STEM MBA programs are increasingly popular, offering benefits to both domestic and international students. Here are the top US MBA programs with STEM designations
STEM MBA programs are increasingly present at business schools in the United States, as an increasing number of schools incorporate a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) element into the MBA syllabus.
Students who graduate from STEM MBA programs are well placed to tap into the opportunities created by the emerging jobs of the future. STEM-related jobs are expected to increase by nearly 800,000 by 2031; more than half of these are projected to be mathematical and computer occupations, according to a recent SmartAsset study.
Compared to the one year visa afforded to most international MBA students, STEM graduates are eligible to extend their stay in the US for three years in total without an H-1B visa, making them far more attractive to employers. STEM graduates can also expect higher salaries compared to those of traditional MBAs.
With options ranging from electives and dual degrees, to fully integrated STEM MBAs, here’s a list of the top STEM MBA programs in the US and how much these degrees cost:
Top STEM MBA Programs In The US
Estimated tuition costs and course lengths apply only to full-time MBA programs, and the prices listed are for international or out-of-state residents. In-state candidates are likely to pay less for some programs.
Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business
The STEM-designated MBA degree at W. P. Carey School of Business is a 21-month program that costs just over $100,000 in tuition for international candidates and out-of-state domestic candidates. State residents pay a lower price of just over $60,000.
The STEM-designation means that international MBA grads are eligible to stay in the US after graduating for up to 36 months under Optional Practical Training (OPT). Students also have the option of tailoring their MBA with several concentrations, including Artificial Intelligence, Business Analytics, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Supply Chain Management.
Tepper's STEM MBA program has its roots in management science with a keen focus on analytics and data-informed decision making. Students on the school's program will be given a grounding in how data and analytics are impacting business leaders across all industries.
Students graduate ready to enter the workforce and harness the power of technology, data, and analytics to drive business growth.
Chicago Booth announced its Full-Time MBA program had received STEM-designation in April 2020. The school boats that its MBA curriculum is rooted in the fundamentals of business such as accounting, economics, psychology, sociology, and statistics.
Booth prides itself on offering students a flexible course, with 13 different concentrations for students to choose from covering subjects like Behavioral Science, Econometrics and Statistics, and Entrepreneurship.
The Booth MBA also gives students the freedom to tailor their experience through offering the Full-Time MBA or Evening MBA and Weekend MBA courses to fit experiences, interests, and career goals.
Located in New York City, Columbia Business School aims to provide students with a fast paced, competitive experience to match its surroundings.
The school has both a STEM-designated MBA and Executive MBA program. Students can enroll for intakes in January and August for the STEM MBA, and May and August for the STEM EMBA. It's advantageous location amidst thousands of top businesses, means students have access to top leaders across industry.
Columbia's MBA is also the most expensive program on this list, with a tuition of almost $169,000.
Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management
Applicants to Cornell can choose from three STEM MBA designated courses. The Management Science MBA is available in both a one year and two year format, with two-year students given further opportunity to develop their leadership and management expertise. The Cornell Tech MBA focuses on preparing students to thrive in the digital economy, with a curriculum focused on innovative tech solutions.
The Fuqua School of Business prides itself on offering an MBA focused on a candidate’s chosen business area, complemented with individual attention from staff and personalized career support.
It has a highly customizable curriculum with functional concentrations in areas including Decision Sciences, Marketing, and FinTech, and topical concentrations in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Entrepreneurship, and Energy and the Environment, amongst others.
Although Harvard Business School doesn't have a full STEM MBA program, the school added a STEM pathway to its MBA in 2020.
The Management Science track takes place over both of the program’s two years and covers areas including Entrepreneurial Management, Negotiation, and Technology and Operations Management.
Kelley School of Business offers five STEM designated majors within its full-time MBA program, in Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing, Strategic Analysis of Accounting, and Supply Chain and Operations.
Not only do students who complete the course qualify for their 36 months OPT, but they will also become part of one of the world’s largest business school network which includes over 130,000 Kelley alumni around the world.
The management science specialization within the full-time MBA at Michigan Ross is STEM-designated and worth 14 out of the course’s 57 required credits. Students who opt into the track can choose to focus on a variety of interesting topics, including The Psychology of Startups and Artificial Intelligence for Business.
MIT Sloan's STEM designated MBA program is a full-time two-year program that provides students with a typical core MBA education underpinned by the school's expertise in all things tech. There are also three specialized MBA tracks, in Finance, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Enterprise Management.
The MIT STEM MBA cost is pretty steep, coming in at just over $157,000.
Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management offers both a one year and two year MBA which are STEM-designated. Previously the STEM-designation was only for the major in Management Science, but it recently made its entire Full-Time MBA STEM-certified.
Students can specialize in areas through pathways that are sequences of courses designed to address a particular skill set or industry. Students can pursue any number of pathways they like, including Data Analytics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, and Social Impact.
NYU Stern offers two STEM designated MBA programs, which strongly integrate technology and analytics into the MBA curriculum. Students can choose between the two-year full-time STEM MBA and the focused one-year Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA. They also have the choice of more than 20 specializations, ranging from strategy and fintech to digital marketing and sustainable business and innovation. The full-time STEM MBA tuition cost at Stern is around $168,000.
Rice Jones boasts a STEM-designation for all its MBA programs. They was designed to equip students with the quantitative skills and workplace competencies to succeed in any industry after graduating. The STEM MBA cost at Rice is $73,500 per year.
The program offers an array of electives for students to choose from in their second year. These include Managing Energy Transitions, Strategy in Technology Ecosystems, and Operations Lab: Healthcare.
Stanford boasts both a full-time STEM MBA program alongside an accelerated, one-year STEM MSx program, which is aimed at mid-career experienced professionals. Both courses are fully customizable and offer a wide range of electives. Students who enroll in the STEM-designated courses will be learning at one of the top business schools in the world.
The Stanford STEM MBA cost is just under $160,000 in tuition fees alone, but graduates go on to earn roughly $250,650 per year, on average, three years after the program. That's according to the latest Financial Times Global MBA ranking.
University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business,
Berkeley Haas was among the first business schools to receive STEM MBA designation across all three of its MBA programs (Full-Time MBA, Evening and Weekend MBA, and Executive MBA). The MBA programs cover the likes of the application of statistical modeling, data warehousing, data mining, programming, forecasting, operations research techniques, and the analysis of problems of business organization and performance.
There are three STEM-designated MBA courses on offer at UCLA, catering to graduate students at different stages in their careers. One is the Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) is a customizable part-time program which can be spread across three to five years and is taught both in class and online.
The full-time STEM MBA at UCLA costs just almost $150,000. The program requires candidates to complete their course in-person within two years, while the school's STEM Executive MBA sees students study at weekends over a 22-month period.
University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School
At UNC Kenan-Flagler, candidates have the choice of four STEM MBA programs—the school's Full-Time MBA, Evening MBA, Weekend Executive MBA, and online MBA@UNC are all STEM designated. In all programs, students benefit from coursework they can customize to their learning and career objectives, a collaborative learning environment, tailored leadership development, and a career services team dedicated to their long-term success.
USC Marshall’s STEM-certified Management Science specialization is designed to combine data-driven decision-making and analytics with business fundamentals and leadership. Students are equipped to apply quantitative and scientific methods to business challenges, such as statistics, data analytics, operations and supply chain optimization, finance, forecasting, and digital marketing and modeling.
University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business
The Texas McCombs full-time MBA has STEM designation for 14 out of its 22 MBA concentrations. They include Business Analytics, High Tech Marketing, and Clean Tech.
The two-year STEM MBA cost at McCombs is $58,720 per year for non-state students, and $52,550 for Texas residents.
Vanderbilt Owen
The Nashville-based business school was awarded STEM-designation to the MBA with a Finance concentration, the MBA with a Operations & Analytics concentration, and the MBA with a Consumer Psychology and Marketing Analytics concentration.
Virginia Darden
For students who want to add a quantitative/analytical focus to the general management curriculum at Darden, it offers a STEM-designated management science specialization. This requires that students earn 12 credits from a select group of electives.
Virginia Darden is the top public business school in the world, according to the Financial Times’ 2024 ranking of the Top 100 global business schools.
Washington Foster
The MBA Management Science Degree Option is a STEM-designated credential available to Foster’s Full-time MBA students, which builds on the required core curriculum and helps students develop quantitative and analytical skills and capabilities.
Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
Not only do Wharton students get the chance to study at one of the most prestigious business schools in the world, but they can also choose from six majors and specializations which are now STEM designated. These include Business Analytics, Business Economics & Public Policy, Business, Energy Environment & Sustainability, Operations, Information & Decisions, and Quantitative Finance and Statistics.
The STEM-designated Management Science major is a general program focusing on the application of statistical modeling, data warehousing/mining, programming, forecasting, and operations research techniques to the analysis of problems of business organization and performance.
Yale SOM's MBA is ranked seventh in the US by US News and World Report and 15th in the world by the Financial Times.
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