About

The Department of Computer Science has been an incubator for innovative teaching and leading-edge research for more than 50 years. Guided by our core values, we pursue our mission and vision in the spirit of Virginia Tech's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
See our Fall 2024 Factsheet for a one-page summary of the department.
Research strengths and impact
Productive faculty and students with strong tradition of transdisciplinary research
- 86 faculty members, including 67 tenured or tenure-track faculty, and 26 NSF CAREER Award winners
- Faculty expected to grow to more than 100 over the next several years
- Research strengths in a broad set of strategic areas, including:
- Computational biology and bioinformatics
- Data analytics, machine learning, NLP, and vision
- Digital education
- High-performance computing and computational science
- Human-computer interaction
- Quantum computing
- Security
- Software engineering
- Systems
- Theory and algorithms
- $16.7M in research expenditures in 22/23
- Department-affiliated research centers include: Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, STACK@VT, the Center for Synergistic Environments for Experimental Computing, and the Center for Community Empowering Pandemic Prediction and Prevention from Atoms to Societies (COMPASS).
- Extensive involvement with major university research institutes and initiatives, including Commonwealth Cyber Initiative; Fralin Biomedical Research Institute; Fralin Life Sciences Institute; Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology; Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science; Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment; National Security Institute; and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Undergraduate programs
Majors in computer science, data-centric computing, and secure computing
- 1,720 students (Sophomore, Junior, Senior); 19% women
- 483 Bachelor of Science degrees awarded in '23/'24
- Ranked 29th by U.S. News & World Report
Graduate programs
Programs in Blacksburg and the greater Washington, D.C. metro area offer research-focused Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees and practitioner-focused Master of Engineering degree
- 318 Ph.D., 649 master's-level students, 29% women
- 24 doctoral and 253 master's-level degrees awarded in '23/'24
- Ranked 35th by U.S. News & World Report
Additional degree programs
Our department contributes to several additional degree programs, including:
- Minors in computer science, cybersecurity, and human-computer interaction
- Bachelor of Science in computational modeling and data analytics
- Ph.D. in genetics, bioinformatics and computational biology
- Online Master of Information Technology
College of Engineering
Part of Virginia Tech's comprehensive and highly ranked College of Engineering
- The college is led by Julia Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering
- Extensive collaborations across departments in the College of Engineering and with numerous departments in other colleges
Blacksburg campus
Virginia Tech's main campus in beautiful Southwest Virginia
- Housed in 89,000 square feet, primarily in three buildings: Torgersen Hall, Data & Decision Sciences, and Gilbert Place
- Beautiful campus with arts and cultural experiences and nearby outdoor recreation opportunities
Washington, D.C. area and the Innovation Campus
Strategic location offers unique opportunities for research and partnerships
- Computer science graduate degrees offered for more than 40 years, with a facility in Arlington and at the newly-opened Innovation Campus in Alexandria.
Administrative leadership and support
Committed team leads a broad set of academic, research, and outreach activities
- Leadership group includes four associate department heads and multiple area directors and coordinators.
- Six-person IT staff supports extensive computing resources
- Five-person fiscal staff includes support for proposal preparation and management
- On-site human resources support
- Dedicated managers lead efforts in communications, corporate partnerships, and alumni relations