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Virginia Military Institute - Virginia Tech Collaborative Partnership

Master of Engineering (MEng) in Computer Science and Applications (csa)

 

The Virginia Tech College of Engineering is partnering with the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) to help position students for mid-level and advanced positions in industries related to computing technology. By establishing an accelerated pathway of foundational courses at partner universities, currently enrolled students can be prepared for early admission to Virginia Tech’s MEng degree in computer science as early as spring of their junior year. Once accepted these students during their fourth year can begin taking up to 12 credits from an approved set of courses from the Virginia Military Institute undergraduate degree towards their MEng degree (VMI course level approved: 4XX [max. 6 credits] and 5XX from approved course list).

By outlining a clear pathway and course equivalencies, both the engineering and liberal arts student are able to participate in Virginia’s Tech Talent Pipeline. Many students will find that they can complete their MEng degree in just one extra year.

How to apply

The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program application is based on your intended graduation date.

The deadline for applications is May 1st each spring semester and December 1st each fall semester.
Students should apply in the semester one year before they will complete the BS. For example, a student intending to graduate from the BS program in May 2024 should apply in the semester ending in May 2023. If accepted into the program, this will allow participation in double-counted courses for the final two semesters of your undergraduate degree.

If you are unable to apply one year before completing your BS, you can still apply during your final year, in your second-to-final semester. If you apply at that time and are accepted, you will only be able to double-count courses taken in your final undergraduate semester, but are still permitted the same maximum of 12 credits of double-counted courses.

Third-year Virginia Military Institute students can apply to the MEng in Computer Science and Applications in their second semester after completing CIS 213 Data Structures and Applications. They can also apply for a fee waiver and are not required to submit GRE scores.

Pathway

​​Pathway for VMI students to the VMI/VT Accelerated UG/G CSA/CPE graduate program

All VMI majors are eligible to apply in their junior year and be accepted into the VMI/VT Accelerated UG/G CSA/CPE graduate program pursuant to:

  • Eligibility for Admission
    To be eligible for admission, VMI students must complete coursework equivalent to VT CS 114 Introduction to Software Design and VT CS3114 Data Structures and Algorithms by the 2nd semester of their junior year. Current equivalencies are:
VT Equivalent VMI Equivalent
CS1114 - Introduction to Software Design (3 credits) CIS 111 - Programming I (3 credits)
CIS 111L - Laboratory for Programming I (1 credits)
CIS 112 - Programming II (3 credits)
CIS 112L - Laboratory for Programming II (1 credit)
CS3114 - Data Structures and Algorithms
CIS 213 - Data Structures and Applications (3 credits)

Alternate equivalencies may be considered provided VMI CIS department recommends, and VT CS department approves.

VMI students must attain an overall minimum GPA of 3.3 for the MEng and 3.5 MSCS at the time of application. The minimum GPA requirements shall be computed based on all coursework completed in the most recent semesters encompassing 60 credits at VMI.

Once accepted, the student could take up to 12 credit hours of graduate coursework during the last academic year (senior status equivalent) and earn a “B” from the following list of eligible courses for transfer to the MEng computer science degree program. Note that a maximum of 6 credit hours can be taken at the 4xx level (excluding independent study and special topic courses). The Virginia Tech approved courses for the MEng in computer science are noted below.

VMI Course VT Equivalent
CIS 401 - Advanced Network Security CS 4264 - Principles Computer Security
CIS 402 - Computer Forensics CS 4254 - Network Architecture and Programming
CIS 411 - Distributed Computing and Applications CS 4XXX - Elective
CIS 412 - Mobile Programming CS 4570 - Wireless Networks and Mobile Systems
CIS 421 - Database Design and Development CS 4604 - Introduction to Database Management Systems
CIS 422 - Information Retrieval CS 4XXX - Elective
CIS 424 - Artificial Intelligence CS 4804 - Artificial Intelligence
CIS 433 - Usability Analysis CS 4XXX - Elective
CIS 434 - Bioinformatics CS 4884 - Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
CIS 477 - Secure Software Engineering CS 4XXX - Elective
CIS 479 - Open Source Intelligence CS 4XXX - Elective
CIS 4XX - Web App Development CS 4XXX - Elective

As soon as you submit your application please read and do the following:

You should immediately complete and submit the Collaborative UG/G Degree and Course Designation Form. You will indicate on this form the courses that you intend to take during the Collaborative UG/G period. This form will be reviewed and signed by the Virginia Tech computer science and applications department graduate program director and an appropriate authority at the Virginia Military Institute. The signed Collaborative UG/G Status and Course Designation form will be sent to the Virginia Tech Graduate School for processing. This completed form and the computer science and applications department admission recommendation with review from an appropriate authority at the Virginia Military Institute are required before an admission decision can be finalized by the Virginia Tech Graduate School.