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Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Program

Our undergraduate program includes the first-year General Engineering program, the Pathways Innovation minor and numerous experiential learning opportunities. Explore it today!

The first-year General Engineering program provides students with a rich experience through a hands-on, minds-on coursework, a dedicated engineering design lab, and an opportunity to study abroad.

It's a unique blend of engineering foundations, general education courses, and change of major requirements (courses needed to transition into a specific major after the first year). 

We have world-renowned faculty, regarded among the best in the field, who engage in research in supporting student success, motivating students to learn, and understanding pathways into and through engineering careers.  

    

A collage of our academic advisors: Jennifer Chin, Daniel Newcomb, Devin Erb, Matt Cheatham, Alice Noble, April Mullins, James Newcomer, Maia Greene-Havas, and Jessica Elmore.

Get academic and career support from your academic advisor! Our team is always ready to help you.

Join us on Instagram for everything General Engineering!

The Innovation minor fills a unique niche by helping students expand their entrepreneurial ideas through customer discovery and business model activities. Students practice innovative problem-solving skills and pursue their personal interests. At the end of the minor, students will have a capstone opportunity to unite their skills in innovation with what they have learned in their major.

Pathways diagram of minor

Frith First-Year Makerspace

The Frith First-Year Makerspace is designed to support the development of young engineers through hands-on learning, peer mentoring, and authentic problem-solving. Part collaboration and innovation space, part fabrication and prototyping space, and part learning laboratory, the Frith Lab is integrated into the first-year foundations of engineering courses and enables General Engineering students to learn by dissecting, designing, making, and analyzing engineering products.

Read the story of how Frith helps engineering students embrace failure through hands-on projects!

Rising Sophomore Abroad Program

The Virginia Tech Rising Sophomore Abroad Program combines a Spring course with a two-week international module abroad in May immediately following the end of the Spring Semester. By giving students a taste of an international experience and increasing their comfort level with global travel, the program promotes additional, more extended international academic experiences such as internships, study abroad programs, or faculty-led programs. The program also allows students the opportunity to make initial contact with a company or university in another country to further their student experience or career prospects.

Undergraduate Research

For students interested in research, but don't know where to start, or think they're lacking credentials to join a team/group, try undergraduate research with Drs. Ben Chambers or David Gray! Work with a team of fellow undergrads, earn academic credit, and build your credentials for internships, co-ops or even graduate school.

Dr. Benjamin Chambers

Dr. Ben Chambers, Associate Professor of Practice | bdc0112@vt.edu

David Gray

Dr. David Gray, Associate Professor of Practice | dagray3@vt.edu

Parents and families are key members of every Engineering Hokie's journey here at Virginia Tech! That's why we've pulled together this list of resources to help you guide your student through their first year.

HokieBird