High School

Aspiring engineers will need to take college-prep classes in high school. You should take additional classes in mathematics, including algebra, trigonometry, and calculus, and the sciences, particularly biology, chemistry, and physics. English and communications classes are helpful for research and writing needed in engineering work. Computer programming classes are also essential.

Postsecondary Training

The level of education required beyond high school for plastics engineers varies greatly depending on the types of plastics processes involved. Companies that design proprietary parts usually require a bachelors or advanced degree in mechanical engineering. The field of plastics engineering, overall, is still a field where people with the proper experience are scarce—experience is a key factor in qualifying a person for an engineering position.

A small percentage of engineering schools offer a degree in plastics engineering. Plastics programs are sometimes listed under polymer science, polymer engineering, materials science, and materials engineering.

Students who plan to enter the military should investigate branches of service that offer training in plastics. The United States Air Force, Navy, Space Force, Coast Guard, and Army publish procurement specifications, operate repair facilities, and carry on their own research and development.

Certification

Some colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in plastics engineering, general engineering, manufacturing engineering, advanced manufacturing, engineering management, and emerging fields such as advanced artificial intelligence. For example, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell offers the following graduate certificates: elastomeric materials, medical plastics design and manufacturing, plastics design, plastics engineering fundamentals, plastics materials, and plastics processing. Visit https://www.uml.edu/engineering/plastics/programs-of-study/graduate-certificates.aspx for more information. Certificate programs typically last six months to a year and are available in online, in-person, and hybrid formats. Contact schools in your area for information about available programs.

Other Education or Training

Plastics engineers take classes and attend workshops and educational programs throughout their careers in order to learn new skills and stay current on industry developments. Organizations that offer continuing education opportunities for engineers include SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals, American Society for Engineering Education, American Chemistry Council, National Society of Professional Engineers, SME, and the Society of Women Engineers, to name only a few. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

The SME offers certification programs in various areas of manufacturing engineering. Some employers may prefer to hire engineers who are certified. Find information at https://www.sme.org/certification.

Engineers whose work directly affects the public must be licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Those who are licensed are called professional engineers (PE). Licensing requirements include a bachelors degree from a school accredited by ABET, the accrediting board for engineering and technology, four years of relevant work experience, and passing the state examination. States often recognize licenses from other states. Licensing is a two-stage process. New engineers may take the Fundamentals in Engineering examination after graduating from college, after which they are considered engineers in training (EIT) or engineer interns (EI). Once they achieve the work experience requirement, an EIT or EI then takes the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. In most states engineers must meet continuing education requirements to maintain their license. The exams are offered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (https://ncees.org).

Consider participating in an engineering internship while in college. An internship is usually part of a four-year degree program. It offers you a chance to apply what you have learned in the classroom to a work situation. It also allows you to build skills and make contacts with people in the field.

Plastics engineers need to have good mechanical aptitude in order to develop the plastics parts and the tooling necessary to develop these parts. You must have thorough knowledge of the properties of plastic and of the processes that occur. There are thousands of different materials that you may encounter in the course of your workday. You also must be imaginative and creative in order to be able to solve any problems that might arise from new applications or in the transition/transformation of a mechanical metal part to that of a plastic one. Strong communications skills and the ability to work well with others is also important in the plastics engineer field.