On April 15, Marymount University hosted representatives from Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus for an official signing ceremony that cements new accelerated course pathways for Marymount students interested in pursuing computer science or engineering at the graduate level. Over a dozen high-level administrators from both institutions gathered to witness the signing.
The articulation agreements allow qualified Marymount undergraduate students, including those not majoring in Computer Science or Engineering, to be admitted into Virginia Tech graduate degree programs while completing their bachelor’s degree at Marymount.
With Virginia Tech’s computer science and engineering programs quickly becoming some of the top-ranked computer technology graduate courses in the country, these guaranteed admissions agreements will give Marymount students a competitive edge.
“Our faculty members are excited about this agreement as it provides an excellent opportunity for our undergraduate students to transfer into a high-quality master’s program at Virginia Tech without the usual stress of the admissions and acceptance process,” said Dr. Diane Murphy, Director of Technology and Innovation at Marymount University.
These “Direct to Tech” programs offer students interested in pursuing computer science and engineering the opportunity to graduate and join the workforce quickly with a degree that helps ensure desired career placement and advancement. The accelerated graduation timeline allows students who follow the recommended course outline to receive their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in only five years.
Marymount University’s Executive Vice President and Provost, Dr. Hesham El-Rewini, said the Office of Academic Affairs is excited about this opportunity, which will benefit students and the University’s Strategic Plan.
“The agreements recognize the quality of Marymount’s undergraduate programs and give our students access to graduate programs that we don’t currently offer at Marymount,” Dr. El-Rewini said. We hope agreements like these will help increase our enrollment, increase Marymount’s visibility, and create strong ties with universities that can benefit our students and the region.”
Current and prospective Marymount students can enroll in the programs starting in Fall 2024 and can immediately start taking classes to satisfy degree requirements. The agreements will be in place for a five-year trial period.
Patty Cardenas, Director of Admissions for Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus, spoke about how these agreements aim to create new opportunities for Virginia students in the computer science and technology fields.
“For Virginia Tech, it’s very important to provide opportunities for students coming from the Commonwealth. It’s awesome for us to partner with Marymount, given that it’s the first Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Cardenas said. “We pride ourselves on being diverse, not just in backgrounds and ethnicities, but also in experiences — and we believe that Marymount can provide that diversity. We’re excited for what is to come and building a strong pipeline for Marymount students to come to Virginia Tech.”
These agreements with Virginia Tech are just the latest in Marymount’s ever-growing number of articulation agreements. In recent years, similar agreements have been made with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Montgomery College and Miami Dade College.
“In the current state of higher education, collaboration among universities has become more important than ever as a key to help solve world challenges via research and meet workforce needs by preparing our graduates for future jobs,” Dr. El-Rewini said. “At Marymount University, collaboration is one of our main pillars and we will continue to seek more opportunities.”
