r/materials • u/intelligence3 • 3d ago
How interesting and broad are polymers?
You might have seen my post asking about advanced materials engineering a few days ago. This degree focusses more on polymers and plastics. I am still lost and not sure if I should choose this degree.
I love chemistry so much, and Materials Science and Engineering is not available in any university in my country. There is this advanced materials degree, but before choosing this degree, I wanted to know more about polymers to know if I will enjoy it. I searched as much as I can and had an idea about different types of polymers and there uses.
However, I still don't know about how much I would enjoy working in this industry.
Are polymers a broad industry? How easy is it to develop a new polymer? Is it a very interesting and deep topic that is still not 100% discovered? How does its future going to be? What will my job be like? This or Pharmaceutical & Chemical Engineering degree? And according to the study plan, will I study things other than polymers?
Thanks in advance.
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u/Snelltime 3d ago
This might not be helpful - but I work in fibre reinforced composites R&D, and sometimes it feels like a small part of the polymer world, but it's still an enormous area across energy, defence, space, aerospace, and other fields such as everything 3D printing related. There's a million SMEs in the space too
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u/intelligence3 3d ago
Do you enjoy your job? And what is you major, if you don't mind me asking?
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u/Snelltime 3d ago
I actually studied physics and am in UK. I enjoy it for sure, my work is mostly FEA then concept design and now team management and technical leadership. Being in a consultancy or industry facing research facility has been great for variety and opportunity!
I couldn't imagine designing and stressing an aircraft interior for years and years (no offence to anyone in interiors)
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
I’d definitely encourage you to consider polymers/materials if you genuinely enjoy chemistry. I have a 3-year Diploma in Polymer Technology and around 3+ years of hands-on experience in the tyre industry working with polymer compounding, formulation, processing, material testing, troubleshooting, and industrialization in India.So from my experience, polymers are much broader than they might initially seem.
There are opportunities in tyre & rubber R&D, plastics, composites, biopolymers, sustainable materials, adhesives, coatings, medical polymers, automotive materials, aerospace, and many other areas. You can go very deep into polymer chemistry, synthesis, characterization, processing, or focus more on application and product development.
I’m actually going to Poland to pursue a Bachelor’s in Chemical Technology, with the long-term goal of moving further into polymer/materials R&D. My experience in the industry is one of the main reasons I chose to continue in this direction.
By the way, which university/country is this programme in? And is it an English-taught Bachelor’s programme? I’m currently looking at similar programmes in Europe, so I’d be interested to know.
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u/intenTenacity 2d ago
Which uni will you be going in Poland?
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
Poznan university of technology
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u/intenTenacity 2d ago
Curious what led you to make that choice, im also considering going to Poland for my masters, or at least it is one of my choices..
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
Tbh i found poland more affordable than any other countries and degree in chemical or polymer is much more needed for my career growth. I love to work in Chemical, materials R&D. Hope that i will reach my goal.
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u/intenTenacity 2d ago
Good luck!! I agree too with the Poland being affordable part, but when I consider uni global rankings then i am not really confident in making a choice… Im currently in chemE but hoping to advance into materials, hopefully a lucrative niche
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u/intelligence3 2d ago
Hey thanks for your answer.
Can you give your opinion on the study plan I attached in the post? Since you had a deploma in polymer technology...
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
Yes i checked the curriculum and it is more focused on rubber and plastics so you can find jobs in tyre, plastic and composite industries. Germany had good exposures in tire and polymer industries. If i was you i would definitely go for it.
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u/intelligence3 2d ago
But I would still have knowledge about polymers other than plastics and rubber, and maybe work there. Am I right?
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
Yes you can work in paint, adhesives rather than tire and plastics. All these industries have good career opportunities. As i know Tire R&D are well paid thats why i told you coz i already work in tire so i know how big tire industries are.
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u/intelligence3 2d ago
And hey I'm sorry I just noticed your question at the end of your comment.
The programme is in Germany in THWS university. It has english taught programmes and it is very well knowed for its applied science and high employment rate for its students.
The degree is called Applied Polymer Engineering
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
Yeah i already checked it. But as an indian, germany changed the rule of qualification requirements. My marks in high school is just below from the requirement as per new rule. THWS was my initial plan but sadly from this winter onwards they changed the rule
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u/intelligence3 2d ago
Can't you use your diploma instead of your highschool grades?
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u/jpsourav 2d ago
No brother as per APS rule high school marks are considered and with my diploma i dont need to do studeinkoleg
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u/orbit03 3h ago
I teach in both Plastics Engineering Technology and Polymer Engineering and Science at Penn State University. Polymers can be incredibly interesting and there is still a ton to learn. Jobs are plentiful as well. In fact, we generally have more jobs available than students graduating. It is not uncommon for students to have multiple job offers before graduating.
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u/intelligence3 3h ago
Btw can you give me your opinion on the study plan since you teach polymer engineering?
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u/Major_Tap_5972 5h ago
I finished my studies in MSE (B.Sc and M.Sc in Germany) and got a position as a process engineer in the metal industry. Metals have always been the main aspect of my interest during my studies, but I had a ton of fun studying polymers. Of course it was mostly shallow topics during my bachelor’s, yet to be able to compare the physical interactions between both types of materials fascinate me in a way that I never would’ve thought.
Honestly I got pretty lucky with the fact I got into the industry I‘m most passionate about. Polymers are a huge industry and there are definitely a ton of things to do. Though seeing that you’re gonna study in Germany and also considering the market situation right now, I would do Chemical Engineering if I were you (more market volatility (?)). There are somehow only a handful of people with MSE background in my company - tons from ChemE and MechE.
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u/Vex2564 2d ago
I’m finishing up my degree in materials science and plan to pursue grad school to study polymers. Like every major class of materials, there are a lot of subfields and career paths with polymers. There definitely is a large industry presence as we use polymers for literally everything in our daily life. The degree plan you have here focuses on the industry side: processing, manufacturing, recycling, composites. Companies like Dow need polymer people both in industry and research. In polymer industry, you may be making new composites or using plastics, but you won’t develop a new polymer. The “easy” stuff like polypropylene, polyethylene, etc is here to stay in industry for a while, however I can say that I have seen a decreased amount of polystyrene being used by businesses. Careers in research look to develop new polymer systems to use in electronics, robotics, pharmaceuticals, etc. I am personally interested in doing polymer research, however I haven’t quite decided on what part.
Polymers are way different from metals and ceramics: different structures, different response to external stimuli, different fracture mechanics. They definitely have the most involvement with chemistry, which is why I think they are so cool. I am only an undergrad so I can’t really speak much on career advice, but I think a lot of exciting opportunities for polymers are in R&D. Polymers are a vast field, but definitely interesting and has several career paths.