The University of Rochester's Simon Business School has announced that it has received STEM designation for its Professional (part-time) and Executive MBA programs.
A STEM designation for a degree program benefits international students, because graduates of STEM-designated programs receive an additional 24 months of post-study visa time after completing their studies.
However, part-time and Executive MBA programs tend not to be as popular among international students as traditional, full-time MBA programs. For instance, according to the 2017 Executive MBA ranking from the Financial Times, just 13 percent of the Simon School's EMBA cohort was made up of international students.
Beyond the visa benefit to international students, the STEM designation also "signals a commitment to data-driven outcomes," according to a release from the school.
The Simon Business School's full-time MBA program received STEM designation in 2018. It's one of a handful of business schools in the US that have pursued STEM designation for their MBA programs.
See a list of the US' top STEM-designated MBA programs.
