Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech

Types of Degrees Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many plastics & polymer engineering technology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	8
Graduate Certificate	6
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to plastics and polymer engineering tech and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in plastics and polymer engineering tech should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Skills for Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Majors

plastics and polymer engineering tech majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Majors

As a plastics and polymer engineering tech major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with plastics and polymer engineering tech:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Manufacturing Engineering Technologists	5.2%	$63,200

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 63% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of plastics and polymer engineering tech majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	2
International Students	4
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech, too. About 50.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech

Some degrees associated with plastics and polymer engineering tech may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for plastics and polymer engineering tech careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	9.1%
Some College Courses	4.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	40.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	36.4%
Master’s Degree	4.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.6%

Online Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	14	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	15	0
Bachelor’s Degree	1	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Plastics and Polymer Engineering Tech

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to plastics and polymer engineering tech.

Major	Number of Grads
Manufacturing Engineering Technology	4,613
Industrial Technology	3,908
Other Industrial Production Technologies	1,967
Welding Engineering Technology	326
Composite Materials Technology	88
Metallurgical Technology	75
Chemical Engineering Technology	49
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology	10

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By ICAPlants under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.