Evening MBA Receives STEM Designation
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (August 5, 2020)
This week, the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University announced that it has received a STEM-designation for its Evening MBA program in Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA). The new designation certifies the DSBA curriculum as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and reflects a curricular focus on business skills with an emphasis on STEM applications.
The certification will go into effect on September 1 and applies to incoming Fall 2020 students. Along with the new STEM designation, international students who are on an F-1 visa will now be able to work in the U.S. for up to three years following graduation under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The Department of Homeland Security’s STEM Designated Degree Program was established to address the estimated shortage of 1.1 million STEM workers by 2024 and encourage students to find employment in specialized fields related to technology and analytics.
“International students are an essential part of our global Santa Clara University community,” Susan Popko, Associate Provost for International Programs said. “Our international students contribute so much to life on campus and here in Silicon Valley. We are happy to support their post-graduation employment and career goals through the Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT programs.”
The Evening MBA, ranked 25th by US News & World Report in its 2020 Best Graduate Schools, is a flexible program where working professionals earn degrees in two years. Through its rigorous course curriculum, network of professionals in leadership roles, and prime location in the heart of Silicon Valley, the program is designed to equip graduates with a blend of strong technical expertise and proven management skills.
“We are glad to do this for our amazing international students,” Toby McChesney, Senior Assistant Dean of Graduate Business Programs said. “We tend to have 10% of our Evening MBA students on an F1 visa so this move will really help them. Since all of our on-campus MS programs are STEM-designated, this aligns our top-ranked Evening MBA program with them and it will bring more students closer to Silicon Valley.”
Applications for 2021-2022 terms open on September 10, 2020. Click here for more information about the program.
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education.
About Leavey School of Business
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, one of the most dynamic business environments in the world, the Leavey School of Business combines academic excellence in the 450-year Jesuit tradition, with an energetic, innovative spirit that typifies the region. Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business offers one of the nation’s best graduate business programs ranked No. 11 Executive MBA by U.S News & World Report, No. 25 ranked Evening MBA by U.S News & World Report and No. 25 ranked Online MBA by The Princeton Review. For more information, visit www.scu.edu/business.