P&Q’s Must Reads: Harvard Business School’s Full MBA Is Now STEM Designated

Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: Harvard Business School’s Full MBA Is Now STEM Designated 

Harvard Business School has joined the march of MBA programs big and small to STEM designation. In an announcement posted last week, the school says its entire full-time MBA will be classified as a STEM degree, beginning with the class of 2025.

While HBS previously offered STEM designation for its MBA Management Science Track and MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences degrees, it was among the last of the M7s to have the designation for its flagship full-time program. Now, the entire HBS MBA is a STEM degree.

The move may help attract more international students as U.S. schools have seen declining international applications over the last few years. You can read more about the move in this story, in our trending tab.

No. 2: The Ultimate “Smackdown” Series: MBA Program Intel

Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC) has just released an update to its legendary MBA Program Smackdown series. 

Curious about success factors for MBA application essays, what makes each program unique, why past admits selected one program over the other and/or comparative job placement for each of the programs? 

How about sample application essays on MBA career goals, HBS’s new essay topics, or Stanford GSB’s What matters most to you, and why?

The Smackdown series is a must-read for MBA applicants before launching into school evaluation, application planning, and essay development. 

Find all the advice and school comparisons now, from our homepage.

No. 3:  New Stanford MBA Club Envisions A World Accessible To All

Growing up in Turkey, Batu Demir and his brother, both blind since birth, tied a plastic bag around a soccer ball so they could chase the audible crinkles and flaps while playing with their neighborhood friends.

They practiced echolocation to ride bikes around the familiar streets, learning to sense parked cars, buildings, and even sign poles. All his life, Demir has had to find his own way of doing everyday things in order to live in a world built for the seeing.

As an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business, he co-founded a brand new club to support students with disabilities and prompt innovation in the disability space.

This story, which you can find on our homepage, features the stories of several inspiring GSB students who are forging new paths in disability tech.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: 2024-2025 MBA Application Deadlines

This guide has all the relevant dates and deadlines – Rounds 1 and 2, interviews and decisions – for the top business schools in the world. You can find it in our admissions hub.

Next: Long-Term Vision Vs. Short-Term Goal

This story, on our homepage, tells you how to link your past experiences and reasons for pursuing an MBA with your short and long-term goals.

Finally: How To Get Into A Top MBA Program With A Low Test Score. MBA Coach Scott Edinburgh tells you how to punch up the rest of your application in this article, which is available in our admissions hub.

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert school seekers to our events tab from our main menu. There, you’ll find all the upcoming admissions events for a range of degrees and programs including full-time and online MBAs, specialized masters, entrepreneurship and more. Registration is free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening.