The STEM Path to the MBA:
Innovative Recruiting Success
Southern Business
Administration Association
Atlanta - November 2014
The STEM Path to the MBA
• Modeled after medical schools’ early
admissions programs.
• Targets incoming freshmen students who:
– Major in STEM disciplines
– 3.5 High School GPA
– 28+ ACT
The STEM Pathway to the MBA
• The Program
– Freshman thru Junior Year
• 1.5 credit hour STEM Business Honors course each semester while
students pursue science, engineering or math majors
– Summer following Junior Year
• Apply in November of junior year and be admitted to Graduate School
• Complete 9 hours of MBA courses online
– Senior Year
• 2-1.5 credit hour STEM Business Honors course capstone project
• Graduate from STEM undergrad
– MBA Year
• Complete remainder of MBA program in one calendar year
• Summer: Online
• Fall & Spring: In-residence in Tuscaloosa
The STEM Path to the MBA
• STEM Business Honors Courses
– Sections limited to 35 students
– Instructors:
• Tenured business faculty
• Non-tenure-earning business faculty with STEM background:
– Chemical Engineer, MBA
– Aerospace Engineer, Business Analytics, MBA
– Mechanical Engineer, CEO, MBA, MS Engineering Controls, MS
Accounting
– Faculty mentor assigned to stay with cohort for 4
years of the program
• Ensures continuity of contact, retention
• Allows faculty to closely monitor student progress
The STEM Path to the MBA
• STEM Business Honors Courses
– Objectives:
• Provide survey of various business disciplines
• Intense exposure to innovation
– Builds students’ confidence in their understanding of technical
and business aspects of innovation
– Provides unique understanding and perspective of business
• Teach character strengths & virtues
• Build network among students
The STEM Path to the MBA
• STEM Business Honors Courses
– Yearly Focus
• Freshman Year
– Business Disciplines: Leadership & Marketing
– Innovation Skill: Business Modeling
– Virtues: Wisdom & Knowledge, Courage
• Sophomore Year
– Business Disciplines: Accounting & Finance
– Innovation Skill: Customer Development
– Virtues: Humanity, Justice
• Junior Year
– Business Disciplines: Operations Management & Global Business
– Innovation Skill: Customer Validation
– Virtues: Temperance, Transcendence
• Senior Year
– Business Disciplines: Project Leadership
STEM Path to the MBA
Class of 2016
31.6
ACT
33%
In-State
67%
Out-of-State
16%
Science
64
Students
84%
Engineering
22
States
43.2%
Women
4.15
HS GPA
56.8%
Men
81.8%
White
18.2%
Minority
STEM Path to the MBA
31.4
ACT
Class of 2017
11.8%
Science
134
31.8%
In-State
Students
68.2%
Out-of-State
4.11
HS GPA
79.7%
Engineering
25
21.7%
Women
States
78.3%
Men
8.5%
Healthcare
89.6%
White
10.4%
Minority
STEM Path to the MBA
31.6
ACT
Class of 2018
24.2%
In-State
255
Students
75.8%
Out-of-State
4.09
HS GPA
12.2%
Science
32.4%
Women
83.4%
Engineering
29
States
67.6%
Men
4.4%
Healthcare
85.1%
White
14.9%
Minority
STEM Path to the MBA
31.5
ACT
Class of 2019
22.6%
In-State
305
Students
(431 applied)
77.4%
Out-of-State
4.09
HS GPA
11.6%
Science
32.1%
Women
34
States
67.9%
Men
1.6%
Healthcare
86.8%
Engineering
STEM Path to the MBA
Class of 2019 – Breakdown of Science & Math Majors
Microbiology
10%
Physics
7%
Mathematics
7%
Marine
Science
7%
Exercise &
Sports
Science
7%
Chemistry
10%
Biology
52%
STEM Path to the MBA
Class of 2019 – Breakdown of Engineering Majors
Mechanical
Engineering
26%
Metallurgical
Engineering
1%
Architectural
Engineering
0%
Chemical
Engineering
24%
Environmental
Engineering
1%
Engineering
(undecided)
15% Electrical
Engineering
4%
Aerospace
Engineering
9%
Civil
Engineering
8%
Computer
Science
9%
Computer
Engineering
3%
STEM Path to the MBA
Retention of Class of 2016
(as of May 2014)
Class Entering Fall 2011
N
Hours
Complete
Overall
GPA
UA
Hours UA GPA SAT Total
ACT
High School Alabama Stayed in Stayed in Stayed at Registered for
Composite
GPA
Residents
Major
Division
UA
Fall 2014
STEM Path to the MBA
64
94.79
3.50
72.76
3.49
1365.0
31.00
4.10
36.2%
58.6%
82.8%
90.6%
78.1%
STEM Majors, 28+ ACT
810
89.90
3.47
71.83
3.45
1355.5
30.97
4.05
52.1%
41.2%
75.1%
87.3%
74.6%
STEM Majors, <28 ACT
1193
72.84
2.90
65.51
2.88
1040.9
22.78
3.52
66.8%
25.9%
50.5%
66.6%
51.6%
Non-STEM Majors, 28+ ACT
860
88.03
3.55
71.41
3.54
1322.2
30.32
3.96
51.1%
26.6%
73.4%
87.0%
76.0%
Non-STEM Majors, <28 ACT
2720
72.50
2.92
66.25
2.90
1031.5
22.46
3.35
47.6%
26.5%
62.4%
67.0%
59.2%
STEM Path to the MBA
Retention of Class of 2017
(as of May 2014)
Class Entering Fall 2012
N
Hours
Complete
Overall
GPA UA Hours UA GPA SAT Total
ACT
Composite
High School
GPA
Alabama
Residents
Stayed in
Major
Stayed in
Division
Stayed at
UA
Registered for
Fall 2014
STEM Path to the MBA
141
69.74
3.65
46.39
3.64
1396.0
32.07
4.16
31.1%
56.3%
82.2%
95.7%
89.4%
STEM Majors, 28+ ACT
948
64.01
3.54
44.37
3.52
1348.4
31.06
4.09
41.5%
52.6%
81.3%
92.6%
77.5%
STEM Majors, <28 ACT
1373
45.44
2.96
39.16
2.93
1062.3
22.99
3.54
60.1%
41.0%
58.3%
80.8%
52.9%
Non-STEM Majors, 28+ ACT
911
63.24
3.60
45.06
3.59
1323.0
30.51
3.96
46.5%
40.6%
78.7%
90.3%
81.7%
Non-STEM Majors, <28 ACT
2875
44.58
2.95
40.06
2.94
1026.6
22.41
3.35
43.3%
46.7%
68.8%
80.3%
64.1%
STEM Path to the MBA
Progression toward MBA Applications
Class Entering
Semester
# as Freshmen # as Sophomores
# as
Juniors
# as
Seniors
MBA - in
Year 2
MBA – in
Year 3
GMAT
MBA – in
Year 4
Fall 2011
64
54
42
31
0
21
676
-
Fall 2012
134
118
92
-
2
41
-
-
Student Accomplishments
• 2 Students from Class of 2017 Seeking Patent
– During freshman year, invented technology to reduce fuel consumption
and brake maintenance expenses on tractor-trailers
– Provision patent filing this fall
• Crimson Startup Program
– Teaches participants lean customer discovery based on NSF approach
– Teams go on to develop prototypes and perform customer validation
– Averaging 8 teams per semester for last 6 semesters
• Over 600 new product/business ideas developed by STEM teams in 20132014
• Students/Program becoming major attraction for corporate recruiters
Student Accomplishments
• Avon/National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Startup Challenge
– 3 UA teams composed of STEM MBA students, Hudson Alpha and Quest
Diagnostics scientists, venture capitalists, medical/science entrepreneurs,
attorney alums, and STEM, AIME, OTT directors
– 10 University programs selected nationally:
• Duke, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Columbia, Texas Tech, North Carolina, NYU, Harvard,
Rutgers, Dartmouth, University of Alabama STEM Path to the MBA
– NCI Provides 10 patented technologies
– University teams develop business plans for commercializing selected
technologies
– NCI to provide startup funding for top team in each of the 10
technologies
• National Institutes of Health Neuro Startup Challenge
Student Accomplishments
• Non-Profit Consulting Group
– Providing consulting services to international NGO working to build schools for
children and factories for women in Pakistan.
– Quality Control, Distribution and Retailing, Business Model Performance
• Founding “Innovators Anonymous” Student Organization
– Provides networking opportunities for students especially interested in
innovation, startups, and entrepreneurship
• Sponsoring Startup Weekend events
– Brings campus and community together for a weekend of innovation and
entrepreneurship
STEM Path to the MBA Advisory Board
• Provides feedback on curriculum, program structure
• Assists us with identifying new opportunities for coops, internships, jobs for students
• Provide themes for business model generation projects
• Includes: ADTRAN, Alabama Power, Boeing, Brasfield &
Gorrie, Eastman Chemical, Egen, Evergreen Private
Care, Harbert Venture Partners, International Paper,
KKR, Proctor & Gamble, Southern Research Institute,
U.S. Army, Mercedes, Tektronix, NASA
The Future
• Working with experts on STEM Advisory Board to develop UA fund to provide
seed funding for STEM students wanting to take inventions and new product
ideas forward, for prototyping, proof-of-concept testing, and
commercialization
• Launching on pilot basis “CREATE Path to the MBA” track that would allow
28+ ACT/3.5 HS GPA students majoring in creative disciplines (e.g., drama,
music, art, apparel design, textiles) to join with STEM Path students
The STEM Path to the MBA:
Innovative Recruiting Success
Southern Business
Administration Association
Atlanta - November 2014