Materials Sciences

Types of Degrees Materials Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many materials sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	270
Doctor’s Degree	144
Graduate Certificate	34

What Can You Do With a Materials Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with materials science:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Chemists	6.5%	$76,890
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720
Materials Scientists	7.6%	$99,800
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Professors	9.4%	$65,660

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Materials Sciences?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 64% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of materials science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	29
Black or African American	10
Hispanic or Latino	16
White	73
International Students	139
Other Races/Ethnicities	3

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Materials Science. About 51.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Saudi Arabia

Online Materials Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 64 schools offered a materials science program of some type. 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	6	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	41	0
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	43	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to Materials Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to materials science.

Major	Number of Grads
Chemistry	5,005
Physics	3,727
Geological & Earth Sciences	2,491
Astronomy & Astrophysics	371
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	342
Other Physical Science	191
General Physical Sciences	107
Physics and Astronomy	23

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 Per Henning under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.