virginia tech economics phd placement

Ph.D. in Economics

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Department of Economics

• Undergraduate
• Admission Requirements
• Job Market Candidates

PhD Program Overview

• Placement History
• PhD Program Structure
• Graduate Student Resources
• Graduate Research

The PhD Program

A Letter from the Director of Graduate Studies

Thank you for your interest in our PhD program.  (Please note: UVa does not offer a terminal M.A. degree in economics. The AEA provides a  list of U.S. programs in economics for those seeking a master's degree.)

The Economics Department is one of over 30 programs within the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences . The Ph.D. program in Economics provides training for careers in both teaching and research by emphasizing theory, quantitative methods, and early involvement in research.

The success of the program is reflected in our graduates'  job placements , which include highly ranked universities, such as Chicago, Columbia, UCLA, Cornell, Penn State, as well as excellent undergraduate institutions, such as Carleton and Brandeis. In a recent survey, UVA ranked fourteenth among graduate programs in academic placement. Many students also find summer or permanent employment in the nearby Washington area, e.g., at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Congressional Budget Office.

About 20 students enter our program each year. At any given time there are approximately 100 students in residence. Classes are small and students are able to work closely with faculty. Graduate students are provided with two computer labs, both equipped with up-to-date PCs and a wide selection of software.

In addition to taking the core courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics, doctoral students choose two fields of specialization from: Industrial Organization, International Economics, Macroeconomics, Public Economics, Econometrics, Theory, Development, and Labor. Virtually all graded courses can be completed by the end of the second year, so that students can begin dissertation research at an early stage (in the summer after the second year).

During the third and fourth years, students are active in one or more of the regularly scheduled workshops: Theory, Applied Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Public Economics, Econometrics, Development, and International Economics.

Applications and all credentials must be submitted through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences'  online application . The non-refundable application fee must be paid online via credit card. If you are eligible for an application fee waiver, please contact the Graduate School when you are ready to apply. The School's Dean of Admissions may waive the fee to members of certain  organizations . However, you should contact me directly if you think that your application may arrive later than the December 15th deadline.

All students who are admitted are offered the same aid package. Financial need will not affect your chances for admission.

Financial assistance to students admitted for Fall 2024 includes $30,600 per year ($24,480 during the academic year, and $6,120 during the summer), along with full tuition remission, and health insurance coverage. The offer is guaranteed for 5 years, conditional on maintaining good standing in the program. Full details are available in the  Financial Aid  section of our admission instructions.

In addition, the Graduate School administers a competitive fellowship program to support a sixth year of study for doctoral students who are poised to complete distinguished dissertations and enter the job market. In 2024-2025, 9 such fellowships will be offered, and the Graduate School plans to increase this number significantly in the coming years.

Your application and all supporting documents should reach the Graduate Admissions Office byDecember 15. (We admit students only for the fall semester.) Please note that you will need to present scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), but the advanced test in economics is not required. Complete details on our admission requirements are provided in the  Admission  section of this web site. If your question is not answered in the following pages, please e-mail Kristina Johnson , the Graduate Program Coordinator.

James Harrigan , Director of Graduate Studies

Degrees and Programs

Our graduate programs, and the degrees each offers, are listed alphabetically below. We also list our non-degree granting interdisciplinary graduate education programs. All graduate students also must complete the Graduate School's scholarly ethics and integrity requirement and the inclusion and diversity requirement. 

Visit the 2024-25 Graduate Catalog for general and Graduate School policies and procedures, appeals process, and listing of graduate degree-granting programs and their requirements. Links to degree-program catalog pages are also included below. 

Degree-granting programs

Aerospace engineering (aoe).

The aerospace engineering curriculum includes the areas of aerodynamics, flight dynamics and controls, propulsion, and aerospace structures. The program culminates in a nationally recognized senior-level design sequence including analysis and design of aircraft, spacecraft, and their related technologies.

Home college: College of Engineering

Degrees: MS/ME, Ph.D.

Location: Blacksburg, online

Graduate Program Director: Olivier Coutier-Delgosha ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Rachel Saville ([email protected]); Audri Cunningham ([email protected])

Graduate Catalog page

Program page

Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAEC)

The Department offers graduate studies leading to a M.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics. Graduate students will find several economic areas of study to pursue. At the master’s level, students can select between an applied economics focus and a focus on agribusiness. At the Ph.D. level, students can dive deeper into the fields of applied econometrics, environmental and natural resource economics, international development and trade, food and health economics, and rural and regional development.

Home college: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

(Ph.D. jointly with College of Science's Department of Economics)

Degrees: MS, Ph.D.

Location: Blacksburg

Graduate Program Director: Chunbei Wang ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Amy Guerin ([email protected])

Agricultural and Life Sciences (ALS)

This program offers concentrations in the areas of education, environmental science, food safety and biosecurity, leadership studies, and plant science and pest management for agriculture professionals seeking a master's degree.

Home college: Agriculture and Life Sciences

Location: Online

Graduate Program Director: Jennifer Jones ([email protected])

Program webpage

Agriculture, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE)

The Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech offers the Agriculture and Extension Education doctoral and master's degrees  and is committed to preparing students for success in professions that include formal and non-formal teaching and learning in agriculture, as well as skills for leading agricultural organizations and communities. 

Degree: MS, Ph.D. 

Graduate Program Director: Kim Niewolny ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Michelle L. Greaud ([email protected]) 

Program website

Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPT)

ASPECT is an innovative interdisciplinary and theoretical Ph.D. program located on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. ASPECT fosters a critical engagement between domains of inquiry in the humanities, the social sciences, and the arts. The official name for the Ph.D. is Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural thought.

Home college: College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Degree: Ph.D. (Interdisciplinary)

Graduate Program Directors: Director: Brian Britt  ([email protected]); Christine Labuski ([email protected]) 

Graduate Program Coordinator: Tamara Sutphin ([email protected])

Animal and Poultry Sciences (APSC)

The Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences at Virginia Tech offers the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Students may specialize in the areas of genetics, genomics, immunology, management, muscle biology, nutrition, physiology, and product quality assurance.

School: School of Animal Sciences

Graduate Program Director: Alan Ealy ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sasha Simpkins ([email protected])

Architecture (ARCH)

Architecture enriches our lives by offering us environments that are sensibly compelling, thought provoking, and capable of lifting our spirits. In addition to being beautiful, architecture is, by ancient definition, functional and durable. Like art, architecture is permeated by dualities. It is stable and transitory, measurable and immeasurable, and capable of both being touched and touching us. Like science, architecture involves systematic study. Its methods are iterative, experimental, and rely on intense observation. 

Home college: College of Architecture, Arts, and Design

Degrees: MS, MArch

Locations: Blacksburg, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area

Graduate Program Director: Kay Edge ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Wendy Vaughn ([email protected])

MArch program webpage , MS program webpage

Architecture and Design Research (ADR)

There are two major tracks within the Ph.D. in Architecture and Design Research degree program, each of which has topical areas. Both provide significant flexibility for each student to develop a plan of study consistent with his or her academic goals. The two tracks are  Architecture  and  Design Research . Home college: College of Architecture, Arts, and Design

Degree: Ph.D.

Location: Blacksburg, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area

Graduate Program Directors:  Kay Edge ([email protected]); James Jones ([email protected]); Paul Emmons ([email protected]), Alexandria, Virginia campus

Graduate Program Coordinator: Wendy Vaughn ([email protected])

Biochemistry (BCHM)

The Graduate Program in the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech prepares students for careers as independent researchers in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, biotechnology, and related areas.

Degrees: MS, MSLFS, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Justin Lemkul ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sheila Early ([email protected])

Biological Sciences (BIOL)

Graduate students, in consultation with Major Advisors, design programs of study that include cutting edge research, courses that support their particular interests, and at least one semester of a teaching experience. Opportunities for research span the biological disciplines from molecular biology to ecosystems ecology and may include computational, experimental, empirical, theoretical, and/or applied approaches.

Home college: College of Science

Degrees offered: MS, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Daniela Cimini, ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kate Trainque ( [email protected] ).

Biological Systems Engineering (BSE)

The mission of the Biological Systems Engineering Department is to develop and disseminate engineering knowledge and practices that protect natural resources and improve sustainable production, processing, and utilization of biological materials.

Home colleges: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Engineering

Graduate Program Director: Cully Hession ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Liza Spradlin ([email protected])

Biomedical Engineering (BMES)

The Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering & Sciences (SBES) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional graduate program that bridges engineering, science and medicine.

Home: College of Engineering

Locations: Blacksburg, Roanoke, Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Graduate Program Director: Yong Woo Lee ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kelsey Wall ([email protected])

Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences (BMVS)

The goal of our program is to provide the students with a sound background in the basic and clinical sciences and to cultivate the ability to apply rigorous scientific thinking to advanced biomedical and veterinary sciences.

A basic philosophy of graduate education in biomedical and veterinary sciences is flexibility. Programs of study - courses, laboratory and field research, clinical experiences, and teaching opportunities - are tailored to meet the individual student's needs, depending on academic background, professional experience and career goals.

Home college: Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

Locations: Blacksburg

Graduate Program Director: Audry Ruple ([email protected]) 

Graduate Program Coordinator: Andrea Green ([email protected])

Building Construction Science and Management (BC)

At the Master's degree level, the Building Construction curriculum prepares students with the professional capabilities to critically address present and evolving needs of the construction industry.

Graduate Program Director: Tanyel Bulbul ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Brandy Barrow ([email protected])

Business, Accounting and Information Systems (ACIS)

The Department offers a world class accounting and information systems education to our students.  Our Master of Accounting and Information Systems (MACIS) program prepares students for professional careers with specializations in accounting analytics, audit, financial services, information systems, and taxation. The Ph.D. in Business program with a major in Accounting and Information Systems helps the student prepare for a career in college and university teaching and research. 

Home college: Pamplin College of Business

Degrees: MACIS, PhD (business)

Graduate Program Directors: Sarah Stein ([email protected]); Nadia Rogers for Master's Degree ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Darian Rai ([email protected])

Business Administration (BUS)

Pamplin offers two MBA programs: Evening and Online MBA. Both are designed for working professionals. The college also offers a master of science in business administration degree with concentrations in business analytics, global business analytics, marketing, and hospitality and tourism management. In addition, there is an online master of information technology degree offered as an interdisciplinary degree program with the College of Engineering. 

Degree: MBA, MS

Locations: Richmond, Roanoke, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, Virtual

Graduate Program Directors: Dana Hansson ([email protected]), online and evening MBA programs; Kristin Lamoureux ( [email protected] ) and Jackson Lassiter ( [email protected] ), MS in Business Administration with concentration in Hospitality and Tourism Management; Joseph Winkeler ([email protected]), MS in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Analytics; Linda Christie ([email protected]) and Karen Wrightsman ([email protected]), MS in Business Administration with a concentration in Global Business Analytics

Graduate Program Coordinator: Revé Vorsky ( [email protected] )  

Business, Executive Business Research (BUS)

This degree concentration is designed to serve experienced executives seeking the advanced knowledge and skills needed to conduct high quality research on emerging business issues. Tailored for working professionals, this three-year part-time program provides students with an in-depth understanding of the scholarly literature in their chosen business discipline, training in relevant analytical research techniques, and experience in conducting original research embodied in a dissertation addressing a complex business problem.

Location: Greater Washington, D.C. metro area

Graduate Program Director: Chitvan Trivedi ([email protected])

Business, Information Technology (BIT)

The program offers specialized study in information technology, business analytics, decision support systems, and operations and supply chain management. The program emphasizes the study of technologies used in the creation, storage, exchange, analysis, and use of information in its various forms, and also emphasizes the related disciplines of mathematical optimization, stochastic processes, computer simulation, artificial intelligence, and statistics. Study of these topics requires that the student have a strong background in mathematics and computing.

Degrees: Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Paul Lowry ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Adrienne Sable ([email protected])

Business, Finance (FIN)

The master's degree program is designed for students who wish to undertake specialized training in finance. The doctoral program in finance is research-oriented and designed to prepare students for successful academic careers in research and teaching. 

Graduate Program Directors: Roger Edelen ([email protected]); Jin Xu ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Karah Hayes ([email protected])

Business, Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM)

The Ph.D. in Business with hospitality and tourism management focus emphasizes the research applications of business concepts and strategies to hospitality and tourism management, helping students develop the knowledge and research skills to address the critical challenges and problems faced by hospitality and tourism businesses.

The newly designed master of science in business administration, with a concentration in hospitality and tourism management is offered in the National Capital Region.

Degrees: MS, Ph.D. (business)

Location: Blacksburg, Greater Washington D.C. metro area

Graduate Program Directors: Kristin Lamoureux ([email protected]), MSBA; Eojina Kim ([email protected]), Ph.D.

Graduate Program Coordinators: Phil Xiang ([email protected]; Brent Bowden ([email protected])

Business, Management (MGT)

The Ph.D. program in Business Administration with a major in Management dedicated to preparing students who will be among the next generation of research faculty at top academic institutions.

Our approach to doctoral education is unique. We emphasize preparation of students in ways that allow them to understand and address the whole organization, from the study of individuals and groups within organizations to how they operate strategically in the larger business environment.

Graduate Program Director: Christopher Porter ( [email protected] )

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kara Armes ( [email protected] )

Business, Marketing (MKTG)

We offer a focused Master of Science program with a concentration in advanced marketing research, and a Doctoral Program designed to develop graduates who assume positions as faculty members in research-oriented schools of business.

Graduate Program Director: Mario Pandelaere ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sonja Crockett  ([email protected])

MS program webpage

Ph.D. program webpage

Chemical Engineering (CHE)

Graduate plans of study in chemical engineering are heavily oriented toward synthesis as well as analysis. There are strong threads of physics, chemistry, mathematics, biochemistry, and microbiology in much of the research in the department. Active research areas include polymer chemistry, polymer science and engineering, colloid and surface chemistry, solid state chemistry and physics, nanotechnology, applied thermodynamics, molecular modeling, biochemical and tissue engineering, biomaterials, nanomedicine, catalysis and surface science, design for sustainability, green engineering, computer-aided design, and supercritical fluid science and technology.

Graduate Program Director: Chang Lu ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Carrie Hopkins ([email protected])

Chemistry (CHEM)

The Chemistry Department is consistently top-ranked among its peers in terms of degree production and research expenditures. Our 30 faculty members and 170 graduate students generate over 100 peer-reviewed publications per year and have earned numerous prestigious awards for research, teaching, and outreach. In addition to the major areas of chemistry (analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical), our polymer chemistry program has been ranked among the top 5, and we have highly developed programs in several interdisciplinary areas, including drug discovery, computational and theoretical chemistry, surface science, renewable energy, and chemical biology.

Graduate Program Director: Alan Esker ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Joli Huynh ([email protected])

Civil Engineering (CEE)

The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is ranked in the top 10 accredited civil and environmental engineering departments by the US News and World Report, is one of the largest programs in the United States.

For the civil engineering graduate degrees, students may emphasize one or more of 10 discipline areas within the Department: civil engineering materials, civil infrastructure engineering, construction engineering and management, environmental engineering, geospatial engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrosystems engineering, structural engineering, and transportation engineering.

Locations: Blacksburg, Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Richmond, Southwest Virginia, Online

Graduate Program Director: Carin Roberts-Wollmann ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sarah Martin ([email protected])

Communication (COMM)

The M.A. in Communication prepares graduates to pursue communication doctoral studies, research positions in communication industries, and advanced teaching or professional careers. This thesis program blends social-scientific and humanistic research and communication theory in public advocacy (campaigns and strategic communication) and media effects, policy, and issues.

School: School of Communication

Degrees: MA

Graduate Program Director: Cayce Myers ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kimberly Garnand ([email protected])

Computer Engineering (ECE)

As the fourth largest Electrical and Computer Engineering department in the United States, we offer strong education and research opportunities in diverse areas, including computers, control systems, communications, electronics, electromagnetics, and power. 

A collaborative atmosphere and interdisciplinary efforts are hallmarks of the department's research programs, and the 35+ research groups, centers, and laboratories grow in reputation each year.

Locations: Blacksburg, Hampton Roads, Greater Washington D.C. metro area, Roanoke, Richmond, Southwest Virginia, Online

Graduate Program Director: Paul Plassmann ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Nicole Sutphin ([email protected]) MS non-thesis students; Rebecca Stevenson ([email protected]) MEng students; Lisa K. Burns ([email protected]) MS Thesis, Direct-Ph.D. & Ph.D. Advisor (Last names N-Z); Laura Villada ([email protected]) MS Thesis, Direct-Ph.D. and Ph.D. Advisor (Last names A-M)

Computer Science & Applications (CSA)

The graduate program in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech is on its way to becoming one of the top programs in the country. The resources and facilities for research areas such as human-computer interaction, bioinformatics, and high-end computing are state of the art, and the growing list of specialized masters and doctoral degrees in a variety of areas provides opportunities for students to concentrate their research and study on the specific aspects of computer science in which they are most interested.

Degrees: MS, MEng, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Directors: Sara Hooshangi ([email protected]); Eli Tilevich ([email protected]); Sara Coulson ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Samantha Pipkin ([email protected]); Sharon Kinder-Potter ([email protected]); Klaudia Escobar ([email protected])

Creative Technologies (CTEC)

The Master in Fine Arts in Creative Technologies is a terminal degree program that prepares students to use digital and new media technologies to create, present, communicate and shape information and imagery. The program addresses emerging trends in scientific and research arenas, art and design, and industrial/commercial contexts.

School: School of Visual Arts (SOVA)

Degrees: MFA

Graduate Program Directors: Zach Duer ([email protected]); Thomas Tucker ([email protected])

Creative Writing (CW)

The three-year MFA program offers tracks in poetry and fiction. We encourage cross-genre experimentation through workshops in new media creative writing, playwriting, and creative non-fiction. Students also gain extensive teaching experience. Home college College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Graduate Program Director: Matthew Vollmer ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Marie Trimmer ([email protected])

Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences (CSS)

As a department with strong expertise in both environmental and agronomic (crops and soils) sciences, we are committed to improving present and future health and livelihoods through a deeper understanding of processes involving living organisms, soil, and water across a range of managed and degraded ecosystems. We focus strong expertise in agronomy, plant genetics and breeding, soil science, water quality, landscape restoration, and nutrient and waste management on the improvement of agroecosystem productivity, the discovery of important processes, the restoration of essential functions, and on improving management of ecosystem services in a wide variety of rural and urban landscapes.

Graduate Program Director: Benjamin Tracy ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sally Shupe ([email protected])

Dairy Science (DASC)

Our graduate students have diverse backgrounds and research interests including genetics, reproduction, nutrition, immunology, management, and lactation. All have the opportunity to gain classroom teaching experience and to participate in extension education programs in addition to their involvement in research programs at the forefront of nutrition, management, physiology, infectious disease, immunology, and metabolic modeling.

Degrees:  MSLFS, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Benjamin Corl ([email protected])

Data Analysis and Applied Statistics (DAAS)

The Master of Arts in Data Analysis and Applied Statistics is offered by Virginia Tech’s Department of Statistics. The degree is also sponsored by other programs and departments including the Education Research and Evaluation Program (EDRE), the Departments of Psychology, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Geography, Economics, Human Development, Sociology, Psychology, Biological Sciences, and the Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology program.

The curriculum provides a broad variety of applied statistical tools to students, without the emphasis on statistical theory steeped in mathematics. The M.A. DAAS degree is structured so that certain courses that emphasize the fundamentals of statistics, are required. Electives in specialized topics in statistics are then be chosen by the student. Thus, the degree offers sufficient depth in the fundamentals of contemporary applied statistical methods and gives students an understanding of how these methods are applied indifferent fields.

College: Science

Graduate Program Director: Tom Woteki ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Christina Dillon ([email protected])

P rogram page

Economics (ECON)

The Department of Economics at Virginia Tech focuses on teaching, research and outreach in regard to economic issues at the state, national and international levels.

Home College: College of Science

Graduate Program Director: Niloy Bose ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Will Bebout Jr. ([email protected])

Education, Career and Technical Education (EDCT)

The Career and Technical Education program is among the top programs in the United States. The program is designed to prepare individuals for careers in career and technical education and to enhance the professional development of current career and technical educators.

School: School of Education

Degrees: MSED, Ed.S.

Graduate Program Director: Natalie Ferand ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Lori Sharp ([email protected])

Education, Counselor Education (EDCO)

The Virginia Tech Counselor Education Program prepares professional counselors, counselor educators, and leaders in the counseling field with a professional identity that incorporates the intentional use of strength-based approaches, reflective practice, innovative and evidence-based strategies, and ongoing research to support and enhance our schools and communities.

Home college: College of Arts and Human Sciences

Degrees: MAED, EDS, EDD, Ph.D.

Location: Blacksburg, Roanoke

Graduate Program Director: Matt Fullen ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kathy Tickle ([email protected])

Program webpage 

Education, Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI)

The Curriculum and Instruction graduate degrees are offered by 14 programs included in two departmental units in the School of Education. See below for links to the different programs.

Degrees: MAED, Ed.S., Ed.D., Ph.D.

Location: Blacksburg, Online

Graduate Program Director: Nancy Bradley ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Casey Walker ([email protected])

Program webpages:

Career and Technical Education (Ed.D., Ph.D.)

Educational Psychology   (M.A.Ed., Ed.S., Ph.D.)

Elementary Education   (M.A.Ed.,Ed.S., Ed.D., Ph.D.)

English Education   (M.A.Ed., Ed.S., Ed.D., Ph.D.)

Foundations of Education  ( Ph.D.) 

History and Social Science Education   (M.A.Ed., Ph.D.)

Instructional Design and Technology   (M.A.Ed., Ed.S., Ph.D.)

Integrative STEM Education   (Ph.D., Ed.D., M.A.)

Mathematics Education   (M.A.Ed., Ed.S.,Ph.D.)

Music Education   (M.A.Ed., Ed.D.)

Reading Specialist / Literacy  (M.A.Ed., Ed.S.)

Science Education   (M.A.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.)

Education, Education Leadership and Policy Studies (EDLPS)

This is a graduate program developed by Virginia Tech to prepare educational administrators for leadership roles in school systems and related agencies.

Degrees: MAED, Ed.S., Ph.D., Ed.D.

Location: Blacksburg; Hampton Roads; Greater Washington, D.C. metro area; Richmond; Roanoke; Southwest Virginia; Virtual

Graduate Program Directors: Jodie Brinkmann ([email protected]) for Master's/Ed.S; Charles Lowery ([email protected]) for Ed.D/Ph.D.

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kathy Tickle ([email protected])

Education, Education Research, Evaluation (EDRE)

The Educational Research and Evaluation program offers doctoral preparation in the areas of measurement, program evaluation, qualitative research methods, and statistics as they are applied in educational and other behavioral sciences.

Graduates of the program are prepared for academic positions as research methodologists, corporate positions in research and testing agencies, or government positions as researchers, evaluators, or administrators of research programs in education or other areas of the behavioral sciences.

Graduate Program Director: David Kniola ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kathy [email protected]

This program is not accepting new students.

Education, Higher Education (EDHE)

The  Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate degree programs focus on preparing leaders for postsecondary education who use and produce high-impact research as part of their practice and who are committed to service in both professional and personal contexts

Degrees: MAED, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Directors: Chase Catalano ([email protected]), Ph.D. program in Higher Education; Sharrika Adams ([email protected]), MAEd. program in Higher Education and Student Affairs

Electrical Engineering (EE)

From pervasive computing to smart power systems, Virginia Tech Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) faculty and students delve into all major areas of electrical and computer engineering. As one of the country's larger ECE departments, we offer strong education and research opportunities in diverse areas, including computers, control systems, communications, electronics, electromagnetics, and power. 

Location: Blacksburg, Hampton Roads, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, Richmond, Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, and online

Graduate Program Coordinators: Graduate Program Coordinators: Nicole Sutphin ([email protected]) MS non-thesis students; Rebecca Stevenson ([email protected]) MEng students; Lisa K. Burns ([email protected]) MS Thesis, Direct-Ph.D. & Ph.D. Advisor (Last names N-Z); Laura Villada ([email protected]) MS Thesis, Direct-Ph.D. and Ph.D. Advisor (Last names A-M)

Engineering Education (ENGE)

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 our students are prepared to be teachers and scholars in the evolving field of Engineering Education.

Graduates of the program will be able to conduct and direct research in engineering education; develop, review, and critique effective research designs; effectively teach engineering subjects; design and assess engineering courses; and address critical issues facing engineering education.

Graduate Program Director: Andrew Katz ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Mara Knott ([email protected])

Engineering Mechanics (ESM)

The Engineering Mechanics (EM) program provides a strong foundation and sturdy framework for the discovery, development, transfer, and implementation of new knowledge in the areas of mechanics of materials and material systems, fluid mechanics, dynamics and vibration, biomechanics, and computational and experimental methods.

Graduate Program Director:  Mark Stremler, ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Renee Cloyd ([email protected])

English (ENGL)

The MA program is focused upon the theoretical and practical aspects of evaluating texts and analyzing language in all its aspects. Special attention is paid to the critique and production of digital discourse.

Graduate Program Directors: Katharine Cleland ([email protected]), Graduate Studies and MA program; Kelly Pender ([email protected]), Ph.D. program in Writing and Rhetoric; Matthew Vollmer ([email protected]), MFA Program

Entomology (ENT)

The Department of Entomology provides professional expertise concerning arthropods to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

The department has three major focus areas: Biomedical Research, with emphasis on insect genomics and urban/public health, including mosquito biology and vector control as they affect urban and public health, and human and animal disease; Natural/Agro Ecosystems Research, with emphasis on IPM/Biological Control of pest problems, and environmental monitoring and protection; and Urban Entomology and Pesticide Safety Education.

Degrees: MSLFS, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Scott Salom ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kathy Shelor ([email protected])

Environmental Design and Planning (EDP)

The Environmental Design and Planning program prepares students with the professional and academic skills to address the challenges of creating and maintaining tomorrow's built environment. The degree offers the opportunity for advanced study and research in specialized areas relating to building design, construction, operations, and end-of-life-cycle, providing the basis to contribute to the construction field from positions in either industry or academia. Home college: College of Engineering

School: Myers-Lawson School of Construction

Graduate Program Coordinator: Brandy Barrow ([email protected])

Environmental Engineering (CEEN)

The Environmental Engineering program goals are to educate and prepare engineers for careers in the various fields of environmental engineering design, water supply management, site remediation, environmental modeling, pollution control engineering, water resources engineering, and public health protection.

Graduate Program Director: Carin Roberts-Wollmann ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sarah Martin ([email protected])

Environmental Sciences and Engineering (ESEN)

The Environmental Science and Engineering program is designed to prepare students with a science background to work with engineers in various fields, including water supply, wastewater management, public health, watershed management, stream protection, groundwater remediation, and air resource management

Graduate Program Director: Carin Roberts-Wollmann ([email protected]) 

Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences (FIW)

The Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation offers one of the leading programs of its type. The comprehensive curriculum covers fisheries and wildlife biology and ecology, habitat analysis, and human dimensions of natural resource science and management.

Home college: College of Natural Resources and Environment

Graduate Program Director: Marcella Kelly ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Jennifer Phillips ([email protected])

Food Science and Technology (FST)

Food science and technology is a fusion of chemistry, microbiology and engineering. Our researchers explore innovation in the areas of creating new, healthful food products, and ensuring a safe and tasty food supply.

Specific research emphases include: improving food nutrition, quality and flavor, developing novel functional food ingredients and products for promoting human health, packaging design and use of advanced technologies to identify and control food-borne disease causing organisms.

Individual graduate programs are customized with the advisor to emphasize food safety/microbiology, biochemistry, food chemistry, or packaging. Home college: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Graduate Program Director: Joe Eifert ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Donna Eastwood ([email protected]) 

Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures (FLCL)

This program is designed to meet the needs of students seeking academic and other professional careers in contexts that require intercultural competency as well as a specialized knowledge of Spanish and/or French.

Graduate Program Director: Jessica Folkart ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Adrianne Carter ( [email protected] )

Program pages:

French and Francophone Studies

Hispanic Studies

Multilingual Studies

Forestry and Forest Products (Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation [FREC] and Sustainable Biomaterials [SBIO])

The Forestry and Forest Products program offers Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Forestry (M.F.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees under two distinct focus areas: Forestry, overseen by the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (FREC), and Forest Products, overseen by the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials (SBIO).

Forestry: The Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation is one of the top programs in the science and management of natural resources in the United States. Graduate training in our department offers a unique opportunity to explore diverse natural resource issues from multiple disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. From the foundational science that underpins our understanding of the world, to its application for multiple management objectives, we seek to discover new knowledge and technology to address societal challenges from local to global scales.

Forest Products: The Department of Sustainable Biomaterials provides education and research opportunities in the areas of sustainable biomaterials, spanning the range from nanotechnology and the basic science of wood and other renewable materials, through processing, manufacturing, marketing, management, and competition in biomaterials industries. Additional areas of study include bio-composites and adhesives, design of commercial and residential structures, bio-polymers, sustainability analytics, industrial ecology, and packaging systems. The packaging program is ranked among the top five in the nation.  Graduates of our programs have successful careers in public and private research organizations and universities as well as business sectors including forest products, construction, packaging, bioenergy, and distribution/logistics.

Home College: College of Natural Resources and Environment

Degrees: MS/MF, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Directors: Brian Strahm, Forestry ( [email protected] ); Robert Bush, Forest Products ( [email protected] )

Program websites:

Forest Products

Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB)

The Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB) program was established in 2003. Its goal is to provide an educational environment that enables students to apply quantitative methods in computer science, mathematics, and statistics to all areas of the life sciences. To facilitate this experience, students choose one of the program tracks (life sciences, computer science, mathematics, statistics) as their primary track, with the other areas as secondary tracks.

Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program

Graduate Program Director: Liwu Li ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Dennie Munson ([email protected])

Geography (GEOG)

The M.S. degree develops specialists for academic, agency, and industry positions through emphasis on geographic analysis, identifying debates and gaps in the current literature to define an original research question, and conducting research, collecting primary or secondary data, defending and presenting findings in publishable form. The interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Geospatial and Environmental Analysis focuses on research involving Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Global Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, and imagery analysis. 

Graduate Program Director: Andrew Ellis ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Karen Bland ([email protected])

Geosciences (GEOS)

Virginia Tech's Department of Geosciences focuses on research, education, and outreach dealing with the nature of the earth. Our students and faculty investigate earth processes at scales that range from atomic to planetary.

Graduate Program Director: Brian Romans ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: April Newcomer ([email protected])

Geospatial and Environmental Analysis (GEA)

The interdisciplinary doctoral program in Geospatial and Environmental Analysis focuses on the application of geospatial analysis for improving the science, management, and conservation of natural resources and the environment. Based in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, the program draws upon the expertise of faculty from the Departments of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Geography, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, and Wood Science and Forest Products, as well as from those in departments in other colleges, including Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Biological Systems Engineering.

Graduate Program Directors: Yang Shao ([email protected]) and Tom Pingel ([email protected])

Government and International Affairs (GIA)

The analysis of government and international affairs during the 21st century clearly constitutes a complex and interdisciplinary set of challenges. To be effective, such study requires knowledge from all of the social sciences and humanities.

The Public and International Affairs master's degree program draws insights from these areas of learning into the multidimensional study of governance processes in all levels of society and international affairs.

School: School of Public and International Affairs

Degrees: MPIA

Location: Blacksburg; Greater Washington, D.C. metro area

Graduate Program Director: Ariel Ahram ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Elia Amegashie ([email protected])

History (HIST)

The program provides students with advanced training in the professional practice of historical research and pedagogy. The program serves three primary constituencies: students preparing for further graduate work at the doctoral level, those who wish to become secondary school educators, and those planning for careers in a range of public history fields.

Graduate Program Director: Melanie Kiechle ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Cammie Sgarrella ([email protected])

Horticulture (HORT)

The Department of Horticulture has an active graduate program and also participates in multiple interdisciplinary graduate groups. Home college: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Human Development (HD)

All graduate programs in the Department of Human Development and Family Science integrate research-based knowledge with human-based values.

We promote the quality of life of our society's most basic elements—individuals, families, and communities. We value collaboration, inclusion, equity, empowerment, passion, and celebration in our work.

Graduate Program Director: Erika Grafsky ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Marty Wyatt ([email protected])

Program option pages:

Adult Development and Aging

Child and Adolescent Development

Family Studies

Marriage and Family Therapy (Ph.D.)

Marriage and Family Therapy (M.S., at the Northern Virginia Center) 

Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise (HNFE)

We offer one of the few graduate programs in the country that combines nutrition, foods, and exercise and emphasizes translational research. Our mission is to discover, translate, and disseminate health-related advances in the nutrition, food, and exercise sciences.

The work of the faculty and graduate students in our department contributes significantly to scientific progress through molecular and clinical advances leading to prevention and improved treatment of obesity and chronic diseases; behavioral discoveries that lead to effective intervention programs for youth and adults; and interdisciplinary research teams who speed the translation of scientific discoveries to effective therapeutic and public health interventions that will benefit Virginians and the nation.

Degrees: MS, MSND, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Rodney Gaines ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Curtis Cox ([email protected])

Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D. (IPHD)

The Individual Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program (iPhD) is designed to prepare exceptional graduate students who wish to pursue and attain an individually customized interdisciplinary doctoral degree. The purpose of the iPhD is to provide an option for highly qualified students whose educational goals are uniquely interdisciplinary and cannot be met by a single discipline from a degree granting academic unit at Virginia Tech. The iPhD offers a distinctive opportunity for students seeking a breadth of knowledge, in addition to disciplinary depth, not available within one discipline. The iPhD program is intended for doctoral training requiring participation, collaboration, and integration from two or more academic units representing different disciplines.

Home college: the Graduate School

Graduate Program Director: William Huckle ([email protected])

Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)

Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated work systems comprised of people, information and knowledge, equipment, energy, materials, and processes. The industrial and systems engineering department utilizes innovative and creative practices and technologies to achieve the highest quality of instruction and student learning.

Location: Blacksburg, Leesburg, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, online

Graduate Program Director: Maury Nussbaum ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Hannah Parks ([email protected])

Information Technology (IT)

Virginia Tech's Online Master of Information Technology program will put students in touch with the latest developments in information technology. This unique interdisciplinary program is offered jointly by the  Pamplin College of Business  and the  College of Engineering.  Designed for the working professional, the program’s flexible online format will help students juggle classes, professional, and family priorities.

Degrees: MIT

Location: online

Graduate Program Director: Holly Gillcash ([email protected])

Asst. Director Rabeya Rahman ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Christine Aquino ([email protected]); Ruth Hale ([email protected])

Landscape Architecture (LAR)

The Landscape Architecture Program is committed to discovering, developing, and disseminating knowledge related to the discipline and profession of landscape architecture.

Our educational approach stresses discovery-based learning and research, wherein students assume a significant level of responsibility for directing and pursuing their own education and the development of their plan of study.

Degrees: MLA, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director: Terry L. Clements ([email protected])

Life Sciences (LFSC)

The Agriculture and Life Sciences master of science degree program has seven areas of concentration: 

• Location: Blacksburg, Virtual 

Home college : Agriculture and Life Sciences

Agriculture and Life Sciences Graduate Catalog

Macromolecular Science and Engineering (MACR)

The Macromolecular Science and Engineering graduate programs are interdepartmental, intercollegiate graduate degrees focused on polymer science and engineering.

Graduate Program Director: Abby Whittington ([email protected])

Graduate Program Administrator: Kim Felix ([email protected])

Material Culture & Public Humanities (MCP)

This cross-disciplinary degree with two interrelated emphases shares common intellectual issues and employment goals. Material culture is the study of material or physical objects, as well as the placement of those objects in critical, theoretical and historical perspectives as the products of distinct cultures. Public humanities bridges the divide between academia and the public by encouraging dialogue between scholars and communities on cultural and social issues. This program prepares graduates to interpret material culture and engage communities with humanities issues within informed historical/cultural frameworks, so they are prepared for a wide range of careers in museums, historical societies, and community and cultural organizations.

Graduate Program Directors: Michell Moseley Christian ([email protected]); Aaron Ansell ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Ray Callahan ([email protected])

Material Science and Engineering (MSE)

The Materials Science and Engineering programs offer emphasize  teaching and research in metals, ceramics, polymers, electronic materials, biomaterials, and composites.

Graduate Program Director: William Reynolds ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kim Grandstaff ([email protected])

Mathematics (MATH)

The Department of Mathematics at Virginia Tech offers a range of degree programs intended to educate qualified students in the burgeoning world of advanced mathematics, and to prepare them for careers in its use and development. New mathematically related career paths continue to emerge as our technology-based economy evolves, while some traditional ones seem to be declining. Those pursuing careers in teaching will need to prepare their own students to meet the challenges of this changing world. We believe that the best way to prepare for the future is to develop a foundation from which graduates can build careers in many directions, gain some experience with how a specialty is built on those foundations, and learn to use the most up-to-date tools.

Graduate Program Director: Andy Norton ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sadie Powell ([email protected])

Mechanical Engineering (ME)

The program seeks to engage outstanding graduate students and faculty researchers to expand the range of knowledge in the mechanical engineering discipline.

Location: Blacksburg, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, Hampton Roads

Graduate Program Directors: Danesh Tafti ([email protected]) andAllison Jones ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Cathy Hill ([email protected])

Mining Engineering (MINE)

The Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering offers advanced graduate degrees designed to educate students for high-level challenges in industry, academia, and government. Graduate work may be pursued in several areas of specialization, including rock mechanics, ground control, systems analysis, health and safety, mineral and coal processing, applied surface and colloid chemistry, conservation and the environment, mining ventilation, computer modeling/simulation, automation and control, and reservoir/natural gas/shale gas engineering. Home college: College of Engineering

Graduate Program Director: Emily Sarver ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Michelle Crotto ([email protected])

Natural Resources (NR)

The Master of Natural Resources degree programs prepare students for employment and career opportunities in environmental conservation and sustainability development, especially new jobs emerging in an increasingly global, urban, and interconnected world. Home college: College of Natural Resources and the Environment

Degrees: MNR

Location: Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, online

Graduate Program Directors: David Robertson ([email protected]); Kieran Lindsey ([email protected]); Emily Talley ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Amanda Tai ([email protected])

Neuroscience (NEUR)

Our Ph.D. students will apply the fundamentals of brain functioning in states of health and disease to new neuroscience discovery. We aim to provide students with a deep understanding of the structure and function of the brain and nervous system, the brain in healthy and diseased states across the lifespan, and the most relevant neurotechnology approaches and tools needed to investigate the brain and nervous system. Our students will learn how to conduct neuroscience research, how that research applies to healthy brain development and functioning, and how these processes go awry in neurological disorders.

Graduate Program Director: Alicia Pickrell ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Alexandra "Alex" Sheffield ([email protected])

Nuclear Engineering (NE)

The nuclear engineering program at Virginia Tech is a multi-disciplinary program with activities in nuclear power, nuclear nonproliferation and security, radiation therapy and diagnostics, and nuclear policy. The program utilizes its main campus in Blacksburg, and campuses at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, Virginia, and the Center for Advanced Engineering in Lynchburg, Virginia, for offering education, research and outreach activities.

Location: Blacksburg, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, Hampton Roads, Richmond, Southwest Virginia

Graduate Program Director: Alireza Haghighat ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Lisa Lawson([email protected])

Ocean Engineering (OE)

Ocean engineering deals with the design of ships of all types. The field is often called naval architecture. It involves fluid mechanics, propulsion, structures, vehicle dynamics, and marine engineering. The curriculum culminates in an international award-winning design sequence in which students design a complete ship.

Graduate Program Director:  Olivier Coutier-Delgosha ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Rachel Saville ([email protected]); Audri Cunningham ([email protected])

Philosophy (PHIL)

The Department of Philosophy's program is one of the top terminal master of arts degree programs in philosophy in the United States. We offer core graduate training in philosophy in the broadly analytic tradition, with particular strengths in the history and philosophy of science and in ethics, social and political philosophy. Home college: College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Graduate Program Director:  Jordan MacKenzie ([email protected]) until June 30, 2024; Gil Hersch ([email protected]) as of July 1, 2024

Graduate Program Coordinator: Jin Tian Acton ([email protected])

Physics (PHYS)

The Department of Physics offers program coursework and research leading to M.S. (thesis optional) and Ph.D. degrees. The Department has internationally recognized excellence in experimental and/or theoretical aspects of astronomical, biological, condensed matter, nuclear, and particle physics. 

Graduate Program Director: Camillo Mariani ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Betty Wilkins ([email protected])

Planning, Governance, and Globalization (PGG)

This doctoral program draws insights from the social sciences and humanities into the multidimensional study of governance processes in all levels of society and international affairs. The faculty and students work jointly to cultivate their experience, knowledge, and skill with regard to the governance practices, political institutions, social dynamics, cultural values, workplace conditions, spatial formations, historical trends, and ethical conflicts that intersect in the workings of government, business, and not-for-profit organizations.

Graduate Program Director: Joel Peters ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Kelly Crist ([email protected])

Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science (PPWS)

The core mission of Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science is to optimize plant productivity and quality by limiting the impact of biotic and abiotic stresses on the profitability of crops and other plant enterprises, as well as the impact of these stresses on natural and agricultural ecosystems.

Political Science (PSCI)

We prepare students to understand domestic and international affairs. Our areas of focus include national security and foreign policy, legal studies, environmental affairs, world politics and policy, global development, and international business.

We offer an online or residential master's degree program, which provides students with a firm foundation in the discipline and research methods. We offer graduate certificates in environmental politics and policy, foundations of political analysis, security studies, and information, policy, and society. 

Graduate Program Director: Andrew Scerri ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sarah Harvey ([email protected])

Psychology (PSYC)

Our department is dedicated to excellence, discovery, diversity of ideas and people, and the university’s motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). Our outstanding faculty engage in interdisciplinary research collaborations that advance knowledge in several key areas, such as clinical science, developmental science, industrial and organizational psychology, and biological psychology. Our students immerse themselves in hands-on learning and research alongside our faculty to address a wide range of human behavior, mental processes, and societal challenges.

Graduate Program Director: Bob Stephens ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Michelle Wooddell ([email protected])

Public Administration and Public Affairs (PAPA)

This program prepares scholars for university faculty careers, and prepares scholars and administrators for policy-making and senior management positions and it engages practitioners and graduate students in research in a range of fields.

Degrees: MPA, Ph.D.

Location: Blacksburg, Greater Washington, D.C. metro area, Richmond

Graduate Program Director: Sharon Mastracci ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Tyler Wiltshire ([email protected]) for Blacksburg and Virtual Campus Students; Elia Amegashie ([email protected]) for Richmond and greater Washington, D.C. metro area. 

Public Health (PH)

The Master of Public Health (MPH) is a professional degree that prepares graduates to practice public health in local, state, regional, national, and global settings.

Degrees: MPH

Graduate Program Director: Nicole Holt ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Becky Jones ([email protected])

Rhetoric and Writing (RW)

Our program focuses on rhetoric in society. We study language use and rhetorical activity in public, academic, corporate, and governmental settings in a collective effort to engage pressing social and cultural issues from the perspective of rhetoric and writing studies.

Graduate Program Director: Caroline Commer ([email protected])

Science and Technology Studies (STS)

Science and Technology Studies (STS) is a growing field that draws on the full range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities to examine the ways that science and technology shape, and are shaped by, our society, politics, and culture. We study contemporary controversies, historical transformations, policy dilemmas, and broad philosophical questions.

Graduate Program Director:  Matthew Wisnioski  ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Sarah Harvey ([email protected])

Science and Technology Studies  (Ph.D.)

Science and Technology in Society  (M.S.)

Sociology (SOC)

We focus on critical issues in the United States and the increasingly inter-connected world. A solid grounding in theory and methods constitute the core of our graduate programs. Under our broad umbrella of interests having to do with quality of life, inequality, and work and technology, students specialize in such areas as health, crime/deviance, gender, race, aging, sexuality, and culture. In addition, students may specialize in interdisciplinary Africana Studies or Women's and Gender Studies.

Graduate Program Director: Micah Roos ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: Rhonda Hawley ([email protected])

Africana Studies  (M.S.)

Africana Studies  (Ph.D.)

Sociology  (M.S.)

Sociology  (Ph.D.)

Women's and Gender Studies  (M.S.)

Women's and Gender Studies  (Ph.D.)

Statistics (STAT)

Our graduate programs specialize in training students in statistical theory balanced with extensive applications including practical experience via our collaboration and consulting program. The 18-month master's degree program is a model of the time-efficient education of statisticians while the doctoral program allows candidates to specialize in General Statistical Methodology and Theory; Statistics for Business, Government, and Industry; Biostatistics; Computational Statistics; or Environmental Statistics.

Graduate Program Director: Scotland Leman ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator: John DeLong ([email protected])

Theatre Arts (TA)

Grounded in artistic curiosity and experimentation, our Master of Fine Arts in Theatre is a three-year program providing professional training through a personalized tutorial-based curriculum. All accepted students receive an assistantship and a full tuition waiver.

School: School of Performing Arts)

Degree: MFA

Graduate Program Director: Amanda Nelson ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinator:  Michelle Raines ([email protected])

Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH)

Our research-intensive, multidisciplinary Ph.D. program in the biomedical and health sciences emphasizes the concept of “translational science” across multiple levels of inquiry. We bring together students from the life, behavioral, physical, engineering, and computational sciences to consider today’s major health challenges.

Through an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum, this program will prepare the next generation of scientific leaders to make and translate discoveries into preventions, diagnostics, treatments, cures and healthier behaviors. Interdisciplinary Academic Program

Graduate Program Directors: John Chappell ([email protected]);  Michelle Theus ([email protected]) 

Graduate Program Coordinator: Matt Walker [email protected])

Urban and Regional Planning (URPL)

This program has a dual objective of training graduates for their first planning job, and more importantly instilling conceptual and critical thinking necessary for lifelong learning and career development.

Degrees: MURP

Graduate Program Director: Todd Schenk ([email protected])

Graduate Program Coordinators: Kelly Crist ([email protected]); Elia Amegashie ([email protected])

Accelerated Master's Degree Programs

Several degree-granting programs offer approved accelerated master's degree programs are for Virginia Tech undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing graduate studies at Virginia Tech. Visit the Accelerated Master's Degree Programs page to learn more.

Non-degree granting interdisciplinary graduate education research programs (IGEPS)

The following interdisciplinary programs promote and sustain interdisciplinary graduate education and research across programs and colleges. More than 300 graduate students participate in the programs annually. To learn more, visit the Interdisciplinary Graduate Education programs webpages .

Bio-inspired Buildings (BBD)

Also known as BioBuild, this doctoral interdisciplinary research program answers the pressing societal need for professionals with the interdisciplinary expertise necessary to develop buildings and communities that are, in fact, bio-inspired.

Students earn Ph.D. degrees in their home departments

Biological Transport

The Biological Transport program aims to prepare future leaders of industrial and academic research to think, collaborate, and solve problems at the intersection of the engineering and biological sciences.

The program is based on a systematic process of increasingly interdisciplinary coursework, student interaction, community development, and cross-disciplinary research experience, including ethics and professional development training.

Interdisicplinary Graduate Education Program

Computational Tissue Engineering (CTE)

The goal of this program is to define the field of Computational Tissue Engineering, wherein seamlessly intertwined computational and experimental models will drive the next generation of advances in tissue engineering. Our vision is that predictive computational models will drive novel experimental analyses of engineered tissues, while the demands of tissue engineering will inspire novel analysis frameworks in computational science.

Disaster Resilience (DRM)

The primary goal of our collaborative effort is to prepare graduate students to become thought leaders in promoting resilience concerns in a wide variety of disciplines.

Focusing on the trans-disciplinary paradigm, our effort leverages the strengths of several world-class academic units at Virginia Tech to produce a well-rounded understanding of the full complexity of disaster risk, resilience, and mitigation.

Our approach concentrates on investigating the main drivers of vulnerabilities, recognizing their complex interactions, and generating informed risk minimization strategies.

Students earn Ph.D. degrees in their home departments, which must be core participating departments for this program

Human Centered Design (HCD)

Human Centered Design is an approach to design charged with understanding the needs, wants, and limitations of end-users. This is accomplished through methodologies and practices where these considerations are integrated at every stage of the design process.

Our program creates novel learning and discovery opportunities that are needed to train the future professoriate, workforce, professionals and civic leaders.

Infectious Disease

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) in Infectious Disease (ID), in collaboration with academic departments and programs, trains graduate students with a broad scientific perspective in infectious disease. 

Interfaces of Global Change (IGC)

The five greatest anthropogenic threats to global health and biodiversity include habitat loss, pollution, climate change, disease, and the introduction of non-native species.

The Interfaces of Global Change program addresses the multidimensional aspects of global change. Our goal is for each program Fellow to gain depth in their specific scientific area of expertise, while simultaneously gaining breadth in the multifaceted realm of global change and the science-policy interface.

Students receive their Ph.D. degree from their home department, but they focus on global change and the science-policy interface.

Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB)

The Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) program is an interdisciplinary program with faculty from six departments across the Virginia Tech campus as well as from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. Incoming students may choose research projects from four research areas: Cell Signaling and Cancer, Inflammation and Immunity, Microbiology, and Neurobiology. The vision of the MCB program is to develop and cultivate an inclusive environment that advances scientific curiosity, learning, and creativity; that values ethical conduct; that encourages community outreach and involvement; and that emboldens independent thinking and collaborations alike. Students earn Ph.D. degrees in their home departments

Regenerative Medicine (RM)

Regenerative medicine is a medical approach that seeks to restore both structure and function of tissues lost to injury, disease or congenital defects. This field incorporates use of stem cells, proteins that stimulate healing, and engineered biomaterials to help cure diseases from diabetes to osteoarthritis.

Regenerative strategies are modeled on mechanisms drawn from embryonic development and naturally-occurring examples of regeneration. This field represents a paradigm shift in biology, medicine and biomedical engineering.

Remote Sensing (RSS)

In today’s changing world, Earth system research, ranging from terrestrial ecosystem processes to ionosphere dynamics, requires an integrative and broad-scale perspective. We address this need through a Remote Sensing graduate program that prepares students not only in the science of the Earth system, but also in the engineering, data analytics, and social science perspectives required for the next generation of Ph.D. scientists to work at the cutting edge of scientific inquiry.

Sustainable Nanotechnology (SUN)

Sustainable Nanotechnology, or VT SuN, is a multi-department, interdisciplinary research center focused on advancing nanoscale science and engineering research and education with an emphasis on sustainability. We develop nanoscale technologies and leverage these technologies to help remedy global sustainability challenges in areas such as clean air and water, waste minimization, environmental remediation, food safety, and renewable energy.

Translational Obesity Research (TOR)

The Translational Obesity Research program brings together faculty and students from diverse disciplines to work together to address one of today’s most pressing public health problems: obesity prevention and treatment.

Our overarching goal is to train the next generation of obesity researchers to conduct innovative research that integrates and translates knowledge of the etiology, pathophysiology and management of obesity with behavioral, environmental, economic, and social contextual information to improve the health and well-being of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation.

Translational Plant Science (TPS)

Translational Plant Science is the process through which knowledge from basic research on plant genetics and genomics is used to improve agricultural productivity. The central goals of this program are to create a new training model to prepare molecular plant scientists to function along the bench-to-marketplace pipeline, and to catalyze interdisciplinary research to address challenges in food security, plants as biofactories, and biomass.

Water INTERface (WI)

This interdisciplinary group of faculty and graduate students is united by a central focus of "Water for Health", spanning from "pipes to people." Clean water is a common topic discussed in many classrooms and research laboratories, yet the complexity of societal issues related to water shortages, purity, and quality, which influence water consumption and its role in human health, highlights the need for increased interdisciplinary dialog and problem-solving capabilities. This program unites graduate students and faculty in addressing technical and societal challenges of transforming low-quality water resources into clean water for healthy living.

Location: Blacksburg, National Capital Region

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Graduate Program

Our faculty and graduates have expertise in applied economics and agribusiness principles that help address food, financial, health, development, policy, environmental, and social needs in Virginia and around the world. 

Our programs, 100% online master's and certificate program.

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , employment of data scientists is projected to grow by 35% through 2032, with about 17,700 openings projected each year, on average.

Ph.D. Program in Economics

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , employment of economists is projected to grow by 6% through 2032, with about 1,200 openings projected each year, on average.

Traditional/Seated Master's Program

__________________________________

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics  is ranked  in the top 10% worldwide of Institutions and Economists in the Field of Agricultural Economics.

In the news, ph.d. program.

Priority deadline for funding consideration is January 15, 2025. Recorded Ph.D. information session ( MP4 ) and ( PowerPoint ) ________

Isaac Albores ’24, ’26 has been selected for the 2025 Farm Foundation Agricultural Scholars Program class.

Posted December 2024 : The program inspires and trains the next generation of agricultural economists interested in agricultural policy, commodity market analysis, agricultural finance, and other applied economics fields.

Issac earned his bachelor’s degree in applied economic management. He is a junior analyst for Commodity Investing by Students (COINS) and is working toward his master’s in agricultural and applied economics.

Twelve doctoral students take the global stage

Posted August 2024: Full story | Photo album

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Graduate School Placements

The Department of Economics has a strong history of sending undergraduate majors to some of the top graduate programs in economics and related fields. The table below lists undergraduate majors who have matriculated to graduate programs since 2016.

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General Program Information

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Undergraduate Advising Questions

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