Travel model curriculum
# Summary
Travel demand modeling is a multidisciplinary field. It has its background and motivation in the need for civil engineers and city planners to know how to plan and build transportation infrastructure, but the techniques employed in modern travel modeling are more closely related to techniques in Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, and other fields. Many travel modelers obtained their education through one or more traditional fields of study, but were also able to extend their knowledge through on-the-job experience. Someone interested in pursuing a career in travel modeling and may benefit from these recommendation by the TRB Committee on Transportation Demand Forecasting and TRB’s Subcommittee on Statewide Travel Demand Forecasting. The recommendations may also be of interest to academics and other tasked with developing programs of study for individual graduate students or formal emphases within established programs.
# Pre-College Preparation
Core subjects indispensable to travel modelers include:
- Mathematics through trigonometry (or more advanced subjects when available)
- English, 4 years (in English-speaking countries)
- Science, 4 years (including physics and chemistry)
- Elementary computer programming
Students may also wish to take the following electives:
- Computer programming
- Geography
# Collegiate Preparation
The following topics should be covered in a college program through a master’s or doctoral level curriculum for anyone wanting to fully participate in a travel modeling group immediately upon graduation from college:
- Calculus through differential equations
- Linear algebra (1 semester)
- English composition (in the US)
- Basic and advanced statistics (2 semesters, calculus-based)
- Computer programming, any contemporary language beyond high school-level topics (1 semester)
- Elementary economic theory (a micro/macro sequence, 2 semesters)
- Communications (technical writing and presentations)
- Other program-specific requirements
Elective coursework that will enable successful participation in a travel modeling group include:
- Additional coursework in computer programming, including object-oriented programming and data structures (1 or 2 semesters)
- Database management
- Introduction to transportation planning
- Traffic engineering
- Numerical analysis
- Introduction to operations research
- Probability theory or a course in finite mathematics that includes probability topics
- Urban geography
- Introduction to econometrics
- Environmental impact assessment
- Introduction to geographic information systems (GIS)
Successful travel modelers have come from many undergraduate majors. Majors that include many of above core and elective topics as part of the program may include:
- Civil Engineering
- Urban Planning
- Geography
- Economics
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Computer Science
# Graduate Studies
Given the exploratory and dynamic nature of travel demand modeling practice, graduate research and coursework is highly recommended for travel modelers. Core topics include:
- Linear and nonlinear optimization theory
- Intermediate geographic information systems
- Travel behavior analysis
- Urban/regional development theory or introduction to regional science
- Statistical computing
- Transportation network models and algorithms
Elective topics that will help graduates distinguish themselves include:
- Traffic systems planning and operations
- Logistics and supply chain management
- More methods of statistical inference (including econometrics)
- Additional topics in database management
- Advanced network models and algorithms
- Artificial intelligence or machine learning
- Project management
- Methods of survey research
- Human behavior
- Choice theory
- Advanced geographic information systems
- Traffic flow theory
- Geographical statistics
- Data mining
- Benefit-cost analysis
- Transportation policy
- Practical aspects of travel model building, including calibration and software tools
- Thesis or dissertation