Everything You Need To Know About STEM MBAs

UPDATE: This article was originally published on March 25, 2020. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

A recent surge in STEM (Science, Engineering, Tech, and Mathematics)-focused MBA programs in the United States has come about as a way for schools both to increase their relevance in an increasingly analytical and tech-driven world and to attract more international students. 

Whether you have a background in business or in STEM-related fields, if your goals involve combining these two areas or landing a job in the US, a STEM-designated MBA might be the solution you’re looking for!

 

What is a STEM MBA?

STEM MBA programs are structured to simultaneously build your analytical and business skills. While offering students the opportunity to develop their management and business leadership skills, they can also target areas such as accounting, business analytics, decision theory, finance, economics, information technology, law, marketing, management, statistics, and strategy. This will fast-track students’ career paths after the MBA into technical and analytical positions. 

While this is not a program recommended for those who want to focus on gaining general management skills, if you have a technical background and want to focus on building your business skills while leveraging your analytical strengths, a STEM MBA might be the right fit for you! 

 

What are the benefits of a STEM MBA?

 

STEM MBA programs are particularly beneficial for international students 

Most top schools in the US, such as Tuck and MIT, are trying to increase the number of international applicants and their ability to earn work visas, especially amidst the current context of limited immigration opportunities. If you are looking for a way to work in the US post-MBA, this is a great way to achieve that. 

STEM MBAs offer a 3-year OPT (optional practice training) period

Because STEM fields are considered essential to the US economy’s growth, the government grants non-citizen graduates of STEM-designated programs the ability to work in the United States for a period of time without having to obtain a sponsored visa from a company or receive an H1-B visa. 

Compared with typical MBA programs, a STEM MBA offers international graduates the opportunity to work longer in the US. While all MBA graduates are eligible for 1-year OPT visas (unless you previously completed a degree in the US and already obtained an OPT visa), STEM MBA graduates have a 2-year extension on this period, totaling 3 years.

There are a number of regulations determining eligibility for this type of visa, so make sure you check out the US Department of Homeland Security’s website here for more information. 

STEM MBA programs can help you focus on the increasing links between business and technology/data

As employers in the business field have a growing need for staff who can help them utilize and analyze data and tech, a degree that emphasizes expertise in this field can help ensure that you are placed into a quality job post-MBA. 

Additionally, top tech firms such as Amazon and Google are now some of the biggest employers of MBA graduates. Candidates who can demonstrate expertise in both STEM and business are exactly what many leading firms are looking for – people who can understand their rapidly evolving systems and platforms while translating this into marketable strategies and profitable models.

 

What should you consider before deciding on a STEM MBA program?

Do your research on what careers are available in the industries you are interested in so you have an idea of what combination of business and STEM expertise is required. 

 

Consider what job function fits you best 

Think about your past experience and what kind of role you want. Are you more interested in a strategic analyst position or perhaps a management role? Research MBA tracks that focus on preparing students for these specific areas.

Also, think about any career shifts you may want to make. If you have a business background and desire to move into more analytical roles, or if you have a technical background and want to move into a management or business role, the STEM MBA will be ideal for helping you make that shift. 

 

Consider where you want to be located 

Depending on your own goals, you may want to be located in a specific region. For example, if you are interested in software engineering, you may be focused on landing yourself in Silicon Valley. Once you know your top geographic picks, research MBA programs and internship/professional opportunities in those areas so you can get an idea of what your future might look like. 

 

Understand your strengths and gaps 

As your goals will likely require you to develop yourself in multiple areas, it’s important for you to recognize both what you want to build upon and what you are lacking so you can choose a program that is right for you. 

You may not have the correct balance of STEM and business expertise for your dream job right now, but the correct STEM MBA program can help you develop exactly those areas which you need to target most urgently. Do your research on the courses, professors, and extracurricular opportunities available at different programs so you can get an idea of which ones fit you best.

What are some top STEM-designated MBA programs?

While this list is certainly not exhaustive, and we recommend you do your own research depending on your own interests, priorities, and objectives, these are some of the top STEM MBA programs currently available:

 

Harvard Business School 

In 2020, Harvard’s STEM pathway for its MBA was approved. HBS’s Management Science STEM track includes courses that qualify students for a management science focus. By pursuing this track, students demonstrate to employers their technical skills and commitment to STEM-focused careers.

Combining the prestige of Harvard’s MBA with a STEM focus is a surefire way to get quality employment in the US after graduation.

 

Stanford Graduate School of Business 

GSB’s MBA and MSx programs are both eligible for STEM designation, an announcement that was made just days after Harvard’s. The STEM track development is yet another sign of Stanford’s commitment to supporting its international student population and promoting of data-based solutions to global issues. 

Source: stanford.edu

The Wharton School 

While not all majors at Wharton are STEM-eligible, six of their 21 options are Business Analytics; Business Economics & Public Policy; Business, Energy, Environment & Sustainability; Operations, Information & Decisions; Quantitative Finance; and Statistics.

 

Columbia Business School 

Columbia, which emphasizes its value for diversity and analytics, has received STEM designation for both its MBA and EMBA programs.   

As Columbia’s Dean, Costis Maglaras, has said, “Technology and data analytics affect all aspects of business, from investment to innovation, in a diversity of fields, including healthcare, artificial intelligence, transportation, and energy. Our faculty have made great strides to infuse data science and analytics throughout our curriculum, a trend that will continue in the future.”

 

MIT Sloan School of Management 

MIT is known for its focus on data and analytics. As such, it’s little surprise that the school’s MBA became STEM-eligible in 2019. 

Source: mitsloan.mit.edu

University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

Booth has also jumped on the STEM train, offering a concentration in Business Analytics that is STEM-eligible. The interdisciplinary course is data-focused and aimed at preparing students how to translate analytical insights into decision-making. 

 

Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management

Kellogg announced their STEM-designated Management Science Major in 2019. Their MMM and MBAi programs, focused on tech, innovation, and analytics, are also included in this designation. 

The programs are interdisciplinary, preparing students to solve the most complex organizational and performance-related issues in business. 

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business 

Duke’s STEM MBA allows students to focus on a chosen business area while receiving individual attention from staff. 

 

UC Berkeley’s Haas 

All three of Haas’s MBA programs are STEM-designated. For this reason, the school offers students many options for specialization within the field.

 

Yale School of Management

Students in Yale SOM’s MBA and MAM programs who choose to pursue a concentration in management are eligible to pursue STEM tracks. All students in the school’s Asset Management program are also eligible. All courses within these programs equip students to focus on the future of business through topic concentrations such as finance, operations, and marketing.

 

Dartmouth Tuck 

By pursuing Tuck’s Management Science and Quantitative Methods option, students can earn STEM designation with their MBA. To qualify, students must take at least 15 elective credits that qualify for the designation, such as Data Analytics, Quantitative Digital Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and many others. 

 

NYU Stern

NYU’s two-year, full-time MBA program is fully eligible for STEM designation, reflecting the school’s commitment to technology and analytics. Stern’s one-year Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA is also eligible.  

Source: stern.nyu.edu

University of Michigan Ross

After announcing that full-time MBA students could pursue a specialization in Management Science to receive STEM designation in 2020, Michigan Ross has expanded their commitment to accommodating those interested in this track by adding the Business Consultant Corps program as an option for those wanting to complement their STEM-eligible degrees with work experience. program to the STEM-eligible list.  

The Michigan Ross Specialization in Management Science offers MBA students the ability to customize their STEM-designated path to their interests through a diverse set of courses, with topics ranging from artificial intelligence to marketing engineering and analytics. 

 

Cornell Johnson

Cornell Johnson has been adding more and more STEM-designated programs to its curriculum and now offers a total of five options for students wanting to pursue this track. 

Johnson’s portfolio of STEM-eligible programs now includes both a one-year and a two-year Management Science MBA; a Tech MBA; an MPS in Management; and a one-year MPS in Management with an Accounting specialization. 

 

Carnegie Mellon Tepper

Tepper’s MBA is a STEM MBA, preparing students as leaders who can leverage technology, data, and analytics to solve current business challenges. 

Source: cmu.edu

As Tepper’s website says, “our STEM MBA program is a future-focused business school experience, designed for the complexity of today’s marketplace. We prepare students for 21st-century changes by emphasizing the application of technology within business.” By combining Carnegie Mellon’s excellence in tech, engineering, and science with Tepper’s business expertise, pursuing the STEM concentration here is a particularly powerful choice.

 

UCLA Anderson

UCLA Anderson offers STEM designation across all of its MBA programs, providing significant flexibility to those who are interested in the benefits of this track but also have more specific career interests. Anderson’s Master of Financial Engineering and Master of Science in Data Analytics are also STEM certified.

These developments reflect the school’s increasing focus on quantitative approaches due to technological advances in business.

 

UT McCombs 

The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business offers STEM certification for 14 of its 22 MBA concentrations.

Areas of focus within these concentrations include Business Analytics, Information Technology and Management, and Technology Commercialization.

 

University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business 

USC Marshall’s STEM program focuses on data-driven decision-making and analytics, one of the most demanded areas of focus by employers. Courses available for full-time MBA students pursuing the STEM track include statistics, data analytics, operations and supply chain optimization, forecasting, and digital marketing and modeling.

 

Still unsure of how to choose and apply to the right program?

Deciding whether a STEM MBA is really right for you and which one is best can be difficult amidst changing job markets and political conditions. 

Our team is here to help you answer all those burning questions and organize your experience and goals into a clear path forward. 

We can help you decide which schools and programs fit you best, how to market yourself in interviews and essays and get accepted into the school that will land you your dream job.

Over 98.9% of our clients get accepted to at least one of their preferred programs, many of whom apply for STEM-eligible MBA programs. We’d love to help you, too! 

If you’re interested in working with us, apply here to add more value than you ever thought possible during your MBA application journey. Spots are limited!