Why Study Materials and Metallurgy?
Academic aspect

When we see an electrical device, we think of electrical engineering. When we see machines, we think of mechanical engineering. When we use handy software that makes our life so much easier, we think of computer science and engineering. We are used to asking “how are these made?”, rather than “what are these made of?” As a Materials Engineer, you will ask this question and answer it as well. Even doing a cursory research on the Internet will make you realize that studying materials properties and how to modify them is no less interesting than working with robotics, electronics and programming.

What marks out MSE from other engineering fields is its inter-disciplinary nature. Since MSE graduates have a firm knowledge of materials processing – synthesis – fabrication and microstructure, they can obtain funds from electrical-mechanical-chemical engineering departments all over the world. This is a privilege that students of other engineering disciplines hardly enjoy. Since all technological progress is ultimately constrained by materials constraints, a breakthrough in materials science means an eventual breakthrough in a particular or multiple fields of technology. Owing to this central role of materials at the heart of technology, it is no wonder that funding for materials research is and will always be high. Since BUET is the only institution (and the most competitive one) which imparts materials engineering education, your prospects in academic research abroad as a BUET MME graduate is guaranteed. Our graduates have won scholarships in reputed universities within 6 months of graduation.

Many students want to pursue an academic career in fundamental scientific disciplines like Physics or Chemistry but opt for engineering instead considering the job market in Bangladesh. MSE is a mixture of Solid State Physics and Physical Chemistry. If you want a taste of these basic sciences as well as the
career prospects of engineering, then Materials and Metallurgical Engineering will be a great choice for you since few other engineering disciplines come this close to the natural sciences.

Professional aspect
Bangladesh

Even though the Department of Metallurgical Engineering was established in 1952 and is among the oldest departments of BUET, it was not popular until the ‘90s due to the industrial backwardness of the country. Now that Bangladesh is rapidly becoming an industrialized country and heavy industries like steel mills, Walton Hi-tech Industry, glass and ceramic industries are taking root, demand for Metallurgical engineers is increasing exponentially. Since BUET is the only institution producing MME graduates and only 50 Metallurgical engineers are produced every year (more than half of whom move abroad), there is virtually no competition and scores of job vacancies are available. Our graduates secure employment immediately upon graduation, frequently even before their final results are published.

Due to lack of Metallurgy graduates and the high demand for them, job flexibility and job security for MME graduates is one of the highest.

Abroad

Materials and Metallurgical engineers are in high demand globally. Materials engineers are employed not just in Steel-Glass-Ceramics industries as in Bangladesh but also in aerospace, automotive, electronics, chemical and mining industries. In fact, aerospace industry is the topmost employer of Materials Engineers all over the world. In North America, Materials Engineers in aerospace and mining industries are one of the highest paid professionals in engineering. In all heavy manufacturing industries, materials engineers are expected to select optimum materials for production and are in charge of quality control of products. Since the goodwill of companies depend on product integrity, quality control and failure analysis is very important. As a result, Materials engineers are remunerated handsomely. In companies specializing in Research and Development (R&D), Materials Engineers are employed to fabricate new materials and improve the functionalities of existing ones. In addition, Materials Engineers can also serve as Mechanical Engineers and Electrical Engineers owing to the inter-disciplinary nature of the subject and the relevance of materials in different engineering contexts.

Since the worldwide population of Materials Engineers is quite small compared to Civil-Mechanical- Electrical engineers and since all major industries need skilled and specialist people in quality control, the job field for Materials Engineers is always stable and never in risk of saturation. BUET MME graduates have been employed in major organizations like Google, Intel, IBM, Seagate, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, Linde, GlobalFoundries, Halliburton and the likes. The number of successful MME graduates in proportion to the small size of our department who represent Bangladesh and BUET in major corporations worldwide underscore the relevance of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering in
the world today.

You are cordially invited to be a part of our small but growing family. As a promising Materials Engineer, you might just bring about the next breakthrough in materials and technology!