University of North Carolina Wilmington MBA Receives STEM Designation

• The MBA program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Cameron School of Business received a federal STEM designation.
• Programs that receive a STEM designation from the Department of Homeland Security put a heavy emphasis on data-driven decision-making and analysis.
• The Cameron School of Business offers MBA concentrations in emerging fields like cybersecurity and information systems.
• The school is the third in the North Carolina system to receive an MBA STEM designation.

Every specialization within the University of North Carolina Wilmington's master of business administration (MBA) program received a federal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) designation — reflecting a wider trend as MBA programs embrace emerging technology.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Cameron School of Business offers a host of specializations in high-demand fields, including both traditionally focused concentrations like finance and marketing and emerging fields like cybersecurity and information systems.

The Cameron School of Business received a STEM designation based on its specializations falling under approved categories by the Department of Homeland Security, according to a release from the school. Those programs put a heavy emphasis on data-driven decision-making and analysis.

The school is the third in the University of North Carolina system to receive an MBA STEM designation, with North Carolina State's and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's programs already designated.

"The new STEM designation of our MBA programs is a reflection of the analytical focus of the curriculum," Cameron School of Business Associate Dean for Graduate, International, and Executive Programs Nivine Richie said in the school's press release. "The Cameron School of Business is growing in its technological advances, and the faculty have expanded the curriculum to meet the analytical needs of our community. Embedded in the curriculum are courses that equip students with forecasting, modeling, and analytical skills, especially in the International MBA program."

Many business schools are embracing growing industries like artificial intelligence in their MBA concentrations, allowing students to take advantage of meteoric job growth in those fields. Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business, for example, revamped its MBA curriculum this year to focus entirely on STEM, data-driven decision-making, and experiential learning.

The designation will mean two additional years of optional practical training for students in the Cameron School of Business's face-to-face international MBA program, boosting the school's ability to recruit international applicants.

STEM, as well as climate change and sustainability, are increasingly important topics for potential MBA students, BestColleges previously reported.

Cameron Business School Dean Rob Burrus underscored the importance of innovation in business education in the release.

"Academic programs must change and innovate to meet the career needs of students and the workplace needs of businesses," Burrus said. "After adapting to the needs of career-minded adults in moving our MBA to an online format, our faculty have moved tirelessly toward providing our graduates with the analytical skills necessary for businesses to succeed in the global economy." 

Starting salaries for MBA graduates in the United States are estimated to be higher than their 2022 projections, based on the Graduate Management Admission Council's (GMAC) 2023 Corporate Recruiters Survey. MBA graduates in the United States had an estimated median starting salary of $125,000 in 2023, according to the report, an increase from $115,000 in 2022.

"The sentiment among employers remains positive — 69% of employers say employees with GME (graduate management education) degrees tend to earn more at their companies than others, which is largely consistent across region, industry, and company size," that report read.