Additional Areas Added to OPT – STEM Eligibility for 17 Month Extension
The Department of Homeland Security has included additional degrees to the list of Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes. According to the DHS interim final rule (IFR) of April 2008, nonimmigrant students who graduate with a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree, are also eligible to apply for the 17 month extension of optional practical training.
The following additions are listed for the STEM-Designated Degree Program:
• Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
• Animal Sciences, Other.
• Food Science and Technology
• Plant Sciences, Other.
• Soil Science, Other.
• Natural Resources/ Conservation, General.
• Environmental Studies
• Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other.
• Water, wetlands, and Marine Resources Management.
• Urban Forestry
• Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management.
• Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology.
• Computer and Information Sciences, Other.
• Computer Programming, Other.
• Computer Software and Media Applications, Other.
• Computer/Information Technology Services Administration and Management, Other.
• Education/ Instructional Technology
• Educational Evaluation and Research.
• Chemical Engineering, Other
• Civil Engineering, Other
• Computer Engineering, Other.
• Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Other.
• Engineering, Other.
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Electromechanical and Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Environmental Control Technologies/ Technician
• Industrial Production Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Quality Control and Safety Technologies Safety Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Mining and Petroleum Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Engineering-Related Technologies, Other.
• Computer Engineering Technologies/ Technicians, Other.
• Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other.
• Engineering-Related Fields, Other.
• Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields, Other
• Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
• Botany/Plant Biology, Other.
• Cell/ Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other/
• Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other.
• Zoology/ Animal Biology, Other.
• Genetics, Other
• Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences, Other.
• Pharmacology and Toxicology, Other.
• Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other.
• Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology, Other.
• Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other
• Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other.
• Mathematics, Other.
• Applied Mathematics, Other
• Statistics, Other.
• Mathematics and Statistics, Other.
• Air Sciences/ Airpower Studies.
• Air and Space Operational Art and Science.
• Naval Science and Operational Studies.
• Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations, Other.
• Military Applied Sciences, Other.
• Military System and Maintenance Technology, Other.
• Military Technologies and Applied Sciences, Other.
• Behavioral Sciences.
• Human Biology
• Computational Science
• Human Computer Interaction
• Sustainability Studies
• Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other.
• Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other.
• Chemistry, Other.
• Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other.
• Physics, Other
• Materials Sciences, Other.
• Physical Sciences, Other
• Nuclear and Industrial Radiological Technologies/Technicians, Other
• Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
• Research and Experimental Psychology, Other.
• Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism.
• Archeology
• Econometrics and Quantitative Economics.
• Aeronautics/ Aviation/ Aerospace Science and Technology, General.
• Cytotechnology/Cytotechnologist
• Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/ Technologist.
• Clinical and Industrial Drug Development.
• Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics.
• Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences.
• Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Environmental Health.
• Health/Medical Physics.
• Veterinary Anatomy
• Veterinary Physiology
• Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology
• Veterinary Pathology and Pathobiology
• Veterinary Toxicology and Pharmacology
• Veterinary Preventive Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health
• Veterinary Infectious Diseases
• Management Science and Quantitative Methods, Other.
For a full list of all designated degree programs, click here.
For image source or to apply for a high school STEM internship, click here.