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In 1965, Northern Virginia Technical College opened for classes with 761 students in the Carlyn Springs Road warehouse, located in Bailey's Crossroads. To accommodate an ever-growing student body, the college purchased 78 acres in Annandale in 1966 to build the first campus site. The following year saw the opening of the new building on the Annandale Campus and the purchase of three more campus sites in Sterling, Manassas and Woodbridge. In 1969, the College purchased 22.5 acres in Alexandria for $450,000.
First-time known as the Eastern Campus, the NOVA Alexandria Campus began construction of the Bisdorf Building in 1971. In the summer of 1973, classes were moved from the original Bailey's Crossroads warehouse to the NOVA Alexandria Campus. By the fall quarter, more than 6,000 students registered for classes.
Today, the NOVA Alexandria Campus has the second-highest enrollment at the College and boasts five buildings, including the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, which opened in the fall of 2001. Our latest addition, the Center for Design, Media and the Arts is a state of the art facility currently houses programs in music, arts, photography, communications studies, cinema, theater, graphic design, early childhood education and physical education. The 80,000 square feet center provides flexible uses and a visually exciting architectural environment that will support creative teaching and learning opportunities for faculty and students. In addition, this three story facility includes the campus bookstore, a fitness center and a multipurpose gymnasium. The campus offers more than 70 programs and degrees, including nine foreign languages and an ESL program.
Provost Welcome
Welcome to NOVA’s Alexandria Campus. We invite you to become a part of our dynamic and diverse community of learners. We are a student-centered campus that recognizes the unique opportunity we have to inspire, teach and support you, as you strive to achieve your educational goals. Whether you choose to pursue an associate degree and transfer to a four-year college or university, seek career training leading to a certificate and employment, or engage in lifelong learning opportunities, we are here to guide you.
Our priority is your success in accomplishing your educational goals. We encourage you to take full advantage of the excellent teaching and learning opportunities at the NOVA Alexandria Campus provided by our outstanding faculty and staff. Whether you are a high school student, first-time college student, returning student, veteran, someone who is seeking a new career, or you do not know where to begin, we are here to help you. We recognize that many students have family and work obligations that require their time and effort, so we offer an array of degree and certificate programs in formats that offer flexible schedules while maintaining academic rigor.
As the needs of our students, employers and other stakeholders change, we will continue to provide access to relevant, quality education and workforce training that empowers individuals to achieve their goals and improve the quality of life for all communities we serve.
Dr. M. Annette Haggray
The Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences Division within the Alexandria Campus is a good place to study where humanity has been, where it is, and where it might be going. It is a good place to gain skills and insights useful in shaping both a personal future and the future of humanity.
The dawn of the 21st century illuminated a world unrecognizable to our ancestors. It is a world interdependent and interconnected, a world where anything that happens anywhere can affect everyone everywhere. To see the world more clearly in the light of this new age, come study with us at the Alexandria Campus.
The Alexandria Campus is a world campus. We have students from 160 of the world’s nations in our classrooms. Our graduates are to be found everywhere on the globe.
The Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences Division at the Alexandria Campus is a good place to study where humanity has been, where it is, and where it might be going. It is a good place to gain skills and insights useful in shaping both a personal future and the future of humanity.
We offer courses in World Literature, Environmental Studies, Histories of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Western Civilization, Religions of the World, Music and Art Appreciation, Intercultural Communications, and many more directed at creating a better understanding of the world around us.
We are home to the finest English as a Second Language program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We offer fourteen of the world’s languages, including the ten most widely spoken.
The Institute for Public Service, a unit within the Liberal Arts Division, places students from America and from around the world in internships in the Washington area institutions that influence the community, national, and world policies. The Institute sponsors forums on topics important globally and locally and works to apply the resources of the Alexandria Campus to projects that promote the public good. Within a ten mile radius of the Alexandria Campus are the embassies of 190 nations, the Pentagon, State Department, and the headquarters of dozens of international organizations. Many of our students work in this international environment and many of our teachers have experience within it.
Jean H. Braden Center for Women, Gender, and Social Equity, also a unit within the Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences Division, provides a place for quiet study as well as seminars, lectures and classes dealing with issues that shape our world.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jimmie McClellan
Academic Dean
Languages, Arts, and Social Sciences Division
Bisdorf Building, Room 252
LASS Programs and Disciplines
- Art History
- Communication Studies/Cinema and Theater
- English
- ESL
- Early Childhood
- Education
- Economics
- Fine Art
- French
- Graphic Design
- Geography
- Greek
- History
- Humanities
- Human Services
- Japanese
- Latin
- Music
- Photography and Media
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Russian
- Spanish
- Social Science
- Sociology
Welcome to the Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies, and Business Division (MSTB) at the Alexandria Campus. Whether you are preparing to enter the workforce, getting ready to transfer to a four-year institution, exploring personal interests, looking to update your skill sets, or even change career paths, the MSTB Division is a great place to start.
Our award-winning, acclaimed faculty members possess remarkable credentials and work to inspire students in and out of the classroom. They create active and engaging learning experiences designed to optimize student learning outcomes. Students can take part in one of a kind research and field opportunities and experience our Science Resource Center (SRC) which is equipped with state-of-the art equipment and materials to support student success and learning in all lab-base science courses.
Courses are offered in a variety of modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, and online) to meet the scheduling and learning preferences of our diverse student body. Our goal is to promote student success and prepare students for the increasingly competitive workplace and educational environments.
The Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies, and Business Division provides courses and program offerings in the areas of administration of justice, architecture technology, automotive/auto body technologies, biology, business (accounting, business, administration, business management, financial services, contract management, and marketing), chemistry, civil engineering technologies, computer assisted drafting, computer science, construction management/building technologies, engineering, environmental science, geology, health, information technologies, mathematics, natural science, paralegal studies, physical education, physics, and recreation.
The faculty, staff, and administration are here to provide support to you in your academic pursuits. I encourage you to become familiar with and use the college’s resources and services such as the Writing Center, the Open Computing Center, and our free tutoring services. Your designated faculty advisor will meet with you periodically to help ensure that you attain your educational and career goals. Additionally, NOVA offers students the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities and student clubs.
There are a number of amazing opportunities waiting for you at the Alexandria campus in the MSTB Division. Please pay us a visit and we will be glad to start you on your way. We are looking forward to getting to know you. I would personally like to wish you a very successful and exciting college experience. ”Start Strong, Finish Stronger!”
Sincerely,
Dr. Margaret Emblom-Callahan
Interim Academic Dean
Mathematics, Sciences, Technologies, and Business Division
Bisdorf Building, Room 352
MSTB Programs and Disciplines
- Accounting
- Administration of Justice
- Architecture Technology and Collision Repair
- Automotive Technology
- Business Administration
- Business Management
- Computer Science
- Construction Management Technology
- Cybersecurity
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Geology
- Health Science
- Information Systems Technology
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Natural Science
- Paralegal Studies
- Personal Training
- Physical Education
- Recreation
- Sciences