1.0 // MISSION
Closing the MBSE Workforce Gap
IDEA connects community colleges, students, and the defense industry through a proven Model-Based Systems Engineering talent pipeline — backed by the Department of Defense.
MBSE is the backbone of digital engineering. The workforce starts here.
1.1 // THE PIPELINE AT A GLANCE
2-YR
Associate degree pathway — no four-year degree required
3
Pipeline tiers: high school, community college, professional
100%
Skills-based curriculum built around real SysML tooling
DoD
Backed by the U.S. Department of Defense industrial base mandate
2.0 // FOR EDUCATORS
A turnkey program. Not an administrative lift.
IDEA provides the full scaffolding — curriculum, lab configurations, and instructor preparation — so your college can stand up a Systems Engineering Technology program that boosts enrollment with guaranteed high-wage job placements for graduates.
2.1 // S1
Training for the Educator
A ready-to-deploy instructor preparation course — everything faculty need to teach MBSE with confidence.
2.2 // AAS
Degree & Certificate Paths
A complete AAS degree or short certificate in Systems Engineering Technology, built to industry specification.
2.3 // K12
High School Foundations
Systems-thinking curriculum that captures student interest early, feeding your enrollment pipeline.
3.0 // FOR INDUSTRY & GOVERNMENT
A pipeline of modelers, ready for your digital thread.
Defense contractors, aerospace firms, and government agencies partner with IDEA to source technical MBSE modelers through internships, apprenticeships, and direct hiring pipelines — cutting workforce shortages and product time-to-market.
4.0 // FOR STUDENTS
A high-tech career — without the four-year detour.
Model-Based Systems Engineering is the language of modern digital engineering — and industry can't hire modelers fast enough. The pathway from enrollment to employment:
4.1
ENROLL
Join a SET Academy program at a partner community college — no four-year engineering degree required.
4.2
CERTIFY
Earn an AAS degree or short certificate through rigorous, hands-on MBSE modeling coursework.
4.3
DEPLOY
Step directly into high-wage roles supporting aerospace and defense programs like NASA Artemis.
4.4.1 // Personnel File // SET Graduate
"I never thought of myself as an engineer. Through SET, I'm now building system models that support NASA and the Artemis missions."
— SET ACADEMY GRADUATE, HUNTSVILLE AL
4.4.2 // Personnel File // SET Graduate
"Two years at community college put me on a defense digital thread team. The demand for modelers is real."
— SET ACADEMY GRADUATE, AAS in SET
5.0 // THE CURRICULUM
Five courses. From student to systems modeler.
The SET pathway moves students through a deliberate sequence — from systems thinking fundamentals to a capstone modeling real, complex systems of systems.
INPUT //
STUDENT
5.1
INTRO TO SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Systems thinking foundations
5.2
SYSTEMS MODELING I
SysML language & structure
5.3
SYSTEMS MODELING II
Behavior & requirements
5.4
SYSTEMS MODELING III
Advanced digital threads
5.5
CAPSTONE PROJECT
Model a real system of systems
OUTPUT //
SYSTEMS MODELER
STUDENT → FIVE COURSES → MODELER OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS
6.0 // THE ECOSYSTEM
The SET Academy: the engine of the pipeline.
6.1 // HIGH SCHOOL
Foundational systems thinking — capturing interest before career paths are set.
6.2 // COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The core: AAS degree or short certificate with rigorous, hands-on modeling skills.
6.3 // PROFESSIONAL
Upskilling courses for professionals transitioning into digital engineering.