Columbia, Stanford And More: Top STEM MBA Programs In The United States—And How Much They Cost

STEM MBA programs are increasingly common at business schools in the United States, as an increasing number of schools incorporate a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) element into their MBA syllabus.

Students who graduate from STEM MBA programs are well placed to tap into the opportunities created by emerging jobs. STEM-related roles are expected to increase by 15% in the US, translating to nearly 800,000 by 2031. More than half of these are projected to be mathematical and computer occupations, according to this SmartAsset study.

Compared to the one-year visa afforded to most international MBA students, STEM graduates are currently eligible to extend their stay in the US for three years in total without an H-1B visa, making them far more attractive to employers. STEM graduates can also expect higher salaries compared to those of traditional MBAs. 

With options ranging from electives and dual degrees to fully integrated STEM MBAs, here’s a list of the top STEM MBA programs in the US and how much they cost:

Top STEM MBA Programs In The US

Estimated tuition costs and course lengths apply only to full-time MBA programs. 
*  Tuition fees specified for international or out-of-state residents. In-state candidates may pay less for some programs. 
** Tuition costs are for the two-year program.

Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business

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The STEM-designated MBA at W. P. Carey School of Business is a 21-month program that costs $110,000 in tuition for international candidates and out-of-state domestic candidates. State residents pay a lower price of just over $60,000. 

The STEM-designation means that international MBA grads are eligible to stay in the US after graduating for up to 36 months under Optional Practical Training (OPT). Students also have the option of tailoring their MBA with several concentrations, including Artificial Intelligence, Business Analytics, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Supply Chain Management. 

Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business

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Tepper's STEM MBA program has its roots in management science with a keen focus on analytics and data-informed decision making. Students on the school's program will be given a grounding in how data and analytics are impacting business leaders across all industries. 

Students graduate ready to enter the workforce and harness the power of technology, data, and analytics to drive business growth.

Chicago Booth School of Business

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Chicago Booth's Full-Time MBA program received STEM-designation back in April 2020. The school says that its MBA curriculum is rooted in the fundamentals of business such as accounting, economics, psychology, sociology, and statistics. 

Booth prides itself on offering students a flexible course, with 13 different concentrations for students to choose from covering subjects like Behavioral Science, Econometrics and Statistics, and Entrepreneurship.

The Booth MBA also gives students the freedom to tailor their experience through offering the Full-Time MBA or Evening MBA and Weekend MBA courses to fit experiences, interests, and career goals.

Columbia Business School

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Located in New York City, Columbia Business School aims to provide students with a fast paced, competitive experience to match its surroundings. 

The school has both a STEM-designated MBA and Executive MBA program. Students can enroll for intakes in January and August for the STEM MBA, and May and August for the STEM EMBA. The school's advantageous location amid thousands of top businesses, means students have access to top leaders across industry. 

Columbia's MBA is also one of the most expensive program on this list, with a tuition of almost $176,600.

Cornell University, Johnson Graduate School of Management 

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Applicants to Cornell's MBA programs can choose from three STEM-designated courses. The Management Science MBA is available in both a one-year and two-year format, with two-year students given further opportunity to develop their leadership and management expertise. The Cornell Tech MBA focuses on preparing students to thrive in the digital economy, with a curriculum focused on innovative tech solutions.

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

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The Fuqua School of Business prides itself on offering an MBA focused on a candidate’s chosen business area, complemented with individual attention from staff and personalized career support. 

It has a highly customizable curriculum with functional concentrations in areas including Decision Sciences, Marketing, and FinTech, and topical concentrations in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Entrepreneurship, and Energy and the Environment, amongst others.

Harvard Business School

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Although the Harvard MBA isn't STEM-certified, the school did add a STEM pathway to its MBA in 2020. 

The Management Science track takes place over both of the program’s two years and covers areas including Entrepreneurial Management, Negotiation, and Technology and Operations Management. 

Indiana University Kelley School of Business

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Kelley School of Business offers five STEM majors within its full-time MBA program. They are in Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing, Strategic Analysis of Accounting, and Supply Chain & Operations. 

Not only do students who complete the course qualify for their 36 months OPT, but they will also become part of one of the world’s largest business school network which includes over 130,000 Kelley alumni around the world. 

Michigan Ross School of Business

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The management science specialization within the full-time MBA at Michigan Ross is STEM-designated and worth 14 out of the course’s 57 required credits. Students who opt into the track can choose to focus on a variety of interesting topics, including The Psychology of Startups and Artificial Intelligence for Business.

MIT Sloan School of Management

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The MIT Sloan MBA program is a STEM-designated program that provides students with a core MBA education underpinned by the school's expertise in tech. There are also three specialized MBA tracks—in Finance, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Enterprise Management. 

The tuition cost of the MIT STEM MBA is $1168,700.

Northwestern Kellogg School of Management

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Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management offers both a one-year and two-year MBA which are STEM-designated. Previously the STEM designation was only available through the program's major in Management Science. 

Students can specialize in areas through pathways that are sequences of courses designed to address a particular skill set or industry. Students can pursue any number of pathways they like, including Data Analytics, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, and Social Impact.

NYU Stern School of Business

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NYU Stern offers two STEM MBA programs, which integrate technology and analytics into the MBA curriculum. Students can choose between the two-year full-time MBA and the one-year Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA. They also have the choice of more than 20 specializations, ranging from strategy and fintech to digital marketing and sustainable business and innovation. The full-time MBA Stern costs $172,392.

Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business

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Rice Jones boasts a STEM designation for all its MBA programs. They were designed to equip students with the quantitative skills and workplace competencies to succeed in any industry after graduating. The two-year MBA at Rice costs $152,146 per year.

The program offers an array of electives for students to choose from in their second year. These include Managing Energy Transitions, Strategy in Technology Ecosystems, and Operations Lab: Healthcare.

Stanford Graduate School of Business

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The Stanford two-year MBA and one-year MSx programs are both STEM-certified. Both programs are fully customizable and offer a wide range of electives. 

The Stanford MBA cost is $171,510 in tuition fees alone, making it one of the more expensive programs in the list. However, Standford MBA graduates go on to earn an average salary of $185,000—representing a strong ROI for the program. 

University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business 

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Berkeley Haas was among the first business schools to receive STEM designation across all three of its MBA programs (Full-Time MBA, Evening and Weekend MBA, and Executive MBA). The MBA programs cover statistical modeling, data warehousing, data mining, programming, forecasting, operations research techniques, and the analysis of problems of business organization and performance.

UCLA Anderson School of Management

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There are three STEM-designated MBA programs on offer at UCLA, catering to graduate students at different stages in their careers. The Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) is a customizable part-time program which can be spread across three to five years and is taught both in class and online. 

The tuition fees for the two year, full-time MBA at UCLA costs are $158,904. Meanwhile the school's STEM Executive MBA sees students study across several weekends over a 22-month period.

University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

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At UNC Kenan-Flagler, candidates have the choice of four STEM MBA programs—the Full-Time MBA, Evening MBA, Weekend Executive MBA, and Online MBA. In all programs, students benefit from coursework they can customize to their learning and career objectives, a collaborative learning environment, tailored leadership development, and a career services team dedicated to their long-term success.

USC Marshall School of Business

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USC Marshall’s STEM-certified Management Science specialization is designed to combine data-driven decision-making and analytics with business fundamentals and leadership. Students are equipped to apply quantitative and scientific methods to business challenges, such as statistics, data analytics, operations and supply chain optimization, finance, forecasting, and digital marketing and modeling.

University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

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The Texas McCombs full-time MBA has STEM designation for 14 out of its 22 MBA concentrations. They include Business Analytics, High Tech Marketing, and Clean Tech. 

The cost of the two-year MBA at McCombs is $119,368, making it one of the most affordable STEM MBAs in the United States. 

Vanderbilt Owen

The full-time MBA program at Owen Business School was awarded STEM designation in 2025. This means students can apply to work in the United States for three years after graduation, instead of just one. Virginia Darden

For students who want to add a quantitative/analytical focus to the general management curriculum at Darden, it offers a STEM-designated management science specialization. This requires that students earn 12 credits from a select group of electives. 

Virginia Darden is the top public business school in the world, according to the Financial Times’ 2024 ranking of the Top 100 global business schools.

Washington Foster

The MBA Management Science Degree Option is a STEM-designated credential available to Foster’s Full-time MBA students, which builds on the required core curriculum and helps students develop quantitative and analytical skills and capabilities.

Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania

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Not only do Wharton students get the chance to study at one of the most prestigious business schools in the world, but they can also choose from nine majors and specializations which are now STEM designated. These include Business Analytics, Business Economics & Public Policy, Business, Energy Environment & Sustainability, Operations, Information & Decisions, and Quantitative Finance and Statistics. 

Yale School of Management

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The full-time MBA program at Yale was declared STEM-eligible in October 2024. Previously, only the Management Science major was STEM-designated. 

Yale SOM's MBA is ranked tenth in the US by US News and World Report and 24th in the world by the Financial Times.

This article was updated in May 2024 and June 2025.