It’s common knowledge that people in power have a disconnect between the people they serve. People in power tend to only make changes when their numbers start to decline.
I think this is especially true for colleges. Colleges and universities don’t change their curriculums unless they absolutely have to. If officials do decide to change their curriculum, it becomes a race to see which school can publish it the fastest. Repetition and imitation is the best strategy for colleges to increase enrollment. .
College curriculums lack modernity and creativity until their enrollment percentages drastically drop. However, once changes are made the results are great.
Over the past few years, Business schools in the United States have been experiencing drastic declines in their enrollment. As of recently, international students are now being targeted for higher enrollment.
According to Forbes, seventy percent of full-time MBA programs experienced a ten percent drop in applications from international students between 2017 and 2018. In 2019, the number dropped to fourteen percent.
I hate to bring him up, but the common denominator in international problems since 2016 is Donald Trump. Due to changes to our immigration policies and the tight restrictions on obtaining a H-1B visa (or employment-based green card), foreign students no longer feel secure traveling to the United States for school.
Why should you come here when you earn an MBA in Europe? As the rates for American business schools declined, the rates for enrollment in Europe reached it’s all-time high. Who wouldn’t want to travel to a beautiful city to earn a degree in less time, for a cheaper cost, and with a chance to receive a job within one year of graduating?
I can see the appeal and I understand why business schools in the United States are now rushing to combine STEM and MBA programs. They want to attract as many international students as possible before there aren’t any international students to advertise to. However, are STEM programs going to be enough?
I think they will be enough because of visas. A regular MBA degree means after graduation that students are only allowed to work in the states for one year before their visa expires. If students have a STEM degree, then they are entitled to an additional two years after graduation. Giving students more time to get a secure job, students have a greater chance of receiving longer visas.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported the recent rush of schools to add STEM programs. While part of this story credited this change to schools wanting their students to be able to seperate themselves, the majority of the story elaborated on the importance of granting international students more time to settle into life after graduation.
It took a decline in enrollment for schools to see that a year after graduation is not enough time to secure employment and be eligible for a work visa. However, as the saying goes better late than never.