VMware Workstation runs on a PC that contains an Intel or AMD CPU chip. The M1 chip is neither of those.
If what you need to run is a pre-built virtual machine that runs on Workstation, then you're out of luck. Virtual machines built on Intel or AMD systems will not run on Fusion on M1 Macs.
If on the other hand it's a Windows application you might be able to install Windows 11 ARM on a Fusion VM, and then run your application (which I'm assuming is written for x64 Intel PCs) on that VM using the Rosetta-like Intel translation that Microsoft built into Windows 11 ARM.
A little more explanation on what you're trying to run for your class will help us figure out what your alternatives are.