Scholarships drive Innovation Campus' first graduate degree program

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0:55 Scholarships drive Innovation Campus' first graduate degree program

By:

Erin Williams

24 Sep 2020 105

This fall, Steven Barnett, of Alexandria, Virginia, joined the inaugural group of graduate students enrolled in Virginia Tech’s Master of Engineering in computer science program, the first degree designed for the new Innovation Campus. He's also a recipient of a tech talent scholarship offered by Virginia Tech.

I currently work in a communications role, but ever since I got my minor in computer science at Virginia Tech, I wanted to consider going back into that field. And so when I heard this time last year that they were starting to new Masters of Engineering program up in Alexandria as part of the new Innovation Campus, I thought the timing was right to go back to school in my own backyard and make that career change. Knowing that this was a new program that was starting up with the Innovation Campus alongside the new Amazon headquarters, and I was going to be one of the first students to be able to go through the program. and part of that initial cohort was a big draw for joining up. And Amazon's certainly going to be looking for the kinds of skills that Virginia Tech is teaching people going through this program. So just knowing that I have a great career waiting for me on the other side of this program is amazing.