Press release

USC Marshall Announces STEM Specialization for MBAs

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The University of Southern California (USC) Marshall
School of Business
today announced the creation of a STEM-certified Management
Science
specialization available for full-time MBA students. The new
specialization is effective as of the fall 2019 semester for members of
the MBA Class of 2021, with availability for the Class of 2020.

USC
Marshall full-time MBA
students who pursue this specialization can
expect two significant benefits from this STEM-certified program:

  • The ability to demonstrate expertise in subjects such as statistics,
    data analytics, operations and supply chain optimization, finance,
    forecasting, and digital marketing and modeling to prospective
    employers increasingly valuing such skills;
  • A potential extension of employment opportunities in the U.S. for
    international graduates via application for a 24-month extension of a
    12-month OPT, because the specialization qualifies as a STEM
    designated degree program by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“This new specialization is designed to combine data-driven
decision-making and analytics with the overall MBA program learning
objectives of developing a global and entrepreneurial mindset, building
a deep understanding of business fundamentals, and leading
high-performing teams,” said Suh-Pyng
Ku
, Vice Dean for Graduate Programs. “The specialization in STEM
certified Management Science will require the students to enroll in STEM
qualified courses for about half of their electives program.”

This new specialization places Marshall among other early adopters of
STEM concentrations for MBA candidates, including Duke University’s
Fuqua School of Business and the Wisconsin School of Business at
Wisconsin-Madison.

“It is a reality of the technological economy today that many of the
employers who recruit at USC offer positions, to say nothing of future
jobs and leadership opportunities, that require STEM qualifications,”
said Mark
Brostoff
, Assistant Dean and Graduate Career Services Director.

The program follows consultation with the leaders of the USC Leventhal
School of Accounting, as well as the chairs of the USC Marshall academic
departments (Business Communication, Data Science and Operations,
Finance and Business Economics, the Lloyd Greif Center for
Entrepreneurial Studies, Management and Organization, and Marketing),
and support from the Marshall Graduate Student Association.

For more information about the new STEM-certified Management Science
specialization or to speak with USC Marshall experts, contact Matthew
Simmons, USC Marshall Media Relations, at 213-821-9868 or
matthew.simmons@marshall.usc.edu.