Educating the workforce: M&S professional education

As Modeling & Simulation (M&S) becomes increasingly important, there is a significant and growing need to educate and train M&S practitioners and researchers. The Department of Defense (DoD) has a growing need for an educated M&S workforce. This need includes users, developers, managers and executive-level personnel, which can effectively apply M&S to DoD requirements. While several universities offer academic M&S degree programs, the time and expense of earning these degrees often limit the number of people that go through these programs. Professional education is an alternative for gaining M&S skills and knowledge, and courses are offered by a range of university and commercial groups. The observations in this paper begin to outline both the need and available options for M&S professional education. This collection of position papers begins a conversation on the DoD´s need for professional M&S education and how the M&S Body of Knowledge might fit within that strategy. These position papers are contributed in preparation of a panel discussion and edited for the supporting proceedings.