What is Materials Engineering?
Materials engineering is concerned with the design, fabrication, and testing of engineering materials. These materials must comply with the dimensional properties, quality control, and economic requirements. The field encompasses a spectrum of materials: metals, ceramics, polymers (plastics), semiconductors, and combinations of materials called composites.

Materials Engineers evaluate technical requirements and material specifications to develop materials that can be used, for example, to reduce the weight, but not the strength of an object. Materials engineers also test and evaluate materials and develop new materials.

Research Areas at UCLA:

• Surface Materials
• Microstructure of Solids
• Design, Fabrication, and Testing of Engineering Materials
• Electronic and Opto-Electronic Materials
• Structural Materials

What are some occupations related to Material Science?
Manufacturing Engineer
Process Engineer
Product Design Engineer
Ceramic Engineer
Metallurgical Engineer
Research Associate/Engineer

What are some industries that recruit Material Science majors?
Materials and Manufacturing companies
Automobile
Appliances
Electronics
Aerospace
Medical Products
Semiconductor
Service Companies
Airlines
Railroads
Utilities
Consulting Firms
Federal Government
Research Institutes
Schools & Universities
Publishing Companies (Writing/editing technical and educational resources)

Who are some employers that have recruited UCLA Material Science majors?
Accenture
Agilent Technologies
Altera Corp
AMD
Anheuser Busch
Capstone Turbine Corp
CIM Vision Intl.
Cytec Industries
Deloitte Consulting
Eli Lilly & Co
ESI – Electronic Components
EXXONMOBILE
Factset Research Systems
Fluor Daniel
GTRAN
Guidant
IBM
INTEL Corp
International Rectifier
Intersil
JPL
KLA - Tencor Corp.
Kurt Salmon
LSI LOGIC
MOTOROLA
NEC Electronics
Phillips Semiconductor
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Quantum
Rainbird
Rehrig Pacific Company
Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Science Center
State Water Resources Control Board
Stellex Microwave Systems, Inc.
Teradyne, Inc.
TRW
US Dept of the State
Vitesse Semiconductor
Walt Disney
Xerox

Which Student Groups are related to Materials Engineering:
Engineering Society of University of California www.esuc.ucla.edu
Engineering Graduate Student Association www.seas.ucla.edu/egsa

Professional Associations:
The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society www.tms.org (Overview of field, Resources, Professional Profiles, and more)
American Society for Testing and Materials www.astm.org (Includes search for International Testing Laboratories)
Society of Plastics Engineers www.4spe.org
Materials Research Society www.mrs.org
American Society for Metals International www.asminternational.org

Some Web Resources for further research and information:
The Materials Science & Engineering Career Resource Center www.crc4mse.org

Material Science

Some resources available in the UCLA Career Center Library:

• For Career Exploration
  Career Management for Scientists and Engineers by John K. Borchardt
  Careers in Engineering by Geraldine O. Garner
  Directory Of California Technology Companies By Harris Info Source
  The Fantastical Engineer: A Thrillseeker’s Guide to Careers in Theme Park Engineering by Celeste Baine
  Great Jobs for Engineering Majors by Geraldine O. Garner
  Is There an Engineer Inside You?: A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering by Celeste Baine
  Job Choices In Science, Engineering, And Technology By Nace
  “Materials Engineers” In The Chronicle Occupational Library by CGP
  Opportunities In Engineering Careers by Nicholas Basta
  Plunkett’s Engineering And Research Industry Almanac by Jack Plunkett, ed.
  Professional Careers Sourcebook: Where to find help planning careers that require college or technical degrees", 5th ed. Kathleen E. Maki & Kathleen M. Savage, eds.
  The Space Publications Guide To Space Careers By Scott Sacknoff & Leonard David
  
  
• GRADUATE SCHOOL
  The Best Graduate Programs: Engineering, 2nd ed. By the Princeton Review
  The Grad School Handbook By Richard Jerrard & Margot Jerrard
  Graduate School Admissions Advisor by Kaplan [See: “Chapter 7: Engineering”]
  Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into The Graduate School Of Your Choice by Donald Asher
  Peterson’s Graduate Programs In Engineering And Applied Sciences by Peterson’s
  Rea’s Authoritative Guide To Graduate Schools by the Research and Education Association [See “Chapter 11: Chemical Engineering”]

Prepared by Iris Morgan in collaboration with HSSEAS faculty/staff, 2004.