Six Big Data Programs at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Data Science Certificate Programs.
At North End Center, the College of Science led by Dr. Sally C. Morton grants a 120-credit BS in Computational Modeling & Data Analytics where Virginia Tech Hokies sharpen statistical skills with hands-on Discovery Analytics Center practice plus CMDA Club activities and the Fall Data Competition. Chaired by Dr. David Higdon, a 2000 ASA Statistical Computing Award recipient, the MA in Data Analysis & Applied Statistics builds a 33-credit, 18-month Blacksburg curriculum that requires thesis projects in the cutting-edge Social and Decision Analytics Laboratory. For shorter study, the Department of Computer Science headed by Dr. Chris North offers a 12-credit Data Analytics Graduate Certificate in Blacksburg or Alexandria with 5000-level courses like Machine Learning and Probability.
Online on Canvas, the Pamplin College of Business delivers a 33-credit, AACSB-accredited Master of Information Technology advised by Dr. Ralph Badinelli with 24/7 access to 11 concentrations, such as Big Data or Analytics & Business Intelligence, and the Hume Center. Since Fall 2016, the MSBA in Business Analytics has shaped a 30-credit, 12-month plan outlined by Dr. Robert Sumichrast that mixes broad courses like Organizational Behavior with Center for Business Intelligence & Analytics practice and capstone consulting projects. Directed by Dr. Naren Ramakrishnan, the Ph.D. in Computer Science develops a 90-credit, post-bachelor’s dissertation sequence with a unique NSF-funded Urban Computing Certificate option that emphasizes responsible data science for 98 percent job placement.
About Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech originated on October 1, 1872, when Addison Caldwell walked 25 miles to enroll as the Virginia Agricultural & Mechanical College’s first student on the 250-acre Solitude Farm. In March 1896, the Legislature renamed it the Virginia Agricultural & Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. In 1923, it started requiring two years of participation in the Corps of Cadets. In 1943, it merged with Radford State Teachers College to begin admitting women. The next year, its complicated name was simplified to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In 1953, VPI became the South’s first historically white institution to admit African Americans. In 1963, W.W. Lewis was designated the university’s earliest Rhodes Scholar. In 1970, the Legislature approved its re-charter as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1983, the College of Business debuted its Evening MBA program. On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech suffered the second deadliest U.S. school shooting.
Endowed for $987.6 million, Virginia Tech now employs 1,520 faculty teaching 34,950 Hokies from 50 states and 49 countries at a 22:1 ratio online or on six Old Dominion campuses with 700+ clubs like the Statistical Programming Association. In 2018, Virginia Tech won the APLU C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Award. In 2019, VT accepted the American Council of Engineering Companies Excellence Award. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University earned the 2018 Omicron Delta Kappa Circle Stewardship Award too. The U.S. News & World Report ranked Virginia Tech the 76th best university, 40th best computer science college, and 61st top statistics school. On Niche, VT boasts America’s eighth-best student life, 49th top value, and 52nd best faculty. The Wall Street Journal placed Virginia Tech 106th overall. The Princeton Review honored VT for the 14th happiest students.
Virginia Tech Accreditation Details
On November 3, 2020, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University will host a comprehensive evaluation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to extend the Level VI accreditation status potentially through 2030-31 under the 16th president, Dr. Timothy D. Sands, a National Academy of Inventors Fellow. Located 404 miles south via Interstate 77 in Decatur, this esteemed 11-state Southeast Region accreditor is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to review Virginia Tech’s 280+ degrees. Further, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International has accredited the Pamplin College since 1966. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) also approved Virginia Tech on October 1, 1999.
Virginia Tech Application Requirements
Entering Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is classified “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s since 20,709 of the 31,936 Fall 2017 applicants were chosen for 65 percent acceptance. First-year Hokies seeking the BS in Computational Modeling & Data Analytics must have finished 18 units of high school coursework or the GED. Four units of Math, such as Algebra II, are suggested. Freshmen present a median secondary GPA of 3.67. The middle 50th percentile achieve ACT scores of 25-30. Mid-range admitted SAT scores were 540-640 on Reading and 560-680 on Math. Competitive transfers will have 12+ college credits, including Math 1525 or its equivalent, with GPAs above 2.5. The Graduate School only admits four-year bachelor’s completers with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 and higher. Minimum test scores aren’t listed but the GRE averages are 162 Quantitative and 154 Verbal. The Pamplin College of Business admits MBA entrants with a mean 620 GMAT mark. All Analytics & Business Intelligence concentrations require basic programming skills too.
Virginia Tech enforces freshman deadlines of November 1st for Early Decision, December 1st for Early Action, and January 15th for Regular Decision. BS in Computational Modeling & Data Analytics transfers must file by March 1st for Fall or October 15th for Spring. The MSBA in Business Analytics closes on February 1st each year. MA in Data Analysis and MIT cohorts can apply until August 1st, January 1st, and May 1st. Prospective Ph.D. in Computer Science candidates are considered until December 15th only. Accordingly, complete the Virginia Tech or Coalition Application online for $60 ($75 if graduate). Forward official transcripts to 925 Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg, VA 24061. Submit testing results using SAT/GRE code 5859, ACT code 4420, or GMAT code 53B-XS-66. Send supplemental documents like the professional goals statement, resume, 2-3 recommendations, writing sample, and passport/visa. Contact (540) 231-6267 or admissions@vt.edu with questions.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2019-20, Virginia Tech is charging in-state undergraduates $6,845 each full-time semester or $13,691 annually. Non-resident BS in Computational Modeling & Data Analytics tuition is $16,417 by term or $32,835 each year. These figures include the $165 activity fee, $235 health fee, and $163 athletic fee. Residing at the Blacksburg campus’ dorms like Eggleston Hall adds $9,342 for room and board. VT budgets $1,150 for books and $3,130 for miscellaneous. Annual bachelor’s attendance equals $26,384 in-state and $45,122 out-of-state. The Graduate School prices courses at $761 for Virginians and $1,534 for non-residents per credit. Full-time enrollment will cost $7,986 to $15,244 each term. Online MIT cohorts spend $950 per credit or $31,350 total. The Professional MBA costs $45,050 to $65,707 overall.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Office of Financial Aid in Student Services Building Suite 200 links 49 percent of full-time VT Hokies to tuition assistance averaging $8,426 apiece for $106.09 million combined. Institutional funds include the Marion & Charlotte Eckert Scholarship, Alan Goldsticker Scholarship, Andersen Consulting Scholarship, Douglas Eanes Memorial Scholarship, Gerald Alderson Scholarship, Hoy & Madeline Hopkins Scholarship, Joseph Alfred Deans Parish Scholarship, Lang-Daubert Scholarship, Judy Diane Albert Memorial Scholarship, and Walter Horner Memorial Scholarship. The Presidential Scholarship gifts full tuition annually for 85 in-state residents who exhibit academic and leadership potential. The VCCS Lifeline Scholarship has a January 15th deadline for associate-level community college transfers to earn half-tuition discounts. FAFSA applications coded 003754 determine federal aid, including Pell Grant and Stafford Loan, amounts. Locals also access the Virginia Commonwealth Award, Tuition Assistance Grant, Two-Year Transfer Grant, and Military Survivors Grant.
Keep reading about Virginia Tech at the Analytics Department website.
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