The Business Analytics Academy in the Tippie College of Business’ full-time MBA program has been designated as a STEM degree, which will give its alumni a leg up when starting their careers.

Kristine Arens, business director in the Business Analytics Academy, says the designation means the program meets guidelines laid out by the U.S. Department of Education that are needed to qualify as a STEM degree.

“This new designation tells employers that our MBA students in the Business Analytics academy have quantitative chops and can not only understand business needs, but have technical abilities that many companies are looking for,” says Arens. “It shows they have the technical skills they will need in an increasingly analytical and data-driven world, while at the same time shows they have the soft-skill training demanded by employers.”

Business Analytics helps students learn to manage vast amounts of data, tease out what secrets it holds, and then use that information to strengthen their businesses. While companies have relied on using statistics for years to make business decisions, improved data gathering and storage methods give them reams of information they can mine and manipulate to unearth revelations that raw numbers can’t provide.

Arens says employers have started to look for workers who have specific training in STEM fields, so Tippie MBA students will be more competitive in the workplace with a STEM-designated degree.