How To Become A Simulation Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a simulation engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Saeed Khan

Simulation engineers use various technological tools to figure out how something would behave, or a process would work without actually testing the real thing. You will create a virtual environment that tests the performance, safety, and durability of both software and hardware systems to ensure compliance with quality standards and ascertain their usability in real life.

It is your responsibility to use a virtual environment to test for things that will be too expensive or unsafe to test in real life. You may create computer models to mirror the experience of using a system or build actual prototypes that can be tested for performance in different scenarios.

A bachelor's degree in engineering or any comparable STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field is a basic requirement for this role. A master's degree may be an added advantage but is not always a requirement. Good knowledge of software development and the design and use of simulation systems is also needed for this role. A simulation engineer makes about $85,903 yearly.

What general advice would you give to a simulation engineer?

Saeed Khan

Professor of Engineering Technology, Website

First of all, find a position that corresponds to their technical interests for the long run. Carefully seek out what the expectations of their chosen position are and identify the gaps in skills and knowledge required. Work ceaselessly to gain proficiencies that allow them to excel using every resource at hand.

ScoreSimulation EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $97,266

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.30%

Asian 16.37%

Black or African American 4.00%

Hispanic or Latino 10.00%

Unknown 4.36%

White 64.96%

Gender

female 15.41%

male 84.59%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a simulation engineer

Explore simulation engineer education requirements

Most common simulation engineer degrees

Bachelor's

66.7 %

Master's

23.4 %

Associate

5.5 %

Start to develop specific simulation engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	14.07%
MATLAB	5.91%
Simulink	5.91%
Java	5.13%
Systems Engineering	4.35%

Complete relevant simulation engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New simulation engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a simulation engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real simulation engineer resumes.

Research simulation engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage hardware and software development, integration, and support of the HIL simulation laboratory.
Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
Create numerous SBIR/STTR proposals for NASA and DOD.
Train clients in the usage of engineering software such as AutoCAD and MATLAB.

Prepare your simulation engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your simulation engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a simulation engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable simulation engineer resume templates

Build a professional simulation engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your simulation engineer resume.