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What is a STEM MBA program | Business Schools offering STEM MBA in 2023

What is a STEM MBA program | Business Schools offering STEM MBA in 2023
A 5 min read

STEM MBA programs are getting more and more popular owing to more benefit it offers to international students. No wonder business schools are jumping onto the STEM MBA bandwagon with NYU Stern and Columbia to be the latest business schools to get their full-time MBA program STEM-designated. As staying back to work in the US is getting more difficult with time, business schools have started using STEM MBA programs to attract international students. These programs bring along with it an extended visa duration which non-STEM programs do not.

In this article, we’ll explore STEM MBA programs, their advantages, the opportunities STEM graduates get, and who is the right fit for this program.

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Here is the outline of the article:

STEM MBA

What are STEM programs?

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. If a field of study falls in any of the four disciplines mentioned, then that program is categorized as a STEM program. Click here to access the full list of STEM programs as per USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services)

Planning to work after MBA in the US. Here are 3 ways of extending your visit to the US

What are STEM MBA programs?

Technically, business education programs cannot be categorized as STEM courses. However, in recent years, US business schools have been offering STEM MBA programs to attract international students. What a STEM MBA program offer is business skills with an emphasis on STEM applications.

STEM MBA

They include accounting, business analytics, decision theory, finance, economics, information technology, law, marketing, management, statistics, and strategy while providing business skills to be successful in management and leadership roles.

Learn the visa process to studying in the US

What are the benefits of STEM MBA programs?

These programs offer a mix of business and technical education. STEM MBA graduates, therefore, find employment in specialized fields related to technology and analytics.

According to this report by Jacqueline Varas, Director of Immigration and Trade Policy at the American Action Forum, there will be a shortage of 1.1 million STEM workers by 2024. This shortage tells us the scope of opportunity for STEM graduates in the United States.

Employment opportunities for STEM MBA graduates on the rise

STEM MBA employment

As more businesses tend to use data to make business decisions, data analytics and business skills will become more intertwined. This trend will result in organizations needing graduates with a business as well as an analytics acumen. STEM MBA graduates will be the ones to step in to meet this rising demand.

STEM MBA offers a 36-month OPT

STEM MBA graduates will also be able to leverage the OPT extension period after graduating. A typical graduate gets a 12 month OPT (optional practical training) as compared to a 36 month OPT for a STEM graduate. Here is complete information on OPT.

Recently, NYU Stern, Columbia, UC Berkeley and CMU Tepper received STEM designations for all its MBA programs.

List of STEM MBA programs

Here is a list of STEM MBA programs offered by US business schools:

Here are detailed reports on top business school including Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton, Columbia, Chicago Booth, INSEAD, and LBS.

STEM MBA – Who is it for?

STEM MBA programs in their current form are a mix of business and analytics courses. They are focused on building business skills using data sciences. However, not every MBA applicant will be from a technical academic background and might be less interested in this program.

Moreover, there will be applicants who will be aiming for a more general management program, and therefore, STEM MBA might not be a good fit for them. Therefore, while opting for a STEM MBA make sure you are comfortable with the technical and science-based curriculum.

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STEM MBA FAQs

What does STEM stand for?

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Is MBA a STEM degree?

MBA is not a STEM degree per se. However, a few MBA programs are STEM-designated owing to the focus of the MBA in business analytics, decision theory, finance, economics, information technology, law, marketing, management, statistics, and strategy.

Which business schools have their full-time MBA programs STEM-designated?

These business schools’ full time MBA programs are STEM designated:
Columbia Business School
NYU Stern
UC Berkeley Haas
CMU Tepper
Simon Business School

Is Harvard MBA STEM-designated?

Harvard Business School has two STEM degrees.
1. Master of Science in Engineering Sciences and Master of Business Administration (MS/MBA), operated jointly with the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
2. The MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences Program is a collaboration of HBS and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in the Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology

What is the OPT period for MBA students?

The OPT period for MBA students is 12 months. However, if you’re a graduate of STEM MBA programs then your OPT would be 36 months.

 

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