Abstract

The organization of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) as a profession started in the early twenty-first century spurred by the advent of computers and the vast networking capabilities of contemporary computing. M&S is still in its infancy when compared to other disciplines, such as engineering, computer science and mathematics. However, the profession has experienced significant growth in part due to the varied use of M&S techniques and tools within almost every discipline. Professional organizations and academic programs supporting M&S across the country have started to materialize. In a short timeframe, the growth of these supporting organizations has outpaced their ability to stay unified as a discipline, aligned with standardized Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and with growing stakeholder needs. Consequently, there appear to be gaps in the M&S professional organization. Such as a lack of synchronization between the three primary stakeholder groups of the M&S profession: academia, government, and industry. The discipline's professional organization fails to recognize a single body of knowledge as an authoritative reference for M&S KSAs. Academic institutions do not have unanimity regarding targeted KSAs. Industry lacks the confidence to hire M&S professionals who have a core understanding of KSAs directly associated with the version of M&S used by each separate industry. This research study attempts to take a coordinated step forward in unifying the M&S discipline by assessing and prioritizing the current competencies and standards required of M&S professionals and identifying the needs and competencies valued by primary stakeholders. A survey instrument was developed in conjunction with Rebecca Leis' doctorate research. The instrument was distributed to M&S stakeholders to ascertain the breadth of the needed, valued, and required KSAs within the domain. The survey was evaluated by cross-referencing questions and tabulating responses. Results from this research suggest ways in which stakeholders can coordinate efforts in advancing the M&S professional organization and support a uniformed set of KSAs needed in academia, government, and industry now and in the future.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2019

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Caulkins, Bruce

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Degree Program

Modeling & Simulation

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007489

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0007489

Language

English

Release Date

May 2019

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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