Virginia Tech’s online Master of Information Technology degree program once again earned a No. 2 ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Top Online Education rankings.

The program – a partnership between the College of Engineering and the Pamplin College of Business – also earned the second spot in the rankings last year, behind the University of Southern California.

“We are pleased to see the continued advancement of the online Master of Information Technology degree program in the national rankings given the faculty who are dedicated and engaged,” said Glenda Scales, associate dean for international programs and information technology for the College of Engineering. “Combined with the support of the college, this creates a high quality program.”

“The success of our Master of Information Technology program reflects our commitment to high-quality innovative teaching and our expertise in business intelligence and analytics,” said Robert Sumichrast, dean of the Pamplin College of Business and holder of the Richard E. Sorensen Chair.

“Since 1999, the Master of Information Technology program at Virginia Tech has been recognized for educating and training outstanding professionals in the field of information technology," added Parviz Ghandforoush, a professor of business information technology and executive director of the Master of Information Technology program. "It enrolls students from all over the globe in its online courses.”

The magazine also ranked Virginia Tech No. 15 for best online graduate engineering programs in its fourth-annual list, the highest-ranked engineering program in Virginia. The College of Engineering offers nine programs either online or through interactive videoconferencing.

Currently, Virginia Tech offers a number of distance-learning programs including graduate degrees and certificates through Virginia Tech Online in diverse fields such as food safety and biosecurity, political science, electrical engineering, and information technology, and more. 

The programs meet challenging academic standards while utilizing the latest technology to deliver course content online, with small class sizes and flexible scheduling, taught by nationally and internationally renowned faculty experts.

“Virginia Tech’s online graduate programs help students learn new skills to either advance themselves in their current career or to make a career change,” said Provost Mark McNamee. “Our programs identify linkages to the relevant profession and industry and strive to create active and meaningful learning for students that carries over into the workplace.”

Virginia Tech has been involved in online and distance-learning education for almost two decades, offering its first online program in 1997.

U.S. News & World Report’s Top Online Education rankings debuted in 2012. Only degree-granting programs offering courses that are 100 percent online were consider for the rankings. The list is intended primarily for adult learners, “who may not have the flexibility to leave the workforce to take classes during the day but still wish to obtain commensurate education, skills and credentials to boost their careers,” according to the magazine.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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