It is likely that, when considering doing your graduate studies abroad and applying for an MBA , you are planning to improve your business skills and become an expert in business administration . This brings with it opportunities for team leadership and resource allocation jobs . However, today the demands of the labor and business markets have grown: greater knowledge of different areas is required to be able to stand out and meet those demands. To have that holistic approach, especially necessary in the digital world,Universities have chosen to implement STEM designations in their MBAs, as they project business skills alongside the use of technical and scientific skills .
A STEM designation is awarded to those master’s programs whose curricula cover at least 50% of subjects related to “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” (STEM) . When studies are incorporated into programming, data analysis, energy, among others; the meaning of an MBA is revolutionized , and this is what is aspired to with this name. This has become popular in recent years, as the number of applicants for MBA (Master of Business Administration) programs from different universities has had a continuous decline, caused by various factors, including recent immigration policies in the United States. As a result of the above, some universities have given priority to implementing this type of master’s degree to generate confidence and opportunities that motivate international students to continue their academic development in the English-speaking country.
Within STEM programs, the main areas that are being designated in this category are: accounting, business analysis, finance, economics, decision theory, management, marketing, statistics, strategy, information technology and law, being these branches of study are essential in the competitiveness and growth of the US economy.
The main benefit that the STEM designation presents to the country’s MBAs is to increase the security and opportunity of work stays for all international students who, in turn, will build professional experience and establish relationships in the United States industry. This is based on the fact that MBA graduate students apply for an OPT (Optional Practical Training), equivalent to 36 months without the need to have an H-1B visa . With it, they will have the opportunity to work longer than a normal visa would allow them.
The most recognized universities for their MBAs that have already worked and implemented the STEM certificate in their programs are the following.
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford is considered the best MBA program according to the QS Global MBA Rankings 2020 . This world-renowned university has two STEM designation programs. First, the Entire Full-Time MBA takes a different perspective on business to reinvent the way students think and form leaders with an impact on today’s industries and society. On the other hand, MSx Degrees is a one-year program that includes a career redefinition to become a leader of the future by gaining knowledge that impacts your community and creating connections in a global economy.
UPenn – Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania has the Wharton MBA Majors & Specialties program , in which you can choose from 19 concentrations to develop unique skills and even obtain a double major. Concentrations range from: Accounting, Business Analytics, Business Economics and Public Policy, Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, Marketing, Operations, Information and Decisions, etc.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT Sloan
The number one university in the QS World University Ranking 2021 has 3 main MBA programs, all of them STEM by the nature of the University. These are Entire Full-Time MBA , Sloan Fellows MBA and Sloan Executive MBA which have certain differentiators in study times and profiles, but focus on developing leaders with innovative thinking to solve complex problems with the objective of having a better world. .
Harvard Business School
In August 2020, Harvard Business School, in conjunction with Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, launched the MS / MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences Joint with STEM designation , preparing students to combine business and entrepreneurship aspects that they aim to build organizations with the potential to transform human health, is a program that creates connections between science and business. In addition, he holds the MS / MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences , which combines business opportunity, correct management of organizations, costs, business trajectory and organizational culture with research, development and discovery of life sciences.
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Students interested in the Full-Time MBA program may specialize in Business Analytics or Analytical Finance , the former focusing on problem solving and decision making through quantitative models and data. The second, encompassing the understanding of financial theories to understand the functioning of the finances of a company and the world.
Berkeley Haas
The university obtained the STEM certification in its three programs Full-time MBA Program , Evening Weekend MBA Program and MBA For Executives Program that start from an education composed of the development of skills that incorporate data analysis, business, modeling, forecasting, programming, operations research to improve business performance.
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
Northwestern University offers two MBA programs with a STEM designation. The first, Management Science Major in Full-Time MBA that has a focus on analytical techniques and tools across different disciplines to apply to the performance of organizations. Students studying this MBA will be prepared in consulting, technology, finance, and entrepreneurship. The second is the Dual-Degree MMM (With McCormick School of Engineering) program that combines the area of business education with foundations in design innovation.
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Anderson has 3 MBA programs that recently earned their STEM designation: Full-Time MBA is a comprehensive program that enables the development of leadership skills in business; This is complemented by the links that the University has with companies such as Google, BSG or Goldman Sach. For its part, the Fully Employed MBA is flexible in terms of the scheme in which you will study, so, regardless of your employment situation, you will have the opportunity to live the full MBA experience, with international study options, study clubs , and STEM electives. Finally, the Executive MBA Part of a professional perspective of adoption and openness to different ways of thinking, as well as overcoming challenges and decision-making in global organizations.
Yale School Of Management
In this prestigious university the STEM designation was obtained for 3 programs. The first one is a Management Science Concentration in MBA , in which you will use quantitative methods to solve business and administrative challenges. The second is the Master of Advanced Management , a one-year program that aims to develop leaders with a global perspective for business and society. Finally, the Entire Master of Asset Management will teach you to make investment decisions through in-depth use of data science and quantitative techniques.
Duke University Fuqua School of Business
This university is considered number 10 by the US News in its top business schools. Its recent MSTEM Management Science and Technology Management program aims to prepare students for decision making with different selective classes such as business analysis, innovation marketing, supply chain management and innovation in crypto ventures in disciplines such as consulting, health, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, finance and technology.
Stephen M. Ross School of Business – University of Michigan
The Business Analytics Track in Full-Time MBA program helps you develop analytical skills for excellent company management. To complete the MBA it is necessary to obtain credits from subjects such as Big Data, Marketing Research, Forecasting, Economy, Strategy, Risk, Digital Marketing, among others.
Leonard N. Stern School of Business – New York University
The university offers the Entire Full-Time MBA to develop intellectual and interpersonal skills that help solve problems in different industries and the 1-Year Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA that starts from the implementation of technologies as solutions for business and global needs.
University of Southern California (USC) – Marshall School of Business
The USC STEM MBA is based on analysis and decision-making through a complete understanding of the fundamentals of a company, developing a global and entrepreneurial mindset in students, obtaining leadership skills for businesses and work teams from high performance.
Tepper School of Business- Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University has 3 programs with STEM designation: Entire Full-Time MBA that finds a combination of leadership and analysis for the implementation of technologies in companies; Online MBA that offers a hybrid education for leadership development, innovation, analysis and strategy decision making; Part-Time MBA that offers the same professional development as its other programs with a flexible model that combines online and weekend classes.
Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
Management Science & Quantitative Analysis Track in Full-Time MBA is a program with the opportunity to select different courses to complete your MBA in relation to management science and quantitative methods. Among these courses are Corporate Valuation, Energy Economics, Fundamentals of Web Programming, Options and Futures Markets, Optimization Applications, among others that champion the meaning of “STEM.”
University Of Virginia – Darden School of Business
Specialization in Management Science in Full-Time MBA is a program with a quantitative / analytical approach for the development of managers and leaders. Students can take concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Corporate Finance, Supply Chain Management, among others.
University of Wisconsin, Madison – Wisconsin School of Business
Being one of the first universities to offer an MBA with a STEM designation since 2016, the university has launched two such programs. The first is an MBA with specialization in operations and technology management , focused on students who already have a background in technology, operations, engineering and science, who wish to expand into the leadership area starting with courses in finance, operations management, marketing and branches of business. The second, MBA with specialization in supply chain management , aims to strategically understand and control the supply processes of companies, thus training in areas of data analysis, market demand, promotions and product sources.
University of Pittsburgh – Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
Students interested in the MBA with Business Analytics program will have specialized classes in quantitative methods, statistical tools, data collection and interpretation, and analytical decision making. This will allow them to play important roles in the analytical industry of the country, which, in recent years, and due to the amount of information that can be obtained through technology, has become relevant in the field of business.
University of Notre Dame – Mendoza College of Business
The MBA / MSBA Dual Degree is divided into two sections: The first year focuses on business analysis to consolidate a foundation for internships. Subsequently, there are specific courses to make data description, automated learning and decision models through spreadsheets.
Purdue University – Krannert School of Management
At this university, the MBA-STEM program mainly offers a study focused on quantitative bases, statistics, computer applications and data analysis. In addition, the MBA offers the flexibility to choose between 4 concentrations (Business Analytics and Information Management, Finance, Global Supply Chain Management, and Marketing) that give students the opportunity to project their professional aspirations properly.
University of Rochester – Simon Graduate School of Business Administration
This University with high ranking in tops of the Financial Times, The Economist and US News, establishes the STEM and Simon MBA program , which projects the student to generate analytical problem-solving skills, specializing in areas such as asset management, banks, corporate finance , venture capital and private capital. Other topics of specialization include Brand Management, Product Management, Operations Specialization, Pricing, Strategy or Technology.
In addition to the universities already mentioned, there are programs with different specializations of areas in business and that contain the STEM designation, some of them are: UNC (Kenan-Flagler), Indiana (Kelley), Johns Hopkins (Carey), Vanderbilt (Owen ), UC-Davis and UC-Irvine (Merage).
In closing, it is important to mention that the STEM designation is something that few programs have. It is necessary to highlight that its objective is to allow the specialization and development of unique skills in students so that they can excel in a field of global competence. Gaining academic and professional experiences in an MBA with a STEM designation is a path that drives your performance in your professional career, business, and society. It is also an opportunity to work in the United States and gain valuable experience. We recommend that you select a competitive postgraduate degree that nurtures your career path and marks differentiators that will help you solve challenges in any industry.
