(Starting Fall 2025)
UCF’s Digital Twins Graduate Certificate Program
The Digital Twins Graduate Certificate provides an interdisciplinary framework in digital twin technology and simulation. This program equips students with skills to model, simulate, and analyze real-world systems in digital environments. Through this certificate, students will develop expertise in using digital twins to drive insights and decision-making across fields such as engineering, urban planning, healthcare, and environmental science. Given the increasing demand for digital twin and advanced simulation technologies today, the School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training (SMST) has designed this graduate certificate program to meet the future needs of students in the concepts and skills required for creating and managing digital twins in various industries.
Digital twins leverage data to create virtual representations of physical objects, systems, or processes. By mirroring real-world entities digitally, students and researchers can experiment, simulate outcomes, and predict performance under various conditions. This transformative approach enables nuanced analysis and problem-solving across disciplines, highlighting how digital twins can improve design, operational efficiency, and predictive analytics.
For example, in urban planning, digital twins of infrastructure can allow planners and civil engineers to simulate the effects of traffic changes, environmental impacts, and infrastructure wear. Similarly, in healthcare, a digital twin of a patient can enable personalized treatments and predict outcomes based on real-time data. Across sectors, industry trends indicate the increasing importance of digital twin capabilities. With faculty and researchers actively engaging in digital twin projects, SMST is at the forefront of integrating this technology into academic and professional contexts.
Why a Graduate Certificate in Digital Twins?
As industries across various sectors increasingly adopt and integrate Digital Twin (DT) technology into their planning, operations and decision-making processes, there is a growing need for skilled professionals who can effectively implement and leverage the potential of DTs. This technology has gained widespread recognition and adoption across various industries, as evidenced by the current global market of $11 billion and projected compound annual growth rate of 35% by 2030 in North America (Grand View Research 2023). According to recent industry analyses, DT technology is growing rapidly, with applications projected to expand across manufacturing, urban planning, healthcare, and energy sectors. Many related positions list simulation and modeling skills as essential, with salaries for professionals in these fields averaging around $85,000 annually.
Why a Graduate Certificate in Digital Twins at UCF SMST?
Central Florida is a hub for modeling and simulation education, training, research, development, and technologies, with over $6 billion in contracts across national security, education, healthcare, and entertainment industries. Recognizing the growing importance of digital twin technology, UCF has made a strategic investment of more than $4 million in this field, aimed at driving high-impact research, creating academic programs, and building industry partnerships. This commitment has already led to an $8 million externally funded project focused on digital twins in semiconductor manufacturing, positioning UCF as a leader in applied digital twin research. UCF is also part of NSF Engines: Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine award which will play a critical role in bolstering production capacity of semiconductors, particularly in the emerging advanced semiconductor packaging sector. Students in this graduate certificate program benefit from access to cutting-edge facilities, a curriculum informed by active industry collaborations, and faculty expertise in digital twin applications across diverse domains. Through the UCF SMST Digital Twins program, students gain both the foundational skills and industry connections necessary to make an impact in this rapidly advancing field.
Who Should Apply?
This program is ideal for candidates who have an interest in digital twin technologies and their applications across industries. Professionals or students from fields such as engineering, computer science, urban planning, healthcare, or environmental science who want to deepen their skills in simulation and digital representation will find this certificate valuable. The program suits individuals who are eager to use digital twins to enhance decision-making, optimize system performance, and solve complex, data-driven challenges in real-world contexts. Students in the M&S graduate programs (Master’s or Ph.D.) can obtain this certificate along the way.
Admission Requirements
- Please check UCF’s admission requirements
Curriculum
The certificate requires 12 credit hours, encompassing areas like digital transformation, real-time modeling and simulation, machine learning, and simulation modeling and visualization. Students will gain an understanding of a spectrum of concepts and corresponding skills. Through the core courses, students will study the following:
- Digital Transformation Strategies: Understanding how Digital Twins contribute to broader digital transformation initiatives within organizations.
- Business Process Mapping and Gap Analysis: Identifying and addressing inefficiencies in business processes through Digital Twin implementations.
- Simulation Modeling and Visualization: Creating and visualizing dynamic models that replicate physical systems and processes.
- Machine Learning and Data Analytics: Applying AI and ML algorithms to analyze data and improve Digital Twin accuracy and functionality.
- Real-Time Data Processing and Synchronization: Techniques for managing and integrating live data streams essential for accurate Digital Twin operations.
- Ethical and Governance Issues in Digital Technologies: Addressing the ethical implications and governance frameworks necessary for responsible Digital Twin deployment.
Required Courses
- IDS 6744 Machine Learning for Modeling and Simulation — Fall 25
- IDS 6951 Capstone – Project-based Digital Twin Applications – Spring 26/Summer26
- IDS 6742 Real-Time Simulation Modeling for Digital Twins – Spring 26
- IDS 6743 Introduction to Digital Transformations and Digital Twins – Spring 26
Students can also use the certificate credit hours toward a Master’s degree in Modeling & Simulation at UCF.
Program Affiliated Faculty Members
- Ghaith Rabadi, Ph.D. – Professor and Director, SMST
- Roger Azevedo, Ph.D. – Professor and Director, SMART Lab
- Sean Mondesire, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor and Director, Human-centered AI Lab
- Soheil Sabri, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor and Director, Urban Digital Twin Lab
- Bulent Soykan, Ph.D. – Research Scientist, Institute for Simulation and Training
Contact:
Tonya Walker email: tonya.walker@ucf.edu