| Massachusetts | 1,360 | $114,100 |
| Washington | 1,000 | $139,840 |
Largest employing states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment concentration and pay do not track each other. State and metro pages linked below carry the full distribution.
The main caution is scale: this is a small field at 22,770 materials engineers nationally and roughly 1,500 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34), concentrated in manufacturing, aerospace, energy and defense. Positions cluster around industrial regions rather than spreading evenly. The offsetting case is that the ladder from welding is unusually coherent - the degree formalizes knowledge a fabricator has already been accumulating - and pay is strong, at a median of $112,860 with a top decile of $175,720 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Confirm ABET-EAC accreditation. Ask how laboratory requirements are satisfied in any hybrid format, because characterization and mechanical testing are the core of the discipline and cannot be simulated away. If welding is the target, ask whether the program carries a joining or welding engineering track and how it relates to the AWS credential. Ask what prior coursework or certifications transfer, in writing.
The national framework is the constant: a ABET-EAC-accredited program, then the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination administered through NCEES. What sits on top of that framework is set jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and this site does not hold a sourced dataset of per-state rules, so confirm the specifics with your state engineering licensing board before enrolling.
Ask these before an application fee, and get the answers in writing rather than over the phone:
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Rarely in full. The discipline is laboratory-defined - mechanical testing, metallography and characterization need equipment - so ABET-accredited bachelor's programs are largely campus-based. Hybrid routes exist, and online master's options are more common for those already holding an engineering degree.
The national median annual wage is $112,860, or $54.26 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $72,300 or less and the top 10 percent earn $175,720 or more, across 22,770 materials engineers nationally.
Through an ABET-accredited materials, metallurgical or welding engineering degree, often with a joining track. The fabrication background is a genuine advantage in coursework and in hiring because the physical behavior is already familiar, though it usually does not transfer as academic credit.
It is an industry certification from the American Welding Society, separate from state licensure and from the degree itself. It is typically pursued after the degree and relevant experience rather than instead of them.
Often not. Many work under what is commonly called the industrial exemption. The path exists through an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering examination, qualifying experience and the PE exam. Confirm the specifics with your state engineering licensing board.
Employment is projected to change by 5.7% from 2024 to 2034, with about 1,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Growth is steady but the field is small, so openings are limited and geographically concentrated.
The careers this degree sits above or beside:
Related reading across the degree silo:
State pay, licensing and metro-level data for this degree. Wage and employment figures on every state page come from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
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About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
