Appalachian School of Law partners with Virginia Tech to offer cybersecurity, engineering

BUCHANAN COUNTY, Va. — Law students in southwest Virginia now have access to some of the country’s top engineering and cybersecurity programs.

The Appalachian School of Law is partnering with Virginia Tech to broaden their student curriculum.

The law school in Grundy epanding its program offering by partnering with other schools across the state.

“I want to educate them in an intellectual way, but I also want them to be able to get jobs afterwards and contribute to society," ASL Dean Elizabeth McClanahan said.

Law students now have access to cybersecurity and engineering courses through Virginia Tech as a partnering university.

“There is an increasing need in companies for people who understand both the legal aspects of corporate life and also technology, including cybersecurity," Robert Sumichrast said. Sumichrast serves as the dean of the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.

Students can take the courses virtually after their first year while receiving a certificate and credit toward their degree.

“The whole world is interdisciplinary. I think we all know that once we get into the job market. I think in the past, we’ve siloed too much in education and now these kinds of interdisciplinary opportunities obviously prepare students better to enter the work world,” McClanahan said.