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Plastics & Polymer Engineering

Types of Degrees Plastics & Polymer Engineering Majors Are Earning

Those studying Plastics & Polymer Engineering have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	40
Associate’s Degree	43
Bachelor’s Degree	38
Master’s Degree	143

What Plastics & Polymer Engineering Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Plastics & Polymer Engineering develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Plastics & Polymer Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Plastics & Polymer Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Plastics & Polymer Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Plastics & Polymer Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
Statistical analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software	Computer aided manufacturing CAM software	—
Presentation software	Presentation software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Healthcare Laser Technician (Healthcare Laser Tech)
• Surgical Laser Technician (Surgical Laser Tech)
• Optics Manufacturing Technician (Optics Manufacturing Tech)
• Laser Technician (Laser Tech)
• Ruling Technician (Ruling Tech)
• Photonics Laboratory Technician (Photonics Lab Tech)
• Optics Technician (Optics Tech)
• Laser Assembly Technician (Laser Assembly Tech)
• Medical Laser Technician (Medical Laser Tech)
• Thin Film Technician (Thin Film Tech)
• Fiber Optics Assembler
• Fiber Optics Design Technician (Fiber Optics Design Tech)
• Strain Technician (Strain Tech)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	25.4%
Bachelor’s degree	9.2%
Postsecondary certificate	6.9%
Some college courses	6.8%
Master’s degree	2.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Plastics & Polymer Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 80.8% of Plastics & Polymer Engineering degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	52	19.2%
Men	219	80.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	181	66.8%
Asian	14	5.2%
Hispanic or Latino	23	8.5%
Black or African American	22	8.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	11	4.1%
Race Unknown	13	4.8%
International Students	6	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Plastics & Polymer Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$59,570
4 years	$66,536
5 years	$74,003

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,003 — roughly 24% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Plastics & Polymer Engineering Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Plastics & Polymer Engineering graduates earn a median of $66,536 four years after completion — roughly 75% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians	15.06
Chemical Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0615
Composite Materials Technology/Technician	15.0617
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other	15.0699
Industrial Technology/Technician	15.0612
Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0613
Metallurgical Technology/Technician	15.0611
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology/Technician	15.0616
Welding Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0614
Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0001
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	15.0101
Audio Engineering Technology/Technician	15.0307

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.