Economics degrees reclassified as STEM

The B.A. and B.S. degrees in Economics conferred by JMU's College of Business have now been officially designated as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). 

With the help of Paula Maxwell, JMU's associate vice provost for curriculum, the Department of Economics applied last summer for a change in its Classification Instructional Programs (CIP) code. The change was approved by SCHEV in the early fall and will take effect this spring.

It reflects the Economics department’s long standing focus on teaching quantitative, statistical and mathematical methods which prepare its students for the demands of the job market. The change opens up further options for STEM-based student scholarships, and enables international students on an F-1 visa (also informally known as a “study visa” or “student visa”) to apply for a 24-month extension in which to complete whatever practical training they may seek.

"We're pleased to have joined the small but growing number of Economics departments nationwide with programs classified as STEM," said Syed Hussain, associate professor of Economics and assistant academic unit head for the department. 

"The new classification is more consistent with the mathematical and quantitative rigor that has characterized our program for many years," Hussain said. "It also greatly benefits our international students, as it significantly increases the amount of time they can work in the United States after graduating."

Balint Kocso is a German citizen majoring in Economics at JMU. With the reclassification of his major as STEM, Kocso hopes to be able to use the Optional Practical Training (OPT) provisions of the existing law in order to extend his stay in the U.S. to three years.

"Obviously, this would be an improvement on the mere one year available to those enrolled in non-STEM majors," Kocso says. "The change could therefore be of great benefit to me.”