The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made revisions to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. This includes the addition of eight new fields of study, each accompanied by a corresponding Department of Education Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. It’s important to note that no CIP codes are being removed from the existing list.
The eight newly added fields are Landscape Architecture Institutional Research, Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician, Composite Materials Technology/Technician, Linguistics and Computer Science, Developmental and Adolescent Psychology, Geospatial Intelligence, Demography and Population Studies.
This list serves the purpose of determining whether a degree obtained by specific F-1 nonimmigrant students qualifies as a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree. This determination, made by the DHS, is necessary for F-1 students to apply for a 24-month extension of post-completion optional practical training (OPT). For comprehensive details, please refer to the link https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-07-12/pdf/2023-14807.pdf
Remzi Guvenc Kulen, Esq.
Kulen Law Firm, P.C.
