Sweet Briar College and Virginia Tech will partner in a program to transition some students into graduate school.
The Direct to Tech (D2T) program will enable qualified Sweet Briar students to secure an offer of admission to Virginia Tech’s Master of Engineering graduate programs in computer science or computer engineering before completing their undergraduate degrees, effectively reducing the timeline of the admissions process and facilitating an early transition into graduate school, according to a Sweet Briar news release.
Virginia Tech’s Master of Engineering programs are offered both in Blacksburg, and in Northern Virginia, where the university is growing student capacity leading up to the spring 2025 opening of its graduate-focused Innovation Campus in Alexandria.
Currently enrolled Sweet Briar students majoring in any field — not just in engineering — can apply to the Direct to Tech programs in their senior year. To be eligible for admission, the students must complete certain prerequisite courses by the second semester of their junior year and maintain an overall minimum GPA of 3.0, according to the release.
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Applicants will apply online and submit official transcripts but will not have to pay an application fee or submit GRE scores.
“We’re excited that Sweet Briar is partnering with us in the Direct to Tech program. This will help our institutions provide additional pathways for women to pursue graduate degrees in fields where they are traditionally underrepresented,” said Julie Ross, Paul and Dorothea Torgersen dean of engineering at Virginia Tech.
“Sweet Briar is known for empowering women, from our ABET-accredited engineering program to our leadership core curriculum,” said Sweet Briar President Mary Pope M. Hutson. “We’re thrilled to join with Virginia Tech in the Direct to Tech program. It will enhance our students’ opportunities by putting women on track to take leadership roles in computer engineering and computer science, technological fields that are of critical importance to Virginia and to the nation.”
Faculty at Sweet Briar and Virginia Tech were involved with the formation of the partnership, reviewing degree program learning outcomes to ensure that degree requirements would be met, and they will review the program annually, making changes as necessary to keep courses timely and relevant, according to the release.
The partnership agreement, effective immediately, will continue for a five-year term, after which it will automatically renew for five-year terms, according to the release.