The way we think, design, produce, and consume is rapidly shifting. Systems are becoming smarter, more connected, and increasingly autonomous, resulting in products and ecosystems of unprecedented complexity. Simultaneously, industries are under pressure to create solutions that are reliable and efficient, while sustainable.
To meet these challenges, companies are adopting Systems Engineering (SE) to tackle technical, economic, and environmental complexities. But as demand for SE expertise grows, the gap between the industry’s needs and the number of qualified professionals continues to widen.
Good news is, the academic world is now trying to fill this gap and some pioneering institutions are already integrating MBSE—the digital twin of Systems Engineering—into their curricula to prepare students for the engineering demands of today and tomorrow.
Indeed, training faculty to teach MBSE is no small feat. The field involves a steep learning curve, requiring deep industry knowledge and advanced tools. So how can universities upskill teachers on the matter? Let’s learn from those leading the charge!
MBSE in the classroom: a new paradigm
Kathryn WESSON, an adjunct faculty member in the College of Aviation at ERAU’s Prescott, Arizona, teaches Systems Engineering courses to juniors and seniors across a variety of disciplines: aerospace, aeronautics, mechanical, software, electrical and meteorology.
Kathryn’s passion for MBSE is contagious. But what makes this approach so compelling for her—and her students?
1. MBSE is the future of engineering
As System Engineering becomes the norm for tackling modern challenges, digital transformation is close behind, as it is in all sectors.
MBSE shifts from document and text-based processes to a model-based approach that uses Systems Modeling Language (SysML). This allows engineers to work on a virtual twin of the system, enhancing collaboration, real-time adaptability, and component reuse, and making SE practices more efficient, collaborative, and scalable.
“It’s time to digitalize standards!” Kathryn emphasizes. “Industry must move fast on MBSE, and academia needs to keep pace: it’s critical to equip students with these skills right from the start.”
2. MBSE brings digital transformation to the doorstep of universities
While industries are embracing digital practices at full speed, the pace of change in academia has been slower. To address this, Kathryn advocates for greater integration of platforms like the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which facilitates real-time collaboration among students, teachers, and industry experts.
“The more we can bring technology inside the walls of the university, the better!” she says.
“Critical concepts like configuration, data, and knowledge management may not always receive focused attention in university curricula, making it valuable to actively incorporate them” she notes. As a result, teaching MBSE through platform-based tools bridges this gap, driving digital transformation in education while aligning with modern engineering practices.
3. MBSE strengthens Industry-Academia connections
“If we want to teach engineering, we must practice engineering!” says Kathryn on academia practices. In order to prepare students for industry roles, her courses immerse them in real-world practices from the outset.
Using industry-standard tools like CATIA Magic Systems of Systems Architect (MSOSA 2022) and standards from NASA, INCOSE, ARP, ISO, and MIL-STDs, Kathryn ensures her students are ready to excel in professional environments.
“MBSE is inherently industrial,” she explains. “By using real-world tools and examples, by connecting with experts from the field, we accelerate course development and make students industry- and future-ready.”
4. MBSE is hands-on, practical—and students love it!
Systems engineers solve complex challenges by thinking holistically and collaborating across disciplines. These skills are best developed through hands-on learning, and MBSE offers the perfect platform for real-world, industry-inspired education.
“My classes are entirely project-based,” Kathryn shares. “We follow standard system development lifecycles that align with capstone projects. Students learn by doing, which fosters engagement and excitement.”
“Students modeling systems are far more engaged than when they’re simply watching PowerPoint presentations!”
Ready to bring MBSE into your own classroom?
Here are two inspiring examples from Kathryn’s courses:
Use Case #1: Model-Based Analysis for Safety and Reliability of Aerospace Systems
Students are invited to explore the S-18 conceptual aircraft, modeled using guidelines from ARP 4754B, a civil aerospace systems development standard. Beforehand, Kathryn translated the system into a SysML model, featuring structural and functional decomposition using CATIA No Magic Cameo Systems Modeler.
The model provides a foundation for students to delve into:
- Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA): students simulate all kinds of scenarios to identify potential failures, their causes, and impacts (e.g., What happens if the brakes fail).
- Hazard identification and risk analysis.
- Safety requirement development and mitigation strategies.
- Reliability trade analysis using parametric modeling: students use SysML parametric diagrams to assess the impact of design choices on reliability, such as calculating the probability of brake failure and testing design solutions like redundancy or material changes.
This case study equips students with a holistic understanding of structural decomposition, functional analysis, and safety requirements in system design, while honing practical MBSE skills.
Use Case #2: Investigating MBSE for Modeling “as-is” Systems
Unlike the traditional top-down approach in MBSE—beginning with high-level system requirements and progressively refining them into subsystems and components, this project explores how to model existing systems, which is a critical need for industries with legacy systems requiring upgrades or integration.
In order to provide a solution that would answer the industry’s needs, students reverse-engineered a solid rocket system, simulating a new company tasked with integrating legacy documentation into a cohesive MBSE model.
This practical case study allowed students to experiment, and improve their skills while demonstrating the usefulness of their project in an industrial context.
- Reverse engineering: using the MagicGrid framework, students mapped existing data to system elements, identifying gaps and inconsistencies.
- Integrating current and future design: they created an “as-is” model to propose updates and improvements, demonstrating how MBSE can support future upgrades.
- Tailoring MBSE methodologies: students adapted MagicGrid with a “Meet-in-the-Middle” approach, blending top-down and bottom-up techniques to create a methodology that is repeatable and practical for industry. This customized process ensures the model aligns with both legacy system needs and forward-looking design requirements.
To conclude, this innovative project not only enhanced student skills but also provided a new perspective on MBSE, which the students will present at the INCOSE International Symposium 2025, inspiring the broader engineering community.
So, ready to take up MBSE teaching…but don’t know where to start?
At 3DEXPERIENCE Edu, we empower educators to bring MBSE into the classroom with our dedicated “Education Experiences” including multidisciplinary software solutions, tailored learning content, and access to a community of experts.
Join the movement to prepare the next generation of engineers—today!