Work in the U.S. for 3 years after your MBA with Duke Fuqua’s new MSTeM certificate

There’s been a lot made recently of the declining applications to top U.S. business schools from international students as a result of changes to U.S. immigration policy and the difficulty of obtaining a H1B visa.

Well, here’s some good news for aspiring international students who still want to study in the United States. Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has added a certificate to its MBA program in Management Science and Technology Management (MSTeM). With its focus on the opportunities and challenges related to big data and managing innovation and technology, the certificate may enable students who graduate with a Duke MBA to work in the U.S. for three years after graduation without the need to obtain H1B status. Duke is one of the few U.S. schools that provide this opportunity due to its curriculum.

Russ Morgan, Fuqua’s senior associate dean for full-time programs, had this to say about the new certificate:

We think the combination of focused work in data analytics, plus the leadership skills and business fundamentals that are part of an MBA, is very powerful. Recently the US government granted STEM designation for this certificate, which means the student visa itself allows for three years of employment opportunity in the US for work related to the field of study without the need to obtain a work visa. Of course, during the three-year window, students have the opportunity to apply repeatedly for an H1B visa if they desire a longer work stint in the US. 

Morgan adds:

We value backgrounds that will add international perspective to our learning environment, because at Duke students learn alongside a diverse set of peers: people from different countries and markets who all have a keen intellectual curiosity.

Here is a short video explaining the new designation and what it means for MBA students.

You can learn more about the Data Analytics certificate here.