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Graduate Degree

For more information on the Virginia Tech Graduate School application process, please visit the Graduate School site.

To be admitted to a degree program, you must submit an application to the program through the Graduate School.

If you are already admitted and working toward a degree from Virginia Tech (either graduate or undergraduate), you must use the HokieSpa to register for all credit courses, eLearning or otherwise.

Graduate Non-Degree

  1. Application
  2. Commonwealth Campus - Please provide a photocopy of your official undergraduate or graduate transcript or diploma. Non-Virginia Tech students must apply as a non-degree/commonwealth campus student in order to take courses.
  3. Non-Degree - Please provide your official undergraduate or graduate transcript or diploma.

If you are not interested in obtaining a degree at this time but simply want to take several courses for credit, you can be admitted to Virginia Tech under non-degree status or Commonwealth Campus status.

Graduate Certificate

A qualified student who wishes to enter Virginia Tech to obtain a graduate certificate, without being enrolled in a degree program, may apply for graduate admission through Graduate Certificate status.

To be admitted to a certificate program, you must submit an application to the program through the Graduate School.

Registration

All admitted students must utilize HokieSpa, the student access gateway, to register for all (virtual or seat-based) credit courses. You should first consult with your graduate advisor (or graduate coordinator) about what classes to take in your first semester. You may register for classes during two windows of time: pre-registration and drop/add period. The dates for these registration periods are posted on the Office of the University Registrar site.

The Graduate Course Catalog is published and maintained by the Graduate School. For questions concerning the Graduate Course Catalog please contact the Graduate School directly.

Information on tuition and fees can be accessed on the Office of the University Bursar site under the Extended or Virtual Campus Graduate or Special Rates sections.

For more information and answers to frequently asked questions regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Office of the University Bursar site, email bursar@vt.edu, or call (540) 231-6277.

The mission of the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid (USFA) is to facilitate access to a Virginia Tech education through the timely and accurate administration of student financial assistance.

To accomplish this mission, resources are obtained, coordinated, distributed, and maintained in accordance with university, state, and federal requirements. Service to students and the university community and accountability for the administration of financial aid funds are the primary goals of the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid.

For more information, please visit the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid site, email finaid@vt.edu, or call (540) 231-5179.

In holding true to our motto of Ut Prosim "That I May Serve", Virginia Tech has a long, rich history of serving the educational needs of the military. Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech remains one of three public universities in the country with both an active corps of cadets and civilian lifestyle on its campus. It is also holds the prestige of being one of six schools in the nation classified as a Senior Military College.

Contact the Office of Veterans Services to learn more about the veterans educational benefits available to you, including tuition incentives and application fee waivers.

Why pursue a graduate degree?

A veteran speaks

"As a military veteran, retired business executive and somebody who received his Masters of Business Administration at age 58, I have strong feelings about why college is important for veterans. Higher education is about foundations. While military experience provides much in terms of leadership training, team building, and skill acquisition, it generally does not provide the theoretical foundation of a particular discipline whether it is engineering, history, or in my case, communications. And that foundation is what allows the graduate to think "outside the box," or strategically. In my field, it allowed me to adapt to new media such as social networks. Strategic thinking is critical in order to see the forest and not just the trees. The theory and the degree will serve as an important foundation as you build your career."

Michael N. Kilpatric
Retired, Vice President,
Corporate & Investor Relations
AmerisourceBergen Corporation

Advising at Virginia Tech is a collaborative process between student and advisor leading to the exchange of information that encourages the individual student to make responsible academic and career decisions. Statements of university, student and advisor responsibilities can be found on the Advising Mission site.

Please visit the Virginia Tech academic advising resources site for academic advising policies, procedures and information for all Virginia Tech students.

Test taking and project completion options are normally specified by the student's course instructor and/or the course syllabus. If proctoring is implemented in a distance learning course and information is not provided by the instructor and/or the course syllabus, please visit the Networked Learning Experience Design proctoring site for more information. Proctors must be approved by the student's course instructor.

Program and General Questions

For program and general information questions, you will find program descriptions and links to more information listed on each program's details page, in addition to email contact information for each program director.

Centralized Computing Support

Centralized computing support services and everything you need to know as a Virginia Tech student may be found at OneCampus.

Student Success Resources

For a comprehensive listing of resources and contacts to support you, please visit the Academic Support Resources section of the Graduate School site.

Report an Issue with this Website

To report an issue or problem with this website, please send an email to registrar@vt.edu.

Virginia Tech distance learning students who are currently enrolled in classes (or thesis/dissertation credit) may access library support by visiting the Library site. Certain resources are restricted contractually to currently enrolled students. Off campus students may access restricted resources through the Off Campus Sign In. For additional assistance with library resources, please email the Distance Education support group at library-distance-ed@googlegroups.com.

Virginia Tech seeks to create a positive, productive and inclusive learning community for all students to achieve their educational goals. Since the university is committed to its students and to the application of academic policies and procedures in a fair and consistent manner, it would like to know about student concerns and complaints.

The institutional complaint process for distance learning students is the same for all students regardless of physical location. Students may voice concerns in an informal or formal manner. Students can follow the appropriate links for full details of the policies, procedures, informal and formal complaint options, internal and external resources, rights and privacy information, clear timelines, records retention information, and statute of limitations on filing a complaint as outlined below:

Reminders to Students When Filing Complaints

  • Student Privacy:

    Detailed information on student privacy and confidentiality of academic records as it relates to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) can be found on the Office of the University Registrar's page.

  • Principles of Community:

    Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community. Learning from the experiences that shape Virginia Tech as an institution, we acknowledge those aspects of our legacy that reflected bias and exclusion.

    Therefore, we adopt and practice our Principles of Community as fundamental to our ongoing efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members. Read the entire Principles of Community statement here.

  • Student Conduct:

    The Student Conduct system educates students about appropriate behavior and fosters a community in which academic success can occur. Detailed information on the student conduct process can be found on the Student Conduct page.

    It is important for the student filing a complaint to be completely honest throughout the process. Furnishing false information in a university student conduct investigation or hearing, or to a university official who is performing his/her official duties is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

Concerns About Possible Harassment or Discrimination

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender (including pregnancy), genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

The Office For Equity and Accessibility provides information on dealing with concerns about possible harassment or discrimination, as well as workshops for members of the Virginia Tech Community.

Emergencies or Reporting A Crime

In the case of an actual emergency or to report a crime, please contact the Virginia Tech Police Department or your local law enforcement agency.

Graduate Student Complaints

Informal and formal complaints and appeals processes for all Virginia Tech graduate students can be found on the Graduate School page, or in the Expectations for Graduate Education guide.

A list of resources for student can be found in the Student Code of Conduct.

Undergraduate Student Complaints

Informal and formal complaints and appeals processes for all Virginia Tech undergraduate students can be found in the Student Code of Conduct.
A list of resources for student can also be found in the Student Code of Conduct.

Filing a Complaint with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Virginia Tech accepts State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education, oversight in resolving complaints from students taking distance education under the aegis of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA). If a student has exhausted the avenues provided by Virginia Tech and the complaint has not been resolved internally, the student can submit a Student Complaint Form to SCHEV. More details on the formal SCHEV student complaints procedure can be found on the SCHEV agency page.

Filing a Complaint in all Other States

If a distance learning student residing out-of-state while enrolled in a Virginia Tech course has exhausted the student complaint avenues provided by Virginia Tech and the complaint has not been resolved internally, the student can submit a complaint about Virginia Tech with the state in which the student resides. The list of contact information for all state agencies with links to complaint process information can be found here in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education State Authorization regulations.

Filing a Complaint with Accreditation Agency

Virginia Tech successfully achieved reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and School-Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) in December 2010. This acknowledgement reflects Virginia Tech's ongoing commitment to excellence in all aspects of its operations - academic as well as administrative - and our dedication to continuous improvement in meeting our institutional mission and strategic initiatives.

If a student has exhausted the avenues provided by Virginia Tech and the complaint has not been resolved internally, and if a student has exhausted the avenues provided by their state and the complaint has not been resolved, the student can contact the SACS-COC office.

Student Academic Complaints Policy

Virginia Tech's Policy 6125 Administrative Policy Governing Student Academic Complaints provides a procedure for all students to file a written complaint related to an academic decision.

The University Bookstore and Volume Two Bookstore are the official bookstores of Virginia Tech and are part of a non-profit corporation, Virginia Tech Services, Inc., that returns all profits to Virginia Tech for student related scholarships and improvements.

For more information on textbooks and other services, please call (800)-392-2756.

Distance Learning policy No. 6364 states that all policies for distance learning, unless otherwise noted, are the same as for all university policies relating to faculty, students, courses and programs including:

  • General University Policies
  • Finance Policies
  • Human Resource Policies
  • Facilities Policies
  • Academic Policies
  • Information Technology Policies
  • Student Affairs Policies
  • Development and University Relations Policies
  • Research Policies

All university policies are available on the University Policies website.

Regulations

Individual States have the authority to regulate institutional activity (enrolling students, employing faculty or marketers, conducting internships, direct advertising, or performing other activities) within their state's boundaries as a form of consumer protection for their state's residents. Regulations vary widely from state to state. In 2010, the US Department of Education reminded institutions of higher education that each state is responsible for authorizing education offered to its residents from institutions outside the state. At that time, Federal regulation Chapter 34, § 600.9(c) stated that each institution for which students qualify for federal student assistance was required to demonstrate that it had approval to serve students from other states, as in the case of distance education. The federal regulation and compliance deadline was subsequently vacated (or "paused") for distance education, pending a new federal proposal. Yet, individual state regulations remain in effect and are applicable for institutions with activities within their state's boundaries. More information on the history of the regulations can be found on the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) site.

State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement (SARA)

Given the state-to-state complexities and differences in authorization requirements, national standards for interstate offerings of postsecondary distance education have been established through an agreement among member states called the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). Virginia Tech became an approved institutional participant in SARA, in January 2015. Virginia Tech affirms its commitment to ensure that courses and programs offered through the SARA initiative provide high-quality opportunities that can help students reach their goals. The National Council for SARA (NC-SARA) site offers a list of benefits for students. States participating in SARA are also listed on the NC-SARA site.

Southern Regional Education Board's Electronic Campus Regional Reciprocity Agreement (SECRRA)

The Commonwealth of Virginia is a member of the Southern Regional Education Board and Virginia Tech is an institutional participant in its Electronic Campus and associated Regional Reciprocity Agreement. As a part of SREB's Electronic Campus, Virginia Tech upholds its commitment to quality program offerings to students. State members of the SREB are listed on the SREB site.

Virginia Tech's Mission Statement serves as the foundation for all educational programs and services at Virginia Tech, including online (or distance) education programs. Likewise, Virginia Tech's administrative structure is the same for distance education as it is for campus-based education. For more information on administration and university governance, please visit Virginia Tech's Administration page.