Ross Adds STEM Track to MBA Program

For B-school applicants looking to give their education a strong quantitative twist, University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business has announced a new full-time MBA STEM track.

The school says that it expects the STEM track to be a good fit for students looking to move into roles making heavy use of quantitative skills, such as those in business analytics.

Although Ross has not yet announced all the details of the STEM track’s curriculum, the broad outlines have been released: MBA students in the STEM track will complete Ross’s core MBA courses along with 18 credits of STEM electives.

Those electives will include courses with themes like big data, fintech, and marketing engineering.

Ross’s dean, Scott DeRue, said that “business analytics has become essential in helping organizations make strategic business decisions, and we are excited to announce this new pathway for our full-time MBA students who are interested in pursuing STEM-related careers in business.”

Like many top business schools, Ross has gradually been ratcheting up its data and analytics offerings in recent years.

In 2018, Ross added a data and analytics concentration to its full-time MBA program. That concentration requires 12 credits of elective courses related to analytics.

The school also recently launched its FinTech Initiative, joining other top B-schools that have embraced fintech, such as the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, which in 2019 announced the creation of its Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance.

Ross’s new STEM track will be open to all full-time MBA students beginning with the cohort arriving on campus in Fall 2020.

Announcing the STEM track, Ross pointed out that the school has made several changes to its MBA curriculum in recent years, including expanding its offerings of Ross Experiences in Action-Based Learning to give students more hands-on learning opportunities.

Soojin Kwon, the MBA program’s managing director, explained that the school is “constantly looking for new ways to provide our students with the educational experiences and opportunities that will enable them to thrive in their future careers.”

For students interested in giving their graduate management education a prominent STEM focus, the new STEM track seems like it will do exactly that.

So what kind of profile does the adcom look for at a school like Ross? An MBA application can stand out in different ways, and a strong STEM background combined with a career vision in that area can be one such way.

We’re happy to provide feedback on how your application will come across at schools like Ross and what you can do to emphasize your unique personal strengths. Feel free to contact us and request a free MBA application assessment!