Materials Science and Engineering

Materials engineering programmes teach why materials behave as they do and how to choose or design them — metals, polymers, ceramics, composites and semiconductors — which makes it the discipline sitting underneath every other engineering field’s failures.

The degrees this program covers

⚠ In Florida this is largely a GRADUATE programme: four public institutions award in it, but only the University of Florida and UCF award a bachelor’s, while FIU and USF are master’s and doctoral only. ⚠ That shapes the realistic route — many people enter materials through a mechanical, chemical or physics bachelor’s and specialise at master’s level. If materials is the goal and you cannot relocate, read those degrees first rather than treating this as a closed door.

Careers this program leads to

Each one sets out the courses along the way, the licence or certification at the end, and the sources behind it.

Materials Engineer

Materials engineers work out why materials behave as they do and choose or design them to meet a requirement — metals, ceramics, polymers, composites and semiconductors — and they are who finds out why something broke. ⚠ It is the smallest engineering occupation on this site, and in Florida it is mostly a graduate degree.

Careers that name this program, but not as a route

Semiconductor Technician

Where semiconductor manufacturing is studied as materials science; UCF teaches Principles of Semiconductor Manufacturing (EMA4411).

Programs similar to this one

Neighbouring fields that share much of the same coursework, and often the same employers. ⚠ Read these before you commit to a major — which doors a neighbouring degree keeps open is the part no catalog tells you, and it is far cheaper to change now than later.

Mechanical Engineering 11 Florida schools

The commonest way into materials work in Florida: offered at eleven institutions, it covers mechanics of materials and manufacturing and is accepted for materials master’s admission. ⚠ Where there is no materials bachelor’s near you, this is the practical answer.

Chemical Engineering 4 Florida schools

The other standard entry, and the better one if polymers, coatings, electrochemistry or semiconductor processing are what draw you.

Aerospace Engineering 3 Florida schools

The largest single consumer of materials expertise in Florida — composites, high-temperature alloys and fatigue. The two fields hire each other’s graduates constantly.

Chemistry and Biochemistry 10 Florida schools

⚠ Named for the materials scientist row: $117,790 median, the highest in this family, on only 8,600 jobs nationally. ⚠⚠ In Florida the materials programmes are small — four institutions, two at bachelor's — so the realistic route is chemistry or mechanical first and specialisation later.

Florida public institutions offering this program

4 institutions awarded a credential in this field in 2023, at these levels: Bachelor's, Certificate (<12 weeks), Certificate (1-2 years), Certificate (12 weeks-1 year), Doctorate (research/scholarship), Master's, Postbaccalaureate certificate. A school appears here if it awards anything in the field, however limited its offering — a technical college teaching only practical nursing has a nursing program. Listed alphabetically, not ranked.

Florida International University

Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's

University of Central Florida

Bachelor's · Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's

University of Florida

Bachelor's · Certificate (<12 weeks) · Certificate (1-2 years) · Certificate (12 weeks-1 year) · Doctorate (research/scholarship) · Master's · Postbaccalaureate certificate

University of South Florida

Master's

Source: federal IPEDS completions data for 2023, first majors only — the most recent year published. ⚠ It records what was awarded, which is strong evidence of what is offered, but a program launched since 2023 will not appear here. Check the institution’s own catalog before applying.

Updated 21 September 2026. ⚠ Program pages describe a field of study, not one school’s degree — always read the catalog of the institution you are applying to.