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Why is it that only a small amount of colleges have a material science major?

I live in southern California and noticed that only a small amount of colleges offer material science as a major. This confuses me not only because that's what i want to major in, but also the fact that this career can solve many environmental problems. #science #environment #materials-science #materials-engineering

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Stephen’s Answer

Hello, I am currently mechanical engineer that worked in the aerospace and consumer products industries. I don't have much experience with environmental science but I will give you my thoughts on materials science itself and mat sci majors/minors. I found that I was very interested in materials science while working through my mechanical engineering degree and considered changing majors but as you mentioned, most colleges don't have a mat sci major so I could not. I think this is due to the limited job market for people with materials majors. I assumed that since materials are used everywhere, there would be tons of jobs, but my experience in the job market confirmed that there are not a lot of jobs out there. Colleges and universities want to ensure that the graduates have a high rate of employment so they don't focus on mat sci since its a small job market. From my experience in the professional world, it seems that most jobs that have to do with material science also have to do with part/system design so those roles are usually filled by mechanical engineers that understand materials but are also able to design components and systems effectively. Another reason is that most materials used in consumer goods or transportation (aerospace, automotive etc.) have to be tested thoroughly and certified by industry standard organizations. That means 95% of companies and products are designed and built with materials that have been used by other companies and all the detailed information about the properties of the material have already been determined, tested and recorded in a specification that engineers and can review when making decisions on product design. Mechanical engineers are able to use that material information, their experience and design knowledge to then select the best material for the job. There is a relatively small industry that works with developing and testing new materials or using existing materials for new products/industries and that may be where material scientists work. Since it is a smaller and more specialized industry, usually materials science is done for a masters or PhD degree and then worked on in academics or industry research. The good news is that if you work as a mechanical or some other engineer and work with designing things, you usually get a good amount of exposure to materials in your everyday work and that is what I enjoy about mechanical engineering. Good luck!
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Taylor’s Answer

Hi Kimberly! This might be because its more of a graduate degree than an undergraduate degree. Also colleges typically support majors that help students have the highest chance to get a job or employment after college.

Companies might be hesitant to hire a material scientist when they can hire a graduate one instead.

My personal two cents :)
Good luck!
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