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Job Prospects and Salaries

The metallurgical profession is extremely diverse, and it offers a wide variety of career opportunities for young people who have an interest in technology, science and engineering. Metallurgical engineers are employed in every industry and enterprise that produces, buys, sells refines or manufactures metals or metallic products. You have probably heard many times that modern societies cannot function without a plentiful supply of every concievable type of metal and alloy and that people who are skilled in the use or production of metals and metallic materials of all kinds are highly valued. This is indeed true, and metallurgical engineers command good salaries, and young metallurgical graduates can expect to be able to choose from some exciting career alternatives. You can get some idea about salaries that are offered to graduates in various professions from the data presented in the table. The table shows statistics relating to average annual salaries offered to applicants with bachelors degrees made during the year ending in Fall 2005.

Top Jobs for 2005-06 Graduates

(by number of offers reported)*


Field of employmentAverage Salary Offer
Management Trainee$36,063
Teaching$31,328
Sales$36,713
Consulting$47,780
Accounting (Private)$42,178
Financial/Treasury Analysis$44,185
Accounting (Public)$42,296
Design/Construction Engineering$45,738
Project Engineering$48,159
Software Design&Development$52,502

Registered Nurse

$41,166

*Source: Fall 2005 Salary Survey, NACE


These numbers show that young graduates in engineering command attractive starting salaries. Engineering majors usually rank as the top-paying fields and 2005-06 was no exception.  The rankings reflect the highest paid majors for Bachelor's degree gradautes and only contain engineering majors.

Top Paid Majors for 2005-06 Graduates*

MajorAverage Salary
Petroleum Engineering$62,236
Chemical Engineering$53,639
Computer Engineering $52,242
Electrical/Electronics & Communications Engineering $51,773
Materials Engineering** $51,372
Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering$51,217
Systems Engineering$50,767
Computer Science$50,664
Mechanical Engineering $50,175
Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering $49,678

*Source: Fall 2005 Salary Survey, NACE

** Metallurgical engineering is catergorized as a materials engineering discipline in national surveys.

The job placement rate for graduates of our department has been near 100% for the past several years and that trend appears to be holding for the foreseeable future.   There are more than 100 companies that make metal or metal parts or distribute metal products in Utah. The size of the metals and metal part manufacturing industries allows for significant employment opportunities locally and nationally.


Scanning Probe Microscope

Scanning Probe Microscope

Scientific instruments, such as this scanning probe microscope, allow metallurgical engineers to view materials at the atomic level to more clearly understand their properties.




Department of Metallurgical Engineering
135 S. 1460 E, Room 412 • Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Phone: (801) 581-6386 Fax: (801) 581-4937
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