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Virtual Modeling & Simulation

Types of Degrees Virtual Modeling & Simulation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Virtual Modeling & Simulation may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	46
Associate’s Degree	51
Bachelor’s Degree	684
Master’s Degree	244
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Virtual Modeling & Simulation Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Virtual Modeling & Simulation develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Virtual Modeling & Simulation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Virtual Modeling & Simulation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Virtual Modeling & Simulation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Virtual Modeling & Simulation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
C++	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
C#	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
UNIX	Operating system software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
C	Development environment software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Microsoft Visual Basic	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates include:

• Java Programming Professor
• Computer Programming Professor
• Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• Information Technology Professor (IT Professor)
• Information Systems Professor (IS Professor)
• Associate Professor
• Computer Science Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Network Technology Instructor
• Computer Instructor
• Adjunct Computer Science Professor
• Computer Information Systems Instructor (CIS Instructor)
• Computer Science Instructor
• Computer Science Professor

What Can You Do With a Virtual Modeling & Simulation Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Virtual Modeling & Simulation commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	-4.2%	$35,659	$27,803–$43,516
Computer Programmers	11.7%	$109,892	$85,812–$133,972
Business Intelligence Analysts	1.3%	$143,840	$123,227–$164,454
Data Scientists	8.1%	$106,295	$83,284–$129,306
Clinical Data Managers	-0.9%	$99,475	$83,569–$115,381
Software Developers	13.5%	$76,447	$61,199–$91,695
Computer and Information Research Scientists	8.5%	$61,002	$49,559–$72,444

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	47.8%
Master’s degree	26.6%
Doctoral degree	19.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.4%
Some college courses	1.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
First professional degree	0.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Virtual Modeling & Simulation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 75.3% of Virtual Modeling & Simulation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	254	24.7%
Men	774	75.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	498	48.4%
Asian	114	11.1%
Hispanic or Latino	80	7.8%
Black or African American	47	4.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.5%
Two or More Races	45	4.4%
Race Unknown	41	4.0%
International Students	198	19.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Virtual Modeling & Simulation Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$47,963
4 years	$41,500
5 years	$47,394

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,394 — roughly -1% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Virtual Modeling & Simulation Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Virtual Modeling & Simulation. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	0
Bachelor’s	3	2
Master’s	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Virtual Modeling & Simulation Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Virtual Modeling & Simulation graduates earn a median of $41,500 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Computer Science	79,857
Information Technology	42,322
Information Science/Studies	22,425
Computer Software and Media Applications	15,581
Computer Programming/Programmer, General	11,341
Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design	5,236
Data Modeling/Warehousing and Database Administration	4,139
Computer Graphics	3,312
Computer Software and Media Applications, Other	1,866
Artificial Intelligence	1,653
Cloud Computing	1,229

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.