The pandemic has changed the MBA landscape in so many ways. And while increased travel restrictions and visa complications have been challenging for international students, all top 25 MBA programs have been working to certify their programs (or part of their programs) as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). A STEM designation for an MBA program allows international students with F1 visas the eligibility to extend the optional practical training (OPT) period to work in the United States from 12 months to 36 months. This, in turn, helps graduates who study at qualifying programs to be more attractive to U.S.-based employers. 

The University of Wisconsin began offering its Operation & Technology Management certificate in 2016. In 2018, the University of Rochester was the first program to have its entire MBA program receive STEM designation. As of Fall 2020, all top schools have built STEM-qualifying components into their program. 

Currently, ten top MBA programs offer a STEM designation for their overall MBA program: 

• Stanford GSB: Full-time MBA and MSx degrees
• Chicago Booth: Full-time MBA, Evening MBA, Weekend MBA, and Executive MBA
• MIT Sloan: Full-time MBA, Fellows, and Executive MBA
• Columbia Business School: Full-time and Executive MBA, MS Financial Economics, MS Accounting and Fundamental Analysis, MS Marketing Science
• UC Berkeley Haas: Full-time MBA, EWMBA, and Executive MBA
• NYU Stern: Full-time MBA, one-year Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA
• UCLA Anderson: Full-time MBA, FEMBA, and Executive MBA
• Carnegie Mellon Tepper: Full-time MBA
• Rice Jones: Full-time MBA and all master’s programs
• Cornell Johnson: One-year and two-year MBAs, Cornell Tech MBA, MPS in Management, MPS in Management − Accounting Specialization

In addition, 15 schools have a subset of their MBA program (a track, concentration, major, etc.) that qualifies for the STEM designation:

• Harvard Business School: Management Science track or dual-degree MS/MBA, Engineering Sciences program 
• Wharton: Business Analytics; Business Economics and Public Policy; Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability; Operations, Information and Decisions; Quantitative Finance; and Statistics majors
• Kellogg: Management Science major or MMM degree, which includes an MBA from Kellogg and an MS Design Innovation from Northwestern University’s Segal Design Institute
• Dartmouth: Management Science and Quantitative Methods option 
• Yale: Management Science concentration in MBA, Master of Advanced Management, MS Asset Management
• Michigan Ross: Management Science specialization
• Darden: Management Science specialization
• Duke: Management Science and Technology Management (MSTeM) track credential 
• Texas-Austin McCombs: MS Business Analytics, MS Information Technology and Management, MS in Finance, MS in Marketing, MS in Energy Management
• USC Marshall: Management Science specialization
• UNC Kenan-Flagler: Business Analytics and Management Science concentration
• Washington Foster: MBA Management Science option, Technology Management MBA, MS in Business Analytics
• Emory: MS in Business Analytics
• Georgetown McDonough: Management Science major in full-time and Flex MBA program
• Indiana Kelley: Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing, or Supply Chain and Operations majors

Employers continue to seek graduates with strong data analytics experience, and a STEM designation can help provide these skills along with increased eligibility to work in the United States after graduation. 

See the Poets&Quants article, “All The STEM Programs At Major U.S. Business Schools,” for more information on STEM-designated MBA programs.