Jason Dominiczak '16
Jason Dominiczak '16 is a graduate of Virginia Tech's online Master of Information Technology program. Photo by Nancy Pierce

The university’s online master’s degree in information technology is the nation’s third bestand the online graduate engineering programs moved up four places to No. 16, according to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of the Best Online Programs.

“Virginia Tech engineering continues to build upon strengths to meet the demands of industry,” said Julia M. Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering. “As part of a global land grant institution, we are growing our commitment that spans the Commonwealth and beyond in order to fuel the workforce and academic pipelines.”

This is the seventh year that the master’s degree in information technology has ranked in the top five and remains the top among Virginia universities. The program includes coursework in big data, software engineering, and cybersecurity.

“The rankings demonstrate that the master of IT program continues to be one of the best ways to prepare the country’s workforce for our growing cybersecurity needs,” said Robert Sumichrast, dean of the Pamplin College of Business.

“Pamplin and the College of Engineering have invested in the quality of the program, using top faculty to expand the curriculum into areas such as cybersecurity and enhancing student services,” Sumichrast said. “These investments are consistent with Pamplin’s focus on business analytics and cyber.”

Additionally, Virginia Tech has been ranked No. 1 in the nation among online, graduate- degree programs in cybersecurity in the 2019 top ranking by Cyberdegrees.org, a Washington, D.C.-based company.

Virginia Tech offers its online information technology degree collaboratively through theCollege of Engineering and the Pamplin College of Business. The program combines a variety of departments within these colleges, including the Department of Computer Science and the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, both in the College of Engineering; and the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, the Department of Business Information Technology, and the Department of Management, all in the Pamplin College of Business.

U.S. News also ranked Virginia Tech's master of information technology program as the No. 2 Best Online Graduate Information Technology Programs for Veterans.

The report assessed more than 1,500 online degree programs and evaluated select features, including student engagement, faculty credentials and training, peer reputation, student services and technology, and admissions selectivity. It considered only degree-granting programs offering 100 percent online classes.

For the 2018-2019 academic year, there are 1,080 graduate students enrolled in Pamplin and 2,143 in the College of Engineering. Both colleges offers a variety of graduate programs online or through interactive videoconferencing.