More University Study Programs Become STEM-designated

More University Study Programs Become STEM-designated

International students who come to the United States often study science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM. Not as many come for programs in humanities or the arts, the 2021 Open Doors Report says.

Under U.S. laws, after finishing school, international students are permitted to work in the country for one year under the Optional Practical Training, or OPT¹ program. For STEM students, the program extends their work permit for an additional two years in their field of study.

The U.S. immigration office publishes the STEM Designated Degree Program List for study programs that it considers for the OPT extension. The programs include "new technologies using engineering, mathematics, computer science, or natural sciences (including physical, biological, and agricultural sciences)."

But international students who are interested in business, psychology², news reporting and even theater should know that more study programs in the U.S. are coming to the list.

New STEM-designated programs

Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, is currently looking for students for a STEM-designated journalism³ program that will start in one year.

The program will offer a Master of Science degree in Media Innovation and Data Communication. Students will take classes such as "Telling Your Story with Data" and "Digital Journalism."

John Wihbey teaches journalism and media innovation at Northeastern. He said today's journalists need to be able to work on data visualization⁴ projects, read business printouts and work on digital media such as video and audio. Many journalism students are already doing this work, so it makes sense for schools to create new study programs.

"And so those students who were inclined in that direction ended up taking a lot of interactive⁵ graphics⁶, design, data viz and coding courses. And so we started to see graduates who we, you know, had no question belonged in the world of STEM."

Northeastern's new program joins other journalism programs at schools like New York University, the University of Southern California and the University of South Florida that have a STEM designation. At New York University, the school also lists drama therapy and psychology among STEM-designated programs.

At one point, the U.S. government was worried that OPT was taking jobs away from American workers. However, once President Joe Biden's administration came into office, the chance for international students to do two extra years of OPT actually increased.

In the STEM Designated Degree Program List released in January 2022, several new study areas were included. The new study programs include forestry⁷, data visualization, psychology, business analytics, animal behaviors, and research methods in social sciences.

Eunkyu Lee is a business and marketing⁸ professor at Syracuse University in New York state. He said international students who want to work in the U.S. should look for STEM-designated programs when they are searching for colleges. People may think that business study programs such as marketing do not require STEM skills. But Lee said that is not true.

"There is a growing emphasis on the importance of data analytics. You can imagine that each time you make a call or visit a web page, or use your mobile devices, a huge amount of data are being accumulated."

Data, Lee said, "is of great concern" to businesses. So students with STEM degrees have an advantage when it comes to finding jobs.

And then, because of the extended OPT, a student might be able to find an employer who will help them get a work visa.

Words in This Story

journalism –n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio

humanities –n. areas of study (such as history, language, and literature) that relate to human life and ideas

designate –v. to mark, show, or represent (something)

innovation –n. the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods

field –n. an area of work or study

graduate –n. a person who has completed a study program

analytics –n. the careful study of something in order to take away meaning

accumulate –v. to gain or collect something

visualization –n. the act of showing something with pictures or colors

incline –v. to cause (someone) to want to do something or to be likely to do something

therapy –n. the treatment of a physical or mental illness

emphasis –n. special importance given to something

1 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

2 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

3 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 visualization   

n.想像，设想

参考例句：

• In 2D visualization and drawing applications, vertical and horizontal scrolling are common. 在二维的可视化及绘图应用中，垂直和水平滚动非常普遍。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Ophthalmoscopy affords the only opportunity for direct visualization of blood vessels. 检眼镜检查法提供直接观察血管的唯一机会。

5 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

6 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

7 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。