Broad College launches STEM MBA program

In today’s evolving business world, leaders across disciplines must possess the skills to manage teams, envision strategies and innovate through collaboration. Demand is growing exponentially for leaders who are also digitally savvy, with the know-how to apply data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning to creatively solve society’s problems.

To meet these real-world needs and to continue offering the best programming for Spartans to inspire the future of business, the Broad College’s Full-Time MBA program has created a STEM MBA curriculum — one that complements the MBA program and, now, has official STEM designation.

“Today’s announcement is the manifestation of our team’s collective drive toward accelerating the careers of our graduate students. It follows a rigorous review of the entire curriculum of our halo graduate management program, the Full-Time MBA program,” said Richard Saouma, associate dean for MBA, EMBA and professional master’s programs, noting that these efforts extended over the past three years in collaboration with Michigan State University’s Office of the Provost.

This new program is the latest addition to the college’s STEM programs, alongside the M.S. in Accounting, M.S. in Business Data Science and Analytics, M.S. in Finance and another recent designee, M.S. in Marketing Research. Across the board, the programs with this designation offer a greater breadth and depth of learning for students to make an impact upon graduation.

“The STEM designation provides an even more immersive, technical experience for our students while continuing to offer the curricular specialties our Full-Time MBA program is renowned for,” Wayne Hutchison, the program’s managing director, said. “These upgrades will enable our programs to remain competitive amongst the top public MBA programs in the nation while positioning and bolstering us for future growth. Ultimately, we are appreciative to be offering these opportunities to our students, setting them up for higher degrees of career success and emboldening them to unlock their highest potential.”

“Recognizing the historical strength and importance of our qualitative concentrations,” Saouma added, “we have retained the original MBA program and complemented it with the new STEM MBA degree for students preferring a more quantitative curriculum, though the classes, instructors and even sections are identical between the two programs.”

The STEM MBA is also great news for international students seeking post-graduation employment in the United States. Typically, international students with an F-1 visa are eligible for up to 12 months of Optional Practical Training, which allows them to gain training and professional experience in their field of study in the United States upon graduation. Students who graduate with a STEM-designated degree can apply to extend their OPT for an additional 24 months, giving them a higher chance at acquiring a work visa or even possible citizenship.

“This is an essential step in providing competitive and relevant programming options in today’s graduate management business landscape,” Andrea McHale, the program’s director of graduate admissions and enrollment, said. “Providing a STEM-designated MBA at Broad signals to our prospective students, admitted students, current students, alumni and employers the analytical strength of our MBA program.”

Saouma also shared, “Students, employers and alumni have been requesting a STEM-eligible MBA program, and on behalf of the entire team, we are incredibly excited to finally proffer the new STEM MBA program at the Eli Broad College of Business.”

Broad Spartans graduating in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023 will be the first students eligible to graduate with the STEM MBA degree, as well as all future cohorts, provided they complete the STEM MBA requirements.

For more information about each of the Broad College’s STEM programs, visit the Full-Time MBA, M.S. in Accounting, M.S. in Business Data Science and Analytics, M.S. in Finance and M.S. in Marketing Research program pages.