MSLOC Receives STEM Designation
One of Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy master’s programs has been designated a new STEM training opportunity for international students by the US Department of Homeland Security.
The Masters in Learning and Organizational Change (MSLOC) program is now included in the STEM Optional Practical Training initiative because its curriculum draws heavily on industrial and organizational psychology, or “I/O psych,” one of 22 new fields of study recently added.
The designation, which takes effect for Northwestern MSLOC students in September 2022, lets international students (on F-1 visas) pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees in certain science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, work in the US for up to three years post-graduation.
In additional to industrial and organizational psychology, the MSLOC curriculum includes learning sciences, applied cognition, design thinking, and management and leadership theories that can be found in MBA programs.
“Our international MSLOC students add tremendous value to our learning community, in addition to their talent as developing practitioners in learning and organizational change and I/O psychology,” said Kimberly Scott, assistant professor and executive director of the MSLOC program and the Executive Programs in Learning & Organizational Change. “The STEM designation will help maximize opportunities for our current and future students and organizational partners.”
Northwestern MSLOC has welcomed students from more than 15 countries and has an active alumni network spanning six continents.
For more information about how Northwestern advises and supports international students, faculty, staff, and scholars, visit the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISS).