Post job

Materials process engineer vs chemical engineer

The differences between materials process engineers and chemical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a materials process engineer has an average salary of $90,788, which is higher than the $89,449 average annual salary of a chemical engineer.

The top three skills for a materials process engineer include failure analysis, material properties and process specifications. The most important skills for a chemical engineer are chemistry, technical support, and co-op.

Materials process engineer vs chemical engineer overview

Materials Process EngineerChemical Engineer
Yearly salary$90,788$89,449
Hourly rate$43.65$43.00
Growth rate6%14%
Number of jobs79,79542,176
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4141
Years of experience--

What does a materials process engineer do?

Materials Process Engineers are licensed engineers who develop different materials, usually for research or production purposes. They may create new materials derived from existing compounds and materials. Materials Process Engineers must document the processes involved in creating these new materials. They would then study the different elements and specifications of this new material. This would help industries that may need a similar material gauge, whether applicable in their area. Material Process Engineers also work on finding new ways to use existing materials. This would help increase the value of the material since there are more and practical uses for it.

What does a chemical engineer do?

A chemical engineer provides support for chemical operations and testing new processes. The processes they successfully come up with are used to make different products from gas, oil, food, and drink. It is their job to assist in designing new chemical processes and make improvements. They implement fresh ideas to improve standard quality and efficiency. They must be good planners and schedulers of project activities to help chemical technicians to achieve their project objectives and provide technical support to maintain safe, stable, and reliable operations.

Materials process engineer vs chemical engineer salary

Materials process engineers and chemical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Materials Process EngineerChemical Engineer
Average salary$90,788$89,449
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $118,000Between $67,000 And $119,000
Highest paying CityEverett, WASugar Land, TX
Highest paying stateWashingtonTexas
Best paying companyMetaBP America Inc
Best paying industryAutomotiveEnergy

Differences between materials process engineer and chemical engineer education

There are a few differences between a materials process engineer and a chemical engineer in terms of educational background:

Materials Process EngineerChemical Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorChemical EngineeringChemical Engineering
Most common collegeGeorgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Institute of Technology

Materials process engineer vs chemical engineer demographics

Here are the differences between materials process engineers' and chemical engineers' demographics:

Materials Process EngineerChemical Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 78.3% Female, 21.7%Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 21.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage10%9%

Differences between materials process engineer and chemical engineer duties and responsibilities

Materials process engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and successfully complete carbon/epoxy material qualification and gain approval from FAA to use in manufacturing of composite aircraft parts.
  • Redesign polymer formulations for critical defense and aerospace programs due to chemical obsolescence.
  • Pulled/Analyze data in JMP package.
  • Project manager for electrical and thermo-property testing to ASTM standards.
  • Perform weekly injector, thrust chamber, and gear quality inspection per AES, ASTM, standards and DELMIA requirements.
  • Coordinate with the forging and heat treatment departments to resolve the occasional recurring excessive ultrasonic noise issue in titanium alloys.
  • Show more

Chemical engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and supervise projects on the production floor and QC department.
  • Lead small project teams of co-op students and interface effectively with plant operators.
  • Manage various cross functional teams to do the IQ, OQ, & PQ validation.
  • Accomplish extraction of heat and material balance data from HYSYS simulation and generating the relevant process flow diagram.
  • Work on windows server 2012 and SQL server 2008.
  • Modify FTIR optics for study of combusting flame.
  • Show more

Materials process engineer vs chemical engineer skills

Common materials process engineer skills
  • Failure Analysis, 10%
  • Material Properties, 9%
  • Process Specifications, 6%
  • Engineering Drawings, 5%
  • DOD, 4%
  • Data Analysis, 3%
Common chemical engineer skills
  • Chemistry, 10%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Co-Op, 4%
  • Chemical Process, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 3%
  • Project Management, 3%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs