### SUMMARY

 Going to school for Materials Engineering is not only a valuable choice, but generally an essential first step for scholars trying to begin a career as a failure analysis engineer, a materials process engineer, or a metallurgical engineer. Interestingly, materials engineering is a very rare major ranking as the 174th most popular area of study. Last academic year alone, there were 1,554 materials engineering degrees conferred. In-state tuition for materials engineering at private colleges is, on average, 4.5 times more costly than their public fellows.

 With just 55 schools offering materials engineering you might have a smaller selection of institutions that will have an option for you. If you're looking to immerse yourself with other materials engineering undergraduates, look at institutions in California which have more undergrads admitted to materials engineering than any other state. More generally, the top region to major in materials engineering is in the Great Lakes region with [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign), [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison), and [Purdue University-Main Campus](/colleges/purdue-university-main-campus) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the best conference to major in materials engineering is the Big Ten Conference with [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign), [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison), and [Purdue University-Main Campus](/colleges/purdue-university-main-campus) representing the conference. That being said, our choice for the best college for materials engineering is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). You may also want to check out our list of [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The best school is not necessarily the best school for you. There are a bunch of facets to weigh when choosing school. Features such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food could definitely impact your feelings of where to go to university. At authority.org, we've examined the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are intrigued by which materials engineering university has the top campus, the answer is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). If you are very interested in which school boasts the best campus, we have a whole list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more in order to compare every U.S. major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our comprehensive list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and, from that list, our choice for the university with the best student life for materials engineering is [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university). Curious why? Continue scrolling to learn more about our top recommendations. Some of our picks might shock you.

 If price is a primary influence in your decisions, you might consider avoiding [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university). [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university)&nbspis the most expensive school for materials engineering, at least for out of state students. We do have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that could put the cost of [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you could want to know that materials engineering is the 154th most expensive program in the nation, with an average associated cost of $33,200. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for materials engineering in the nation is Massachusetts with costs at the main university, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of $53,450. To zoom out even further, the most expensive region for materials engineering is the Mid East region which is best demonstrated with [Johns Hopkins University](/colleges/johns-hopkins-university) with a cost of $55,350, [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university) with a cost of $56,550, and [Lehigh University](/colleges/lehigh-university) with a cost of $54,790.

 Our cheapest region for materials engineering is the Plains region which is represented by [Iowa State University](/colleges/iowa-state-university) with a cost of $23,230, [Winona State University](/colleges/winona-state-university) with a cost of $13,698, and [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities) with a cost of $31,616. More optimistically, the most affordable school for materials engineering is [University of Florida](/colleges/university-of-florida). Authority.org's comprehensive list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $11,800 for a degree in materials engineering. That price swells by a lot to a median of $31,600 for an out-of-state public-school student. On that note, our selection for the college with the best value for materials engineering: [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). Through this link you can see our comprehensive list about the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. Do know, this list is predicated on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but we do not know in which states any one student has residency.

 Earnings for materials engineering students can vary, but within two-years of graduation graduates will regularly make around $63,200. There can be a lot of variation in pay; top earners can make up to $106,500. Right out of university, the lowest earning jobs within the materials engineering field make $37,100, which isn't that bad. The highest earning graduates from materials engineering attended [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand if you want to find the schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The all-around diversity of materials engineering ranks quite high, coming in the 77th percentile of all majors. The college with the most composite diversity for materials engineering is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list of the colleges which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Materials Engineering major ranks only in the 75th percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is greater than financial diversity, in the 76th percentile. White students compose the largest share at 48% of students majoring in materials engineering. Additionally, 68% of scholars pursuing a materials engineering degree are men.

 We have insufficient professors data for materials engineering to make the conclusions we normally would have made in this sentence. As we including data other than basic rankings it becomes clear that the school possessing the overall best professors for materials engineering is [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology). You can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with some of the best examples of professors in the country.

 Finally, the hardest university to get into for materials engineering is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a comprehensive page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). But, here at Authority we hope you understand that looking at higher education through a lens mainly shaped by superlatives could be said to be the root of many of higher education's fundamental problems. We at Authority hope you read our other pages on different universities and read a couple of our background articles on essential details to look out for as you progress with your university search.



 ### POPULARITY

 Materials engineering is the 174th most popular degree in America, with 1,554 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #175 [Music Management](/rankings/best-colleges-for-music-management), and narrowly lost to #173 [Computer Programming](/rankings/best-colleges-for-computer-programming).

 The degree is offered at a total of 55 colleges across the nation, and is the 257th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 16% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 79% of colleges offering materials engineering are public making it a quite accessible field.

 The great lakes produces the most materials engineering graduates, largely led by [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign), while it’s the Big Ten Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo](/colleges/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo) and [University of California-Davis](/colleges/university-of-california-davis).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more materials engineering graduates than [The University of Alabama](/colleges/the-university-of-alabama), which graduated 84 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study materials engineering). More students studied materials engineering as a percentage of total students at [New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology](/colleges/new-mexico-institute-of-mining-and-technology) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Materials engineering is the 154th most expensive degree in the US, with a median cost of $33,208 among the top 50 programs (just ahead of #155, [Developmental and Child Psychology](rankings/best-colleges-for-developmental-and-child-psychology), with a median cost of $33,184).

 The Mid East has the most expensive colleges with excellent materials engineering programs predominantly led by [Johns Hopkins University](/colleges/johns-hopkins-university) with an annual cost of $55,350. Massachusetts is the most expensive state for materials engineering led by [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology).

 Public schools with solid programs by and large charge 77.59% less than private schools for in-state students. When looking at out-of-state tuition however, the median top 50 Public school charges 40.18% less than your average private school. So be sure to look into public shools in your state sooner rather than later.

 The most expensive top 25 college for materials engineering is [Cornell University](/colleges/cornell-university), which is the 23rd most expensive college in the nation. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Winona State University](/colleges/winona-state-university). It costs just $13,698 per year and is ranked 48th for its materials engineering program. If you’re looking for the least expensive option in the top 25, [University of Florida](/colleges/university-of-florida)  could be a good fit for you, ranked #5 with an in-state cost of just $4,477. Another more affordable pick would be #18, [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/colleges/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh) in Wake County, NC with a cost of $6,535 for in-state students and $26,654 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 College is an important investment for most undergraduates. It is important to ensure you get a solid return on that investment. With that in mind, we hope the following career and earnings facts help you in deciding your major at college.

 The average Materials Engineering student makes a starting salary of $66,085 a year, which is the 31st most of any focus. Further into their jobs, they for the most part earn somewhere between $37,080 and $106,481, but average approximately $63,191. To put it in context, that is 64% over the U.S. average.

 The most common work position for a Materials Engineering graduate is Engineer, which commonly earn more or less $59,000; next are Staff Engineer and Development Engineer, which normally make around $63,000 and $69,000 respectively.

 The most well paid region for Materials Engineering graduates is The Great Lakes. The highest earning state for Materials Engineering alumni is MI. The best paid conference for Materials Engineering graduates is Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.



### STUDENTS

 College can be a supremely impactful time of one's life; it is an occasion for personal growth and maturation. Students start to realize who they are as people and forge the required skills to become a successful member of society. But growth goes beyond a classroom - the late nights discussing Duchamp with a classmate, the life lesson gained from an old professor, the exposure to a different life experience. Therefore, a diverse college experience tremendously enhances what you gain from your time in university.

 Materials Engineering is a more popular major for students of color than white students. 48% of the US' Materials Engineering majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(32%), asian students (11%), and latino students (7%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [University of California-Merced](/colleges/university-of-california-merced)&nbspin Merced, CA.

 In addition, Materials Engineering significatly skews male, with close to two thirds of students majoring in Materials Engineering identifying as men. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology](/colleges/new-mexico-institute-of-mining-and-technology) in Socorro, NM.

 Another critical type of diversity is wealth diversity. Materials Engineering ranks in the top 25% of programs for socioeconomic diversity. 28% of its majors come from households who earn north of $110,000 a year, 17% are from households with $48,000 to $75,000 annual incomes, and 24% grew up in low income homes. [Boise State University](/colleges/boise-state-university) is the most financially diverse institution in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall MA is the most diverse state for Materials Engineering. The New England is the most diverse region, and the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 11%
* Black: 2%
* Latino: 7%
* White: 48%
* Other: 32%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 68%
* Female: 32%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 24%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 17%
* 75k - 110k: 15%
* Over 110k: 28%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 69%
* Out of State: 25%
* International: 7%


Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Stanford University

Rice University

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

California Institute of Technology

Northwestern University

University of Pennsylvania

Columbia University in the City of New York

Carnegie Mellon University

Johns Hopkins University

University of California-Los Angeles

Cornell University

University of Florida

Lehigh University

University of California-Irvine

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Purdue University-Main Campus

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Case Western Reserve University

Ohio State University-Main Campus

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

University of California-Davis

Search for the best Materials Engineering colleges according to your filter parameters.

2023 Materials Engineering Salary

There are about 6,062 students enrolled in Materials Engineering in the USA.

SALARY