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 2023 Factsheet for a one-page summary of the department.

Research Strengths and Impact
Productive faculty and students with strong tradition of interdisciplinary research

• 81 faculty members, including 63 tenured or tenure-track faculty, and 19 NSF CAREER Award winners
• Faculty size slated to grow to more than 100 over the next 5-7 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, and the Center for Synergistic Environments for Experimental Computing.
• Extensive involvement with major university research institutes and initiatives, including CCI, FBRI, FLSI, ICAT, ICTAS, ISCE, NSI and VTTI.

Undergraduate Programs
Majors in Computer Science, Data-Centric Computing, and Secure Computing  

• 1,548 students (Sophomore, Junior, Senior); 18% women
• 526 BS degrees awarded in 22/23
• Ranked 27th by U.S. News & World Report

Graduate Programs
Programs in Blacksburg and the Greater Washington, D.C. metro area offer research-focused PhD and MS degrees and practitioner-focused MEng degree

• 286 PhD, 108 MS, and 500 MEng students, 27% women
• 18 PhD, 61 MS, and 246 MEng degrees awarded in 22/23
• Ranked 35th by U.S. News & World Report

Additional Degree Programs
Department contributes to several additional degree programs, including:

• Minors in computer science, cybersecurity, and human-computer interaction
• Bachelors of science in computational modeling and data analytics
• Ph.D. in genetics, bioinformatics and computational biology
• Online masters of information technology, ranked 1st for veterans and 4th in the nation, by U.S. News & World Report

College of Engineering
Part of Virginia Tech's comprehensive and highly ranked College of Engineering

• The College is led by Dean Julia Ross
• Extensive collaborations that span the College of Engineering as well as with numerous departments in other Virginia Tech 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
  
• A beautiful campus with many opportunities for cultural and outdoor recreation
  

Washington, D.C. Area and the Innovation Campus
Strategic location offers unique opportunities for research and partnerships

• CS graduate degrees offered for more than 40 years, with facilities in Falls Church and Arlington, VA
• Poised for dramatic growth with launching of the new Innovation Campus in Alexandria, VA

Administrative Leadership and Support
Diverse team leads a broad set of academic, research, and external engagement 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, and human resources
• Dedicated coordinators lead efforts in communication and marketing, corporate partnerships, and alumni relations