Stem path, mba

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Igniting Minds, Crafting Futures

Launched in Fall 2011, the STEM Path to the MBA allows high-achieving undergraduate students majoring in STEM disciplines to complete coursework to earn an MBA from the Manderson Graduate School of Business in only one calendar year beyond the completion of an undergraduate degree.

The program is centered around innovative solutions to real-world problems. Using nontraditional classroom methods and experiential learning opportunities, you have the opportunity to grow both academically deep into your major of study and functionally broad across different areas like communication, leadership, and professionalism. The resulting sum of experiences develops a solid foundation for you to grow into management roles in high-tech companies.

Nationally recognized

In 2017, the STEM Path to the MBA program was an MBA Roundtable Innovator Award finalist. The GBC Roundtable Innovator Award Program promotes initiatives that advance innovation in graduate business education and recognizes institutions that drive change in the field.  

About the Award

What to expect

Application Window

You can apply to the STEM Path to the MBA after being admitted to both The University of Alabama and the Honors College. Applications are open until the seats in the freshman class are full, at which point students are eligible to be placed on the waiting list. Therefore, it is better to apply for the STEM Path to the MBA earlier rather than later to secure a spot in the freshman class.

Online Application

Admission to the STEM Path to the MBA is not automatic. You must fill out the online application here to be considered for admittance. Admittance will be communicated via your Crimson email address, typically within ten days.

Apply to the STEM Path to the MBA for Entering Freshmen

Standardized Test Scores and GPA

The standardized test scores and GPA requirements match those of the Honors College (3.5 high school GPA and 28 ACT or 1250 old SAT/1310 new SAT), and you must also be a member of the Honors College to be eligible for the STEM Path to the MBA.

MBA Program Admission

In the fall of your junior year, you will apply separately to the MBA Program. The application process is similar to that of the traditional MBA path. You must have a 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA and preferably a 600 GMAT/305 GRE. You will also secure several supporting documents, including a resume, statement of purpose, and recommendation letters. Consistent with the requirements of the Graduate School, you will need at least 91 credit hours completed before you can begin graduate-level coursework. This means that by the end of your junior year spring semester, you must have at least 91 credit hours.

More about the MBA Program’s admission requirements

Undergraduate Coursework

Each semester, you will take a STEM Business Honors course worth 1.5 credit hours that meets for 75 minutes per week. The class size is limited to 35 students, and each semester covers a business topic like Marketing, Accounting, or Operations Management, among others. You will engage in several group projects, closing out each semester with a case study based on the semester’s business topic. You are encouraged to stay with the same faculty member for each STEM Business Honors course to develop a mentor-mentee relationship with your professor and a sense of camaraderie with your cohort. Additionally, the STEM Business Honors courses will fulfill your departmental honors credit requirement as a student in the Honors College.

Graduate Coursework

After you are admitted into the MBA Program, you will take one summer semester of three online MBA classes between your junior and senior years. The courses are online to allow you to engage in study abroad, internship, or co-op experiences while staying on track academically. During senior year, you will take another set of 1.5 credit hour STEM Business Honors courses dedicated to your senior project. You will take another semester of three online MBA classes between your senior year and MBA year. Finally, you will return to campus and take five courses in the fall and five courses in the spring to complete the MBA.

Projects

Starting freshman year, you will be assigned group innovation projects every semester that involve developing business models for new products or businesses. These innovation projects are themed; some past examples include NASA IP, a project focused on creating a marketable application of NASA intellectual property, and SmartCampus, which focuses on integrating modern techniques and technologies into university campuses to solve everyday problems. Typically, there are two innovation projects per semester. Additionally, as a final project, there is a case study focusing on the business topic of the semester. Finally, you will work on a year-long group project sourced from companies on the STEM Path to the MBA Advisory Board during your senior year, such as NetScout, Adtran, and Brasfield & Gorrie. Some of our student projects can be viewed on our STEM & CREATE innovation projects website: stem-create-innovate.ua.edu.

Curriculum Schedule

Freshman Year:

  • Fall: GBA 171
  • Spring: GBA 172

Sophomore Year:

  • Fall: GBA 271
  • Spring: GBA 272

Junior Year:

  • Fall: GBA 371
  • Spring: GBA 372
  • Summer: 3 Online MBA Courses*

Senior Year:

  • Fall: GBA 571
  • Spring: GBA 572
  • Summer: 3 Online MBA Courses

MBA Year:

  • Fall: 5 On-campus MBA Courses
  • Spring: 5 On-campus MBA Courses

*Assumes completion of 91 credit hours and admission to Graduate School

  • Engineering (Any Discipline)
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Environmental Science
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Geology
  • Kinesiology
  • Marine Science
  • Mathematics
  • Microbiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Nursing
  • Physics
  • Psychology
  • Pre-Health Profession
  • Public Health
  1. If I join the STEM Path to the MBA or the CREATE Path to the MBA (S/C P2MBA), what courses will I take?
    1. Each semester, our students register for the courses that they need to complete for their chosen major plus one 1.5 credit hour STEM Business Honors course.
  2. What are the STEM Business Honors courses about?
    1. During the first six of the eight STEM Business Honors Courses, you will do four things:
      1. Learn about one of the major areas of business (e.g., marketing, finance or accounting).
      2. Participate in 1-2 small team innovation projects.
      3. Keep a daily personal journal to learn about your character strengths.
      4. Work with a team of classmates to learn firsthand about a developing market (e.g., Colombia, Tanzania, or India) through a one-of-a-kind virtual study abroad program that involves students conducting interviews over Zoom with consumers and business experts in developing countries. Teams also make use of virtual reality videos created specifically for this program.
    2. During the two courses taken during the senior year, students work in teams to complete a year-long project for a company (e.g., Home Depot, Boeing, Bayer, or Capital One) or organization (e.g., NASA or a regional non-profit).
  3. Can I participate in Honors College and S/C P2MBA?
    1. All of our students begin as members of Honors College.  You aren’t required to finish in Honors College, but you must start in Honors College.
    2. S/C P2MBA is one of four programs on campus that are premier partner programs for Honors College. Our students who complete the S/C program and finish with a 3.5 or better GPA will earn an Honors diploma by completing our coursework. No further Honors courses are required.
  4. How large are the STEM Business Honors courses?
    1. The freshman, sophomore and junior course sections are typically limited to 35 students. The senior courses limit teams to 5-7 students per team, depending on the needs of the project.
  5. Will I get to know the faculty and other S/C students?
    1. We encourage our students to stay with the 30-35 classmates and their original S/C faculty member throughout the first six courses. This allows you to spend six semesters with the same 30 or so classmates, and the same professor!  Many of our students become close friends with their S/C classmates and get to know their professor very well.
  6. Do STEM Path and CREATE Path students take the STEM Business Honors courses together?
    1. This allows our STEM Path students exposure to classmates from CREATE Path who may be more creatively inclined than their STEM major classmates, while allowing our CREATE Path students much greater exposure to technology and science topics and discussions than their CREATE Path major classmates.
  7. Can I participate in CO-OP experiences while participating in the STEM Path to the MBA?
    1. Is is actually encouraged.
  8. Are there Study Abroad opportunities offered for S/C P2MBA students?
    1. Each summer, we offer our S/C students opportunities to study abroad in places like Portugal, Australia, Tanzania, India, Vietnam, and New Zealand.
  9. Can I do fall or spring semesters abroad while in S/C P2MBA?
    1. Yes, we encourage it.
  10. I will be coming to UA with a large number of AP course credits and dual-enrollment credits that I have taken in high school. I should be able to finish my undergraduate degree in three years.  Is it possible to finish the MBA my fourth year at UA?
    1. About 10-15% of our students complete their undergraduate and MBA degrees in four years.
  11. I am planning to do the Accelerated Masters Program (AMP) in either Civil, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering while at UA. Is it possible to do that with the MBA?
    1. Yes! Students majoring in civil, mechanical or aerospace engineering as undergraduates can use the AMP program to work on their undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering at the same time, while also enrolled in our dual-enrollment masters program that allows nine hours of approved masters work in these engineering fields to count toward the MBA, and allows nine hours of MBA courses to count toward the masters in engineering.
  12. If I receive a UA, university-level scholarship (e.g., Presidential Scholar) for eight semesters, or a National Merit scholarship for ten semesters, can I use any semesters of scholarship that are left over after I finish my undergraduate degree to cover MBA semesters?
    1. Once you complete your undergraduate degree, if you have semesters of university-level scholarship remaining, you may apply those semesters of scholarship toward your MBA coursework.
  13. How do I apply to the STEM Path to the MBA program?
    1. To apply to the STEM Path to the MBA program, go to stemmba.ua.edu and click on the link to the online application.
  14. How do I apply to the CREATE Path to the MBA program?
    1. To apply to the CREATE Path to the MBA program, go to createmba.ua.edu and click on the link to the online application.
  15. Can I major in business (e.g., finance or marketing) for either the STEM Path to the MBA or the CREATE Path to the MBA?
    1. Business disciplines are not recognized by the S/C P2MBA programs as either STEM- or CREATE-eligible.
    2. You can major in a recognized STEM or CREATE major and double-major in a business discipline and participate in S/C P2MBA.
  16. I am planning to go to medical school or dental school or law school. How wil the UA MBA degree help me?
    1. Medicine, dentistry and law are more business-driven each year. Each year, several of our S/C MBA graduates go on to medical school, dental school, or law school and report that their S/C MBA differentiated them from other applicants.  They also report later that the program and the degree provided them valuable skills that assisted them during professional school and that they expect those benefits to grow as they continue along their career paths.
  17. After I apply to the STEM Path to the MBA or the CREATE Path to the MBA, how long does it take for my application to be processed?
    1. If you have already been admitted to UA and have been admitted to Honors College or meet the requirements for Honors College, it typically takes less than 48 hours for us to process your application and get back to you. If you don’t meet the requirements of Honors College, you may be encouraged to apply as a test-optional applicant to Honors College first.
  18. Do I need to be admitted to Honors College before I apply to S/C P2MBA?
    1. If you haven’t applied to Honors College yet, go ahead and apply to STEM Path to the MBA or CREATE Path to the MBA.  If you are admitted to STEM Path or CREATE Path, you will automatically be admitted to Honors College.

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Alumni
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Learn About Career Tracks

Student Perspectives

I chose the Stem Path to the MBA program here at the Capstone because it provides a unique learning opportunity. The professors offer valuable insight into the working world, much more than I ever expected to receive from other university professors. They are all awesome mentors and push their students to take advantage of important career-building possibilities. I’ve made close connections with my peers and been able to network with engineering as well as business professionals. Over just one year, this program has developed my leadership skills and encouraged overall student growth. I highly recommend the Stem Path to the MBA for any student looking to join an involved and distinctive path that separates them from fellow students.
Frances BuntainMechanical Engineering, Class of 2024
The STEM Path to the MBA was one of the primary reasons I chose to attend UA in the first place. I’ve always loved space and the science of flight, but I was also looking for a way to expand my leadership and business skills. The STEM Path to the MBA jumped off the page of UA’s prospective student guide; without it, I may have started looking elsewhere. I love all of the opportunities the program has given me, such as the opportunity to work on my public speaking skills through business pitches and the opportunity to learn from our guest speakers. If you had told me this time last year that I’d have been able to present one of my own business ideas to a group of NASA engineers, my jaw would have hit the floor. As the cherry on top (and it’s a big one), I love the bond that I’ve created with my STEM Path professor (Professor Wright), and I know that that relationship will grow to be one of the most influential in my educational career.
Jonathan StueckerAerospace Engineering, Class of 2024
The STEM Path to MBA program is much more than a business education. I was initially attracted to the program because I found it incredible that I could obtain my engineering degree and my MBA degree all in 5 years. However, once I began the program, I found it is the people, professors, and the curriculum that really drive the program. With Alabama being such a large university, it is unique to find such a tight-knit community that learns and grows together. Through the program, I have grown as a leader, team member, and communicator. These skills are typically not emphasized in a STEM curriculum, which is why the STEM Path to MBA is such a beneficial asset to my education.
Jack SteinmetzMechanical Engineering, Class of 2024
Choosing to begin the STEM Path to the MBA was a decision I made after I decided to attend UA and began to truly consider what I wanted my engineering career to become. This program became an obvious choice after realizing that I would not be happy only working in math and science and that I wanted to be able to move into management positions and work in collaborative environments. Being in this program has allowed me to learn from and build connections with students with a variety of majors and career goals. In addition, I have been able to further explore my interests and possibilities for future careers through our professors, visiting speakers, and networking with older students. I am confident that this program and degree will help differentiate me upon leaving UA, as I have already seen it in my short time here. Upon seeking roles in research laboratories on-campus this spring, professors were excited to see my involvement in the STEM Path to the MBA and the abilities that I would bring to their teams for collaboration and presentation of results. The skills and connections that I am already building within this program make me excited about my remaining years and encourage younger students to join this unique and rewarding experience.
Madison Cantrell Chemical Engineering, Class of 2023
College revolves around community, connections, and growth. The STEM Path to the MBA has provided all three of these for me throughout my college career. Within the program, students and professors have the same goals: differentiating themselves from their peers and continuous personal growth. The community built from having the same professor and sometimes the same students in a classroom for 6 consecutive semesters is one of the main reasons that I have seen so much growth within myself. Not only does the program provide opportunities for academic growth, but also many opportunities outside of the classroom for further personal growth. From attending the European Innovation Academy and working with hundreds of young entrepreneurs from around the world to assisting a successful entrepreneur in developing her idea into a product right here in Tuscaloosa, the opportunities have been endless. I have developed a wide range of skills that I will take with me for the rest of my career because of the STEM Path to the MBA Program.
Jen PrideChemical Engineering, Class of 2022
Choosing to participate in the STEM Path to the MBA program was one of the best decisions I have made in college. Through the small class sizes and the personalized bond I was able to build with my professor, I have met some of my very best friends. Not only was the STEM Path a huge factor in my social growth, but it also has been integral to my career readiness. In 2018, I got to attend European Innovation Academy, where I created a startup business with a team from 4 different countries in just 15 days. Pitching our idea in front of a panel of venture capitalists and 500+ of my peers gave me the confidence and skills to be a great businesswoman. This experience opened the door to my internship the next summer and continues to create opportunities for me. Adding an MBA to my engineering degree differentiates me from my peers and gives me opportunities to grow that I would never have imagined possible.
Chloe DenormeMechanical Engineering, Class of 2022
The STEM Path to the MBA has enabled my cultivation and development of critical skills that are intimately connected to the business world. This dynamic educational experience provides the inimitable opportunity for engagement, team-building, and communication development; moreover, it enables my relentless pursuit toward an academic career centered on multiplicity, bolstering my ideals of a well-rounded education. I believe that the STEM Path to the MBA has helped me to acquire the necessary skills to be better prepared to enter the business world by fostering a unique perspective not directly expressed in the normal STEM curriculum. It has allowed me to feel more prepared than ever to enter the professional realm.
Julian GiakasBiology, Class of 2021
Coming into college, I knew that I wanted to be an engineering major because, throughout high school, I’d always been most interested and most skilled in classes involving physics and math. However, I was always hesitant to commit to an engineering career, as I’d worked all throughout high school in retail positions at local businesses, and I’d always loved working with people, interacting with customers, and getting a little look into the business world. I didn’t want to lose that in my future engineering career. So, as soon as I heard about the STEM Path to the MBA program, I knew it was just what I needed. This program is so unique, and it throws together STEM and CREATE students from all disciplines, all learning about business topics that are completely new to us. In addition to the curriculum and all that I’ve learned about business, I’ve learned so many valuable lessons about public speaking, presentations, and communicating with team members that I couldn’t have learned just anywhere else. This program is one-of-a-kind, unique, and incredibly effective in creating well-rounded students.
Jane GilletteAerospace Engineering, Class of 2021
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Connect with Your team

Rob Morgan

STEM/CREATE Path to the MBA
Executive Director for Innovation Initiatives
Professor of Marketing, J. Reese Phifer Faculty Fellow in Marketing

rmorgan@ua.edu

(205) 348-9557

214 AIME Building

The faculty and staff of the program are shared between the STEM Path to the MBA and the CREATE Path to the MBA. For general questions, email to stemcreate@culverhouse.ua.edu or call 205-348-8958.

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  1. Review your specific program’s admissions requirements.
  2. Prepare your materials.
  3. Apply to the graduate school and get ready to gain the Manderson Advantage.

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