BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech’s Master of Information Technology program received high praise Tuesday, coming in at No. 4 nationally in the latest 2025 U.S. News and World Report Best Online Programs rankings.
The rankings, which are updated each year, evaluate more than 100 universities nationwide using a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Highly ranked programs have strong traditional academic foundations based on the excellence of entering students, graduation rates, and instructor credentials. They also excel at educating distance learners while offering robust career and financial support.
Virginia Tech’s Master of Information Technology (MIT) program is a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the Pamplin College of Business. The program also ranked No. 2 for veterans, marking the fifth consecutive year that it has been ranked in the top five in that category.
“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the MIT program, we take pride in our leadership at the intersection of business and technology,” Parviz Ghandforoush, associate dean for Pamplin graduate programs, said. “Consistently earning top national rankings for nearly a decade, the program empowers students to drive digital transformation by seamlessly integrating business strategy with technical expertise. With support from expert faculty across business and engineering and an exceptional student body, we prepare graduates to lead meaningful change. This recent ranking by U.S. News and World Report underscores the university’s and Pamplin’s commitment to innovation, adaptability in a dynamic tech landscape, and unwavering academic excellence.”
For the second straight year, the College of Engineering’s overall online master’s program ranked in the top 20 nationally, coming in at tied for No. 18.
Three of the College of Engineering’s specific online master’s degree programs ranked in the top 10. These include:
Best Online Master of Civil Engineering, tied for No. 5
Best Online Master of Electrical Engineering, tied for No. 8, up three spots
Best Online Master of Industrial Engineering, tied for No. 10
The College of Engineering offers students the opportunity to expand their knowledge through Virginia Tech Engineering Online, which partners with Cardinal Education, a consortium of six universities that emphasizes flexible and rigorous learning in online graduate study programs. Students can work with engineers to expand their professional opportunities from the comfort of their home or office. The college’s online programs allow one to earn a master’s degree or a graduate certificate to enhance career and professional development.
“Our consistent excellence in online education stems from a powerful collaboration between our world-class faculty and the innovative instructional designers in our Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies Office,” Alicia Johnson, director of graduate and professional studies, said. “This partnership has produced tangible results – for example, our recent learning management system integration prototype testing of industry-standard Notebook technology to enhance future online courses. This kind of strategic innovation gives our working professional engineers seamless access to not just cutting-edge course content, but the actual tools and technologies they’ll use in industry.
“Together, we’re enhancing the entire learning experience, ensuring our online students receive the full benefits of the Virginia Tech engineering experience regardless of their location.”
Virginia Tech has offered distance learning with online labs and lectures that are recorded and archived so students can access lecture material at their convenience for the past 40 years.
Additionally, the College of Engineering offers numerous certificate programs that offer the flexibility needed by today’s engineers who want to increase and diversify their employment opportunities.
In addition, U.S. News and World Report ranked Virginia Tech tied for No. 55 in the Online Master’s in MBA Programs category. The university fared well the Online Master’s in Business Programs as well, coming in at No. 151.
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