Graduate Courses

Anticipated graduate course offerings for the next two academic years are available here.

Advanced Topics and Special Study Courses

Advanced topics and special study courses explore subjects of unique interest that are not part of the regular curriculum. These courses vary by semester and are sometimes used to address emerging issues within a field or to gauge interest in potential new areas of study. For more information, please visit the Advanced Topics and Special Study Courses page.

Approved Cognate Course

Cognate courses are designated graduate-level courses from departments outside of Computer Science. Students can view the list of Approved Cognate Courses for more information.

• Ph.D. students are required to complete 3 to 9 credit hours of cognate coursework 
• M.S. students may take up to 3 credit hours of cognate coursework, though it is not mandatory 
• A cognate course must not significantly overlap with the content of any other course on a student’s Plan of Study.

CS Courses by Area of Breadth

The "area of breadth" in the Computer Science program is designed to ensure that students develop a well-rounded foundation across various fields within computer science. For both Master's and Ph.D. students, this breadth requirement involves taking advanced CS courses at the 5000 and 6000 levels across four different areas of study. 

This approach encourages graduates to possess not only deep knowledge in their chosen focus but also a broad understanding that is essential for addressing diverse challenges in computer science. It reflects VT's commitment to producing adaptable and proficient professionals capable of tackling interdisciplinary problems in both academic and industry settings.

There are 11 different Areas of Breadth (0-10).

• Area 0: Ethics and Research Methods 
  •  Students entering in 2019 or after are required to take a course in Area 0
• Area 1: Algorithms and Theory
• Area 2: Computer Systems
• Area 3: Programming Languages
• Area 4: Numerical and Scientific Computing
• Area 5: Computer Architecture and Networking
• Area 6: Data and Information
• Area 7: Software Engineering
• Area 8: Human-Computer Interaction
• Area 9: Intelligent Systems
• Area 10: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Course Overlap

Be aware that some computer science courses are simliar to each other and you cannot receive credit for courses with too much overlap. Visit the Course Overlap table for more information.