Future
AI is opening new possibilities for students who want to build technologies for a better future.
A Virginia Tech bachelor's degree in computer science teaches students to design intelligent systems, train machine learning models, build secure software, and solve complex real-world problems using data and algorithms.
Across health care, finance, retail, and e-commerce, manufacturing, aerospace, national security, and education, the need for skilled computer scientists is only growing. Read more about the future of the discipline from department head Christine Julien and alumnus Bo Begole.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, adding hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next decade.
Our alumni do so much more than programming. You can be one of them.
Getting technical: the Bachelor of Science
Our students enter a well-rounded degree program focused on the design, implementation, performance and usability of computer systems.
We provide a strong foundation in algorithms, problem-solving, and software development. A diverse set of elective courses provides experience with emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, data mining, graphics, human computer interaction, Internet programming, networking, parallel computing, and software engineering.
A Virginia Tech computer science degree prepares students for careers in a wide range of fields and is a good foundation for graduate study in computer science or other information technology.
Minors
- Pairing a minor in computer science with a major in another field can be a powerful career development tool.
- A minor in human-computer interaction is an attractive option for current computer science majors, and also for other majors.
- The minor in cybersecurity, offered through the College of Engineering, includes courses from both the computer science and electrical and computer engineering departments. It offers study in information security, network security, and computer system security to protect sensitive information and the systems and networks used to store and carry it.
- Computer science students puruse a range of other minors offered at Virginia Tech. Some popular choices include biology, business, and math.
Optional tracks of study
Our majors may choose from a wide range of junior and senior-level electives. To better advise students as they navigate all these choices, we offer advisory tracks that organizes electives around topics in computer science. These include:
- human-computer interaction
- knowledge, information, and data
- media/creative computing
- scientific computing
- systems and networking
Completing a track is not required to graduate, but it allows a student to focus their studies in an area of interest or for a particular career or graduate school option.
Student life
With more than 800 student organizations on campus, it's easy to find fun, belonging, networking, and professional development. Get real-world ready by participating in experiential learning. Into swimming, working out, outdoors adventure, intramural sports, or otherwise staying active? Then recreational sports has something for you.
Accreditation
The Bachelor of Science program in computer science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Computer Science and Similarly Named Computing Programs. Learn more about the department's accreditation, mission, and educational objectives.