Is my major considered STEM? Why does it matter?
International students consider many factors when deciding to go to college in the US. The quality of education, prestige, networking opportunities, interdisciplinary choices are among the options many students perceive as adding value to their college years.
Optimizing their time in the US becomes a goal for international students as they go through their undergraduate program. Afterall, the undergraduate experience is much more than developing academically. Professional opportunities add a valuable dimension which can lead to full time employment after graduation.
Depending on their major, some international students have the opportunity to stay longer in the US after graduation.
All international students who graduate from US universities are eligible to stay for 90 days after graduating, and then an additional 12 months to work in an area related to their degree. Students who graduate from a STEM-designated program are eligible to extend their employment for an additional 2 years, allowing them to stay in the US for three years.
STEM designation can be a bit confusing. In general, it indicates that the degree program is related to Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Math and includes technical instruction. For Biophysics or Engineering majors, their stem designation might not be a mystery. But for popular majors such as Business, Economics and Psychology, the designation might not be clear, but kind of fuzzy.
How to check STEM designation?
Each year, the US Department of Homeland Security publishes a list of degree programs they designate as STEM. The list includes degree programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. International students should check with their university to know if their program is STEM or not. It is handy to know the CIP code of your program to compare with the DHS STEM list.
Checking STEM designation when building a college list
If you are considering applying to programs in the US, knowing which universities offer STEM designation in your desired area of study might help guide you as you choose where to apply. Here are some insights for some popular fuzzy majors.
Business Majors
According to the DHS Stem list, look for undergraduate majors like Management Science, Financial Mathematics and Business Statistics if you are seeking STEM designation.
Communications Majors
Not many degree programs in this area are designated STEM. However, two stand out for their STEM designation: Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia, and Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects.
Economics Majors
Be aware that not all economics degree programs are designated STEM by DHS. Look for Econometrics and Quantitative Economics programs. Others that qualify are Economics and Computer Science, and Mathematical Economics.
Psychology Majors
Like economics, not all psychology programs get the STEM designation. Look for Experimental Psychology, Research and Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics and Behavioral Sciences. The interdisciplinary Cognitive Science major also has STEM designation.
How to search?
The National Center for Education Statistics created College Navigator, a searchable database that lists degree programs using the same terminology that DHS uses. College Navigator allows users to create a list of colleges and universities by searching the name of the degree program. Searches can be narrowed by many factors including location, campus setting and selectivity.
College Navigator also allows users to search a specific college or university by name to see all the degree programs available as well as the number of degrees awarded in that area. This is important because it gives the user a look into the size of a specific program.
The data aggregated in College Navigator may change year to year. Always check with the university for the most up-to-date information on their programs, and to verify that the major you are interested is offered, and indeed has the STEM designation if that is what you seek.
If you’d like to learn more about how to decide your major, build a college list, apply to college and/or working as an international student in the US, reach out for a free consultation.
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