How to become a Materials Engineer

Materials engineering is an interdisciplinary discipline of engineering that is concerned with the development, processing, and testing of materials that are then utilised to generate a broad variety of products. Now, these specialised engineers study the properties and structure of materials such as ceramics, metals, and nanomaterials, which are extremely small particles, to develop new materials, assisting in the selection of appropriate materials for specific products, and developing new methods for utilising existing materials. Materials engineering allows for expertise in certain kinds of materials, including ceramic engineering, plastic engineering, semiconductor processing engineering, metallurgical engineering, and composites engineering.

Jobs in materials engineering are available in a variety of fields, including aerospace product and component manufacture, semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing, architectural, engineering, and associated services, and scientific research and development. The majority of materials engineers work in the industry. However, a materials engineer's skill is particularly valuable in biomedical engineering, where novel materials are developed and investigated for industrial processes, medicine, and medical implants.

There are different types of materials engineering jobs typically depending on the area of specialization. Generally,  it comprises of the following tasks.

• Analyze the behaviour of materials in a variety of settings and their degradation.
• Conduct basic and applied research at both the molecular and industrial levels
• Ascertain that all processes, systems, products, and equipment types comply with applicable safety regulations.
• When developing the goals of a product or process, consider both technical criteria and economic considerations.

To flourish in the area of materials engineering, a materials engineer must possess particular skills and inclinations in addition to an appropriate educational background. Material engineers must have an enthusiasm for science and its applications, strong interpersonal skills, the ability to work effectively under pressure, excellent communication skills, a quick, analytic mind, and problem-solving abilities. Jobs in materials engineering need an eye for detail, originality, rigorous adherence to norms, accuracy, and deft application of logical principles, and candidates must demonstrate these characteristics to some level. To do the function of a materials engineer justice, candidates must also possess a commercial understanding of the industry in which they intend to operate.

In order to enrol into a Bachelor’s program at an esteemed university, aspirants are expected to clear the JEE main and subsequently, the JEE Advance exam which makes the aspirant eligible to apply anywhere in India. It is a very difficult and challenging exam to crack that requires hard work as well as rigorous and consistent preparation. Some states have their own entrance exams that are admissible in their respective universities. Many educational institutes conduct their own entrance tests.

On receiving the best relevant educational background, and preferably with the experience gained during an internship, aspirants may apply for the following material engineering jobs: 

• combustion engineers
• petroleum engineers
• smelting engineers 
• water treatment engineers
• production engineers
• biomaterial engineers 
• process control engineers and 
• pharmaceutical engineers.