The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expanded the list of STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and math --designated-degree program list that qualify eligible graduates on student visas for an optional practical training (OPT) extension. The new courses which are now included to the list of STEEM are: pharmaceutical sciences, econometrics, and quantitative economics.
Under the OPT program, international students who graduate from colleges and universities in the United States are able to remain in the United States and receive training through work experience for up to 12 months.
Students who graduate from a STEM-designated degree program can remain in the United States for an additional 17 months on an OPT STEM extension. List of the STEM-designated programs are available at http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/stem-list.pdf.
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