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Graduate Catalog
2023-2024
Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs
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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The college offers advanced degrees in the departments of agricultural and extension education; agricultural and applied economics; biological systems engineering; crop and soil environmental sciences; animal and poultry sciences; biochemistry; dairy science; entomology; food science and technology; human nutrition, foods, and exercise; horticulture; plant pathology, physiology, and weed science. See the College of Engineering for biological systems engineering degree programs and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences for agricultural and extension degree programs. Interdisciplinary graduate research programs are available in several areas such as agricultural business; bioinformatics and computational biology; biotechnology, environmental science; equine nutrition and physiology; genetics; and international development. Agricultural experiment stations and specialized laboratories are available in twelve locations throughout the state. See individual programs within the college for more detail.
Academic Programs
College of Natural Resources and Environment
The College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE) offers a variety of programs designed to meet the needs of full- and part-time students. The departments of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and Sustainable Biomaterials offer degree programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The non-thesis Master of Forestry (M.F.) is offered by the departments of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Biomaterials. The Department of Geography offers the M.S. in geography with both thesis and non-thesis options. The college offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in the Geospatial and Environmental Analysis and a Master of Natural Resources (MNR) program for working professionals. Non-degree-seeking students may earn the Certificate of Graduate Study in Natural Resources, the Graduate Level Geospatial Information Technologies Certificate, and the Graduate Certificate in Quantitative Resources Assessment. Interdisciplinary and dual-degree programs are available in some areas of study. Students typically specialize in one of numerous possible areas of study. The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation offers specialized study in: forest biometrics and modeling, remote sensing, forest biology, tree physiology, genomics, forest ecology/ecosystems, silviculture, wildfire, water resources, forest soils and hydrology, watershed management, forest management, forest operations and business, human dimensions, resource economics, natural resources policy, and urban forestry. Areas of study within the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation include: fish ecology, fisheries management, fisheries and wildlife population dynamics and estimation, endangered species management, coldwater stream management, marine conservation, conservation genetics, tropical ecology, wildlife physiology and ecotoxicology, wildlife disease, habitat analysis and management, human dimensions and policy and administration. Specializations in the Department of Geography include: human geography, physical geography, GIS, remote sensing, spatial analysis/modeling, geospatial environmental applications, geovisualization, water resources, population geography, urban geography, medical geography, hazards, coastal studies, biogeography, paleoenvironments, mountain environments, sustainability, international development, and world regions. The Department of Sustainable Biomaterials offers study in: biomaterials and bioenergy, sustainable materials and innovation, and packaging systems and design. The focus areas include design, business innovation, sustainable residential structures design, bioenergy and biofuels chemistries, natural materials-based pharmaceutical delivery, and green renewable biomaterials development. The MNR, offered from the Washington DC Metro Region, provides opportunities for study in general sustainability, governance and management, business and economy, climate and energy systems, water and marine systems, biodiversity and ecosystems, and cities and urban systems. Departments: Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Geography, Sustainable Biomaterials
Pamplin College of Business
The Pamplin College of Business offers majors in accounting and information systems, business information technology, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, marketing and real estate. Its on-campus enrollment is about 4,300 undergraduates and more than 200 full-time graduate students in the Master of Accounting and Information Systems, Master of Business Analytics and Ph.D. programs. The college also enrolls about 260 part-time MBA students in the National Capital Region as well as students in the Doctorate in Executive Business Research Program and about 60 students in the Online MBA program with students enrolled from throughout the United States. The college, jointly with the college of engineering, administers an online Masters of Information Technology program including more than 700 students studying in various information technology courses and specializations offered by business and engineering faculty. The program enrolls students from every state in the nation and from several other countries.
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
The mission of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences is to illuminate human experience and expression through discovery, learning, and engagement. The College creates works of lasting scholarly, cultural, and aesthetic value, and empowers individuals to engage critically with the complexities of a diverse, global society. The College fosters the inquiry, innovation, and growth that produce individual and social transformation. The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences offers a wide variety of advanced degree programs. Master's degrees are offered within the following departments: Communication, English, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, History, Philosophy, School of Performing Arts, and Political Science. Both English and the School of Performing Arts have an MFA program. An interdisciplinary M.A. in Public Humanities and Material Cultures is offered in collaboration with the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Master's and doctoral programs are available in the School of Education and in the following departments: English, Human Development, Science and Technology in Society, and Sociology (including Africana Studies and Women's and Gender Studies). The School of Performing Arts, in collaboration with the School of Education, offers both a master's and a doctoral degree in education with a concentration in music. A doctoral degree in the interdisciplinary ASPECT (Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought) program is also available. (See descriptions under the individual department headings in this catalog for details.)
Academic Programs
School of Education
College of Engineering
The
College of Engineering is the leading engineering college in the Commonwealth
of Virginia. As an indication of the excellence of its graduate research
program, the college was most recently ranked 9th by the National Science
Foundation for total research expenditures among all engineering colleges in
the United States. Corporate recruiters and engineering deans ranked the
college 28th in the nation according to the latest U.S. News and World Report
survey. The deans further evaluated 9 of our graduate programs to be in the top
25. The engineering faculty also has established an international reputation
for the academic quality of the graduate education program, having produced
high-quality master's and doctoral level graduates who are leaders in numerous
research universities and laboratories throughout the world. Together, the
excellence of the research and education programs makes the College of
Engineering a wise choice for the pursuit of advanced studies in engineering. A
broad choice of engineering curricula is available in 19 different areas. Each
program area offers both thesis and non-thesis M.S., and most offer a more
practice-oriented M.Eng. degree. For students wanting to pursue professional
careers in either basic or applied engineering research, all of these curricula
also offer the Ph.D. degree. Residency and other requirements vary somewhat
with the programs. In addition to the Blacksburg campus, the college offers
selected M.S. and Ph.D. programs at sites in Northern Virginia, Hampton, and
Dahlgren.
Academic Programs
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM) began operation in 1980 and is fully accreditated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). VMCVM has 3 campuses located at Blacksburg (main campus), Leesburg (Equine Medical Center -EMC) and on the campus of the University of Maryland College Park. The College has 5 main programs: Professional Training (leading to the DVM Degree), Graduate Professional (leading to the MPH Degree), Graduate Research Training (leading to the MS & PhD Degrees) and Clinical Services (at the hospitals in Blacksburg and Leesburg).
College of Architecture, Arts, and Design
The College of Architecture, Arts and Design offers 1 Ph.D. degree and 5 Master's degrees. The Ph.D. degree is offered in: Architecture and Design Research (ADR). The Master's degrees offered in the College are: Master of Architecture (MArch), First Professional Degree and Advanced Tracks; Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch) with concentrations in Urban Design, Interior Design, Computing and Representation, Preservation and Rehabilitation Technology, and History and Theory; Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) First Professional Degree and Advanced Tracks; Master of Fine Arts in Creative Technologies (MFA); Master of Material Culture and Public Humanities - joint with College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (MMCPH); and Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts (MFA) with concentrations in Arts Leadership, Directing and Public Dialogue, Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Technical Direction, Stage Management, and Properties Design. Some of the graduate degrees are also available in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area in Northern Virginia at the College's Washington - Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC).
College of Science
The graduate programs in the College of Science are committed to excellence in training scientists to confront the rapidly changing problems of the world around us. Our M.S. and Ph.D. graduates contribute to the economic and social well-being of our state and of our nation through advancement and innovation across the scientific spectrum. The College of Science is the primary advocate for the sciences at Virginia Tech, with outstanding departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Economics, Geosciences, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Statistics, and the School of Neuroscience offering comprehensive graduate studies featuring world class faculty and research programs. In addition to providing students with strong core training in the mathematical, physical and life sciences, the college supports groundbreaking research in areas such as nanoscience, infectious diseases, developmental science, computational science, neuroscience, cell biology, and energy and environmental science. Interdisciplinary programs and Research Centers provide a wide variety of opportunities to span disciplines, and student research activities are augmented by excellent laboratory facilities featuring state-of-the-art instrumentation. The Research Centers, the Departments, and the College, host multiple seminar series that further enhance the graduate experience, exposing our students to ever-evolving, cutting-edge science developments. Ph.D. degrees are offered in all of our departments and M.S. degrees are offered in all departments except Economics. To learn more about our graduate programs, please visit our website at www.science.vt.edu/academics.html
Interdisciplinary Academic Programs
To complement the disciplinary graduate degrees, graduate education at Virginia Tech transcends traditional disciplinary perspectives and promotes collaborations across departments, colleges, and other academic units. The Graduate School seeks to create an environment in which faculty and graduate students are actively encouraged and acknowledged for their interdisciplinary efforts in graduate coursework, mentoring, scholarship, and civic engagement. Interdisciplinary education and research embrace inclusiveness, diversity, educational breadth, and inter-dependence, creating novel learning and discovery opportunities needed to nurture the future professoriate and leaders outside of academe. A number of academic programs have emerged that provide opportunities for students to earn an advanced degree in an interdisciplinary setting. These include: Macromolecular Science and Engineering; Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology; Information Technology; Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical and Cultural Thought; Geospatial and Environmental Analysis; Science and Technology Studies; and Translational Biology, Medicine and Health. Details on these programs can be found in the Graduate Catalog Program listing as well as the Graduate School website. In addition to these interdisciplinary graduate degree programs, the Graduate School provides support for Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Programs (IGEPs) to promote and sustain interdisciplinary graduate education and research at Virginia Tech. Each IGEP addresses a major fundamental problem or complex societal issue that requires an interdisciplinary investigational approach. While not awarding degrees, the IGEPs serve as vehicles for recruiting, coursework, and other experiences that deepen students' appreciation of interdisciplinary program focus. In each IGEP, a graduate course (GRAD 5134, "Topics in Interdisciplinary Research") is taught by a team of faculty members representing the disciplines engaged. More information about each interdisciplinary graduate program may be found on the Graduate School website.
Academic Programs
Emerging Programs
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