Education: Va. colleges increase in-demand programs

Virginia’s higher education institutions grew their degree programs and, in some cases, grew physically in the last year as they sought to train students for in-demand and growing fields.

In response to an increasing demand for skilled tech workers, Virginia’s universities have expanded their STEM capacities, manifesting in several cases as new buildings. The University of Virginia opened the first academic building dedicated to its School of Data Science in April 2024, five years after the school started. The new four-story, 61,000-square-foot building includes an atrium, four adaptable classrooms and a two-story hub and event area.

To the north, George Mason University’s $254 million Fuse tech hub in Arlington County opened to the public and industry partners in December 2024. Undergraduate and graduate-level classes at the 345,000- square-foot building are expected to begin in fall 2025.

The first academic building of Virginia Tech’s $1 billion Innovation Campus opened in January, welcoming graduate students to the Alexandria campus. Since fall 2020, Innovation Campus students had attended classes at the school’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church. The $302 million Academic Building One has 300,000 square feet.

Yet to come is Norfolk State University’s $118 million science building that will replace one of the school’s oldest buildings and support new master’s degree programs, including in cybersecurity. The four-story, 131,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in fall 2027.

Although not tied to a new building opening, Virginia Commonwealth University added six undergraduate minors in the 2024-25 academic year: artificial intelligence, aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, software engineering, cybersecurity and data science.

Also expanding its cybersecurity offerings, George Mason received a nearly $200,000 grant from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, announced in April 2024, for a two-year program to improve cybersecurity workforce development. The school has more than 20 degree programs that include a cybersecurity focus.

New schools and programs dedicated to public health, health care and related fields also were on the rise in Virginia. On July 1, 2024, about two years after the planned merger became public, Eastern Virginia Medical School officially merged into Old Dominion University, becoming
part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University.

Plans for another health-related school progressed as well. In fall 2024, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia approved the Joint School of Public Health, a collaboration between ODU and Norfolk State University that is also part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU. NSU is the second historically Black college and university in the U.S. to be part of a school of public health.

The school, offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees and one doctorate program, is seeking Council on Education for Public Health accreditation.

In a similar vein, VCU launched a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences program last year, becoming the state’s first public university to offer the degree. It prepares students for pharma jobs like quality assurance technicians, research technologists and laboratory technicians.

Universities in Hampton Roads further focused on training and education for maritime professions last year. In fall 2024, ODU launched its School of Supply Chain, Logistics and Maritime Operations, an upgrade from an earlier program offered through its Strome College of Business.

William & Mary, meanwhile, expanded its marine research. The Williamsburg school announced in July 2024 that Jane Batten pledged $100 million — the largest gift William & Mary has received — to boost its coastal and marine science research toward finding global solutions for flooding and sea-level rise. The newly named Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences will expand the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

In February, William & Mary announced a $50 million donation from alumnus Dr. R. Todd Stravitz to create a full tuition scholarship fund for the university’s Batten School and VIMS. First scholarships will be awarded for the fall semester.