What the Management Science Concentration and STEM Designation Mean for GBS Students

The Yale School of Management recently announced a new opportunity for Master’s Degree in Global Business and Society (GBS) students to complete a concentration in management science, receiving STEM designation. The management science concentration 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 organizations and performance.

This change gives GBS students the chance to pursue additional expertise in a STEM field and demonstrate that expertise to potential employers. It also has an impact on international students’ ability to work in the United States after graduation. Here are the details.

What does the GBS curriculum look like for students wanting to pursue the management science concentration?

Students who take part in the management science concentration will need to complete a minimum of 16 credit units of eligible courses in the management science concentration. As GBS students are required to complete 36 units of credit in order to receive the MMS degree, this leaves 20 credit units of elective courses GBS students can select from those offered at SOM and Yale University.

Courses that are designated eligible for the concentration include four-credit unit courses (full semester) and two-credit unit courses (half semester). Courses will be split between both the fall and spring semesters. In addition to SOM-eligible courses, students can take one non-SOM course worth four credit units from a pre-approved list of computer sciences courses.

Elective courses at SOM are chosen through bidding done by auction. Students apply for a seat in a particular class using bidding points at the beginning of each semester and at the half-semester point for classes worth 2 credit units. More information about the GBS curriculum can be found here.

What does STEM designation mean for an international student?

The management science concentration will allow students to qualify for an additional two-year STEM extension on their Post-Completion OPT work permission, which is typically only one year long. Enrollment in a STEM field is the first qualification in a series of eligibility criteria for STEM OPT extension. Further information about eligibility and requirements for the STEM OPT extension is available through Yale’s Office of International Students and Scholars.

How do GBS students sign up for the management science concentration?

Students will declare their interest in the management science concentration when filling out their application to the GBS program.