Florida·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-2032

Best Materials Scientist programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment

Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and glass.

3 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 5 people a year. The job pays a median of $102,340 in Florida across about 200 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledScientistResearch ScientistMaterials ScientistMaterials Research EngineerMetallurgistPlastics ScientistPolymer SpecialistAnalytical Scientist
Graduates / yr
5
in Florida
Median pay · Florida
$102,340
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
200
people employed
Schools
3
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
69%
across those schools
Median net price
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

1 programs in Florida that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Florida page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 40.1001In Florida
5
100.0%
3$72,216$24,750

Top 3 schools in Florida

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 0 of the 3 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
2Materials Science86%24%
2University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
2Materials Science69%53%
3Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
1Materials Science53%21%

All 3 schools in Florida

Every school in Florida with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Florida that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Florida State UniversityTallahasseePublic21
University of North FloridaJacksonvillePublic21
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahasseePublic11

What materials scientists earn in Florida

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Florida
$102,340
Mean annual
$108,590
Jobs in state
200
What the range looks like
10th pct$77,270Median$102,34090th pct$155,070
Versus the national median
-13.1%

U.S. median $117,790. Florida pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.36×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.9%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
600
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
400
8,700 → 9,100
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Materials Scientists page.

How to become a Materials Scientist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingScienceWritingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Florida

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Materials Scientists4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 19.0904Textile Science
  • 40.1001Materials Science
  • 40.1002Materials Chemistry
  • 40.1099Materials Sciences, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing materials scientists programs in Florida.

What degree do you need to become a Materials Scientist?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Materials Science, which awarded 5 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Materials Scientist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Materials Sciences. Together they graduate about 5 people a year in Florida.

How much do materials scientists earn in Florida?+

The median is $102,340 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 13.1% below the U.S. median of $117,790. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for materials scientists growing?+

BLS projects a +4.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Florida?+

3 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do materials scientists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Scientist, Research Scientist, Materials Scientist, Materials Research Engineer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-2032.

Programs in FloridaMaterials Science

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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