Undergraduate Programs

Students from around the world come to study computer science at Virginia Tech because of our extensive course offerings, career development opportunities, experietial learning, and cutting-edge research opportunities.

Our Bachelor of Science degree program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Learn more about the department's accreditation, mission, and educational objectives.

From student organizations, such as the Association for Women in Computing, CS-Squared and the Cyber Security Club to research projects using the latest technology, there are always opportunities and challenges to help today's students become the technology leaders and innovators of tomorrow.

Bachelor of Science in computer science

The Department of Computer Science awards a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science to hundreds of graduates each year. Students can choose among three majors:

computer science
secure computing
data-centric computing

The computer science major provides a comprehensive foundation preparing students for a wide variety of computing careers. The list of courses required for the major and a suggested timetable are provided in the major checksheet:

The secure computing major provides a more specialized path for those who are especially interested in secure computing and cybersecurity topics. The list of courses required for the major and a suggested timetable are provided in the major checksheet:

The data-centric computing major provides a more specialized path for those who are especially interested in data science, analytics, and computational problems involving large volumes of data. The list of courses required for the major and a suggested timetable are provided in the major checksheet:

Minor in computer science

The Department of Computer Science also provides a minor in computer science for students who are pursuing other majors but wish to add a supplemental focus on computer science. The minor consists of 21 credits spread over seven courses:

Minor in human-computer interaction

The Department of Computer Science also offers a minor in human-computer interaction. This minor is intended for both current computer science majors and for students who are pursuing other majors but wish to add a supplemental focus on HCI. The minor consists of 18 credits spread over six courses:

Minor in cybersecurity

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering offers an undergraduate minor in cybersecurity that includes courses from the Department of Computer Science and the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Cybersecurity broadly covers the fields of information security, network security, and computer system security. As bad actors seek to steal information, protecting that information, the systems that process and store it, and the networks that carry it becomes increasingly important.

This minor seeks to provide a core technical basis for careers in secure system design and operation. Students graduating with a degree in computer science or computer engineering with a minor in cybersecurity could expect careers in software engineering, embedded systems engineering, or information systems management, with an emphasis on designing, developing, operating, or analyzing security features or subsystems.

Requirements for the cybersecurity minor

Minors for CS majors

The following minors are popular choices for CS majors:

Interested in another minor? See the complete list of minors offered at Virginia Tech.

Optional Tracks of Study

Computer science is an incredibly diverse and dynamic field and there are many career paths that computer science graduates pursue. Even as students, computer science majors may choose from a wide range of junior and senior-level electives. In order to advise students as they navigate all these choices, the computer science department offers advisory tracks. Each track identifies a set of elective courses organized around a particular theme or sub-topic in computer science. Completing a track is not a requirement for graduation, but it allows a student to focus their undergraduate studies in an area of particular interest or prepares them for a particular career or graduate school option. Our current tracks provide broad coverage of computer science topics and reflect the particular strengths and interests of Virginia Tech's computer science faculty.