North Boston News

Since its founding, Endicott College’s mission has been to prepare people for thriving careers through top-notch academics, resume-building internships, and, now, more STEM-designated master’s programs so graduates can answer the in-demand labor needs of fields like technology and engineering.

 

According to Endicott’s Associate Director of Graduate Admission Alli McPhedran, the new programs will tremendously impact international applicants studying in the U.S. on an F-1 (student) visa.

 

“They are eligible for one year of Optional Practical Training (OPT) after completion of their academic program,” McPhedran said. “This is a truly beneficial opportunity available for students to practically apply their educational knowledge and start to develop their skills in the professional setting.”

 

Programs with a STEM designation offer an additional 12- to 24-month eligibility for further OPT, allowing students up to three years of employment in the U.S. after completing their academic program. 

 

The new STEM designations apply to the M.A. in Interior Architecture and the M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis; additionally, Endicott’s M.S. in Information Technology has always been STEM-designated and continues to welcome students from around the globe.

 

“With required internships and Endicott’s practical approach on the undergraduate side, our new STEM designations help integrate that on the graduate side by providing practical education programs that are now also explicitly tied to work opportunities in the U.S.,” added McPhedran.

 

The newly STEM-designated M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) comes on the heels of the launch of Endicott’s Institute for Applied Behavioral Science.

 

“Students in our M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis programs enjoy the flexibility and opportunity that a fully online program offers,” said McPhedran. While students pursuing an M.S. in ABA aren’t eligible for OPT through an online program, the designation offers more funding opportunities for STEM-focused scholarships—particularly for women, who represent a growing demographic within traditionally male-dominated STEM fields.

 

Women and international students also represent the biggest demographics within Endicott’s M.A. in Interior Architecture program, which underwent a 2019 name change and facelift after the addition of more architectural components was embedded in the curriculum. That change made the program eligible for the STEM designation under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines.

 

“We are pleased that this opportunity will also give students the ability to expand their professional development and growth through the additional two years of OPT allotted through the STEM designation of the program,” said McPhedran. “Now students have the ability to study here and continue working without having to study a U.S. methodology and then go home and try to apply it immediately.”

Original source can be found here.