Virginia Tech opens applications for first degree program at Northern Virginia Innovation Campus

With a new Northern Virginia campus comes a new degree program for Virginia Tech.

The university said this week that its new master of engineering in computer science degree was approved by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. As a result, applications are now being accepted for the first time.

The program is the first to be created for VT’s Northern Virginia Innovation Campus, which is coming to Alexandria.

The first new graduate degree that will be offered at the #VTInnovationCampus — a master of @VTEngineering in computer science — is now accepting applications. Apply to join #VTinDC! 🙌👩‍💻👨‍💻 @VT_CShttps://t.co/bZDjg6t3iH

— Virginia Tech (@virginia_tech) October 31, 2019

“We are excited to launch the new computer science graduate program because it will help students and professionals to further advance successful careers in computer science and related fields,” Julia Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech, said in a statement. “This advanced curriculum is designed to meet the needs of business and industry and will fulfill a critical need in Virginia and across the nation as we seek to fuel the tech-talent pipeline.”

The focus of the degree is on software design and development, collaborative work skills and ethical issues related to computing. It aims to prepare students for mid-level and advanced roles. Concentrations include artificial intelligence, computer security and data analytics and machine learning.

Virginia Tech also said it is taking a more flexible approach with the requirement for entry: Rather than completing a computer science minor, students are eligible once they take a second semester programming course that’s available at many community colleges or undergraduate programs.

There are options for part-time, full-time, and full-time “accelerated,” per the university. Applications are due by Nov. 15 for the spring 2020 semester, or Feb. 1 for fall 2020 enrollment.

Plans call for the one-million-square-foot Innovation Campus to be built over the next decade at Potomac Yard, with enrollment starting next year. The university has said it will house graduate degree programs and research focused around computer science and software engineering. The campus was one of the big education investments that was unveiled along with the news of Northern Virginia as the site for Amazon HQ2.