Learn how to process ores, separate valuable minerals into concentrates, produce and purify metals, manufacture metals into products, create materials, and join materials together.
The survival and continued advancement of modern society and security depend on the development of new technologies and the availability of materials. With a degree in metallurgical and materials engineering, our graduates enter the workforce prepared to make an immediate impact in areas such as sustainable development and utilization of natural resources, national defense, and the development of advanced materials.
You’ll need to be inquisitive and want to know how things work. If you are hard-working and love to be challenged, the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering program could be a good fit for you. Skills in oral and written communication, aptitude for math and physics, and a love of applied chemistry are also good skillsets to have for this program.
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering students learn the wonders of innovation and how materials can be manipulated to meet modern demand through a series of labs. As one of Montana Tech’s lab-based “heritage programs,” students reinforce theoretical concepts through “hands-on” experiential learning in laboratories that emphasize practical, industry-based exercises.
Job opportunities are available in a variety of industries where minerals, metals and materials are produced and consumed. These industries include but are not limited to mining, manufacturing, petroleum, iron/steel making, automotive, recycling, chemicals, paper/pulp, aerospace, maintenance, corrosion, forensics, and more.
Internship opportunities can make college a debt-free investment!
Most of our undergraduate and non-thesis graduate students obtain summer internships or six-month co-ops that help with college expenses while providing valuable experience that will make the students more marketable upon graduation.
The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) offers paid and unpaid internships during the school year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for Materials Engineers in 2021 was approximately $102,000. Industrial demand for Materials Engineers currently is exceptionally strong and is anticipated to substantially increase over the next decade due to the shift from fossil fuel based energy to materials-based renewable energy, the need to revitalize the domestic extractive industries, and growing demand for advanced biomaterials and electronic materials.
The Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) is a Montana University System designated Center of Excellence in Research and Education. CAMP is home to an analytical testing laboratory and materials testing laboratory. It also provides management services for large, multiple-project research programs.