Virginia Tech welcomes first cohort of Indian students in cybersecurity and business analytics program
The first cohort of an innovative partnership between Virginia Tech and a top Indian university has reached a milestone. After three years in Mumbai, 26 students have arrived in Blacksburg to continue a five-year integrated degree program with the Pamplin College of Business.
This 3+1+1 model, facilitated by Outreach and International Affairs, partners Pamplin with one of India’s foremost universities, NMIMS, formerly known as the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. Students in the program can earn three interdisciplinary degrees in the high-demand fields of business analytics and cybersecurity.
In Phase 1, students study for three years in India at NMIMS. In Phases 2 and 3, they complete undergraduate and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech. The inaugural cohort began in 2020 and has now transitioned to the second phase — moving to Blacksburg. Over 100 students in India are preparing to follow in their footsteps.
“This program has been years in the making,” said Gene Ball, retired director of international finance and administration who was instrumental in creating the program. He joined Pamplin’s celebratory luncheon for the students this semester. “Being part of the team that made this collaboration possible was a highlight. Now seeing the students here after years of planning is special. It’s worth coming back from retirement to see.”
Once they complete the fourth year of the program, the students will earn a Bachelor of Technology in computer science and engineering (data science) from NMIMS, as well as a Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity management and analytics from Pamplin’s Department of Business Information Technology. At that point, they will move to the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria to complete a Master of Science in business administration with a concentration in business analytics.
“The students come to Virginia Tech from an outstanding undergraduate program at NMIMS. I’ve met several of the students individually, and I’ve been very impressed,” said Quinton Nottingham, head of the Department of Business Information Technology. “I believe the NMIMS students will raise the bar in our classes, and I’m convinced that they will go on to do great things once they leave Virginia Tech.”
Pamplin is one of a select group of business schools worldwide accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. This accreditation will make graduates eligible for doctoral programs in India, the U.S., and many other parts of the world. They will also be eligible for employment in government, quasi-government, and private organizations in India.
According to the students, studying at Virginia Tech also has another notable benefit: a new perspective.
Each institution approaches education in different ways, said Isha Ghatule, one of the students in the inaugural cohort. “At NMIMS, we focused a lot on theory. Here, we apply it.”
Ghatule described her Virginia Tech classes as project-based, requiring collaboration. “Applying our knowledge to real-world issues will increase opportunities. Working with our classmates broadens our network,” she said.
Priyansh Pradhan said he will have an edge in the job market thanks to his experience at two universities in two countries. Having three degrees in high-demand fields makes graduates competitive. Pradhan added that the cultural experience gives him a “multidimensional, holistic view” that will be a powerful tool for working on international cybersecurity problems.
“The intercultural nature of the instruction and knowledge exchange is one of the program’s key strengths. The commitment and effort that both the students and the faculty are pouring into these classes is another. With these strengths, this program is set to have a life-altering impact on the students’ futures and further energize Pamplin’s intercultural growth and engagement,” Pamplin Dean Saonee Sarker said.
Virginia Tech intends to extend these life-altering opportunities to more and more students. Next year, Virginia Tech will not only welcome the second cohort of business analytics and cybersecurity students from NMIMS, the College of Science will welcome its first cohort of graduate students from a different partnership with NMIMS — a dual degree master’s program in economics.
Tarun Sen, professor emeritus of accounting and information systems and a leading architect of these programs, said he is elated to see and celebrate the fruition of these efforts.
“The relationship between NMIMS and Virginia Tech was built over several years through university leadership efforts at both institutions,” Sen said. “Business, engineering, and science faculty members who went to teach in joint Virginia Tech-NMIMS certificate programs in data science, cybersecurity, and AI in Mumbai helped build student trust and participation needed to succeed in making a truly integrated global degree program work. We believe that as these students matriculate these relationships will only grow and deepen.”
