Academic Host - Virginia Tech

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University officially opened on Oct. 1, 1872, as Virginia's white land-grant institution (Hampton Normal and Industrial Institute, founded in 1868, was designated the commonwealth's first black land-grant school. This continued until 1920, when the funds were shifted by the legislature to the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute in Petersburg, which in 1946 was renamed to Virginia State University by the legislature). During its existence, the university has operated under four different legal names. The founding name was Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. Following a reorganization of the college in the 1890s, the state legislature changed the name to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute, effective March 5, 1896. Faced with such an unwieldy name, people began calling it Virginia Polytechnic Institute, or simply VPI. On June 23, 1944, the legislature followed suit, officially changing the name to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. At the same time, the commonwealth moved most women's programs from VPI to nearby Radford College, and that school's official name became Radford College, Women's Division of Virginia Polytechnic Institute. The commonwealth dissolved the affiliation between the two colleges in 1964. The state legislature sanctioned university status for VPI and bestowed upon it the present legal name, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, effective June 26, 1970. While some older alumni and other friends of the university continue to call it VPI, its most popular-and its official-nickname today is Virginia Tech.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth's most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 225 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $496 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

About the College of Engineering

Virginia Tech is the home of the Commonwealth's leading College of Engineering. The college, its faculty and its administration are known in Virginia and throughout the nation for outstanding programs in engineering education, research, and public service. "America's Best Colleges 2014" survey released by U.S. News & World Report in September 2013 ranked the Virginia Tech College of Engineering's undergraduate program 15th in the nation among all accredited engineering schools that offer doctorates, and sixth among those at public universities. The individual college rankings are based on assessments by deans and senior faculty at peer institutions.

The magazine's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2014" survey, released in spring 2013, ranked the College's graduate program 24th among all the nation's engineering schools and 12th among engineering schools at public universities. It is the highest ranked engineering school in the Commonwealth of Virginia. "The Wall Street Journal" in fall 2010 released a one-time survey ranking Virginia Tech as 13th in the nation for top colleges favored by employers looking for workers. The survey quizzed 479 of the nation's largest public and private companies, nonprofits and government agencies for their top pick universities that produce undergraduates best prepared and most able to succeed on the job.

The College of Engineering offers bachelor of science degrees in the following areas: Aerospace Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Engineering and Management, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, and Ocean Engineering. The Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. All other College of Engineering undergraduate programs in engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Additionally, the college of engineering offers graduate degrees related to each of these areas, engineering education and in the interdisciplinary program of Systems Engineering.

About Engineering Education

The department continues to expand the boundaries of engineering education by teaching first-class, modern courses for first year engineering students at Virginia Tech and by offering innovative graduate programs including a Certificate and a PhD in Engineering Education.

Our Mission

We advance the engineering profession by integrating research and teaching to impact learning and practice.

Our Vision

We aspire to prepare students to be exceptional engineers and educators while serving as an international beacon for engineering and research.

First-Year Engineering

Our first-year engineering program is regarded as one of the best in the nation.

Students are admitted as General Engineering students and take the prescribed set of required courses during the first year.

During that time, the students are exposed to the 14 different majors offered in the College of Engineering and are able to make an informed decision about what field they will pursue.

Graduate Program

We are one of the first departments in the country to offer graduate programs in Engineering Education. Our graduate program incorporates theory with real life application so that our students are prepared to be teachers and scholars in the evolving field of Engineering Education.

Many of our graduate students share their knowledge and gain professional experience by teaching and coordinating workshops in some of our first-year courses. Others use their knowledge to assess our program, and others learn how to apply their knowledge in non-university contexts.

We incorporate theory with real-life application.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University