Department of Homeland Security STEM Designated Degree Program Forms

Guidelines

• For program completers to be eligible for the STEM OPT Extension, they must have graduated from an eligible baccalaureate, master’s, or doctorate degree program (note: though certificate programs can be assigned a CIP code from the STEM Designated Degree Program list, certificate programs do not “in and of themselves” convey eligibility for the STEM OPT Extension)
• Only one CIP code is assigned to a program (CIP codes are not assigned to individual tracks; if the program as a whole is deemed ineligible for a STEM CIP, but a program track could be eligible, this track can be disaggregated to create a new standalone program with its own CIP code)
• The relevant and determining factor in CIP code assignment is the program curriculum and the intent is to assign the best-fit CIP as determined through a comparison of the curriculum with the CIP description
• For a program to be assigned a STEM CIP, 50% or more of the required curriculum must be STEM, consistent with the definition of STEM as derived from the DHS STEM CIP list (there exist competing definitions of STEM, but this is the definition applied in this instance)
• Program electives may be applied to the 50% threshold only if all choices are STEM so that there is no avenue for a student to complete the program without having taken at least 50% of their courses in STEM
• For a course to be considered STEM, the majority (not just some) of the course content must be STEM
• Although DHS lists 4 primary CIPs at the 2-digit CIP level as STEM – Engineering (14), Biological & Biomedical Sciences (26), Math & Statistics (27), and Physical Sciences (40) – that does not eliminate the 6-digit CIP levels of the remaining 2-digit CIP codes; for example, most Business Management CIP codes (52) are not considered STEM, but the following at the 6-digit level are on the STEM list: business statistics, actuarial science, and management sciences and quantitative methods
• As much as possible, the CIP code should be consistent system-wide for similar SUNY programs
• The CIP code should match, as close as possible, with the assigned NYSED HEGIS code

Resources: for information from the Department of Homeland Security, see Appendix A for the Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension and Appendix B for the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List

Process to Request a Change to a STEM CIP

(For your convenience, the Request a CIP Change (template) has been provided.)

To request to change a CIP code, the campus Chief Academic Officer (or designee) must submit to program.review@suny.edu a cover letter (addressed to the System Provost) and the following information (which must have been previously approved by the program faculty and the applicable dean):

1. Program Title:
2. Program Award:
3. Total Program Credits:
4. program SED Code:
5. HEGIS:
6. Current CIP (Number, Title, and Definition):
7. Proposed CIP (Number, Title, and Definition):
8. Program Description or Program Learning Outcomes:
9. Brief (i.e., one paragraph) rationale for the change (as per the guidelines, the determining factor in CIP code assignment is the program curriculum and no other factor is relevant; therefore, only include information about the curricular content of this specific program, not other information such as the recruitment benefit or the research profile of program faculty):
10. Attestation that the change will not have adverse impacts on students:
11. Curriculum Table for All Required STEM Courses and All STEM-Restricted Electives with a Crosswalk to the Components of the CIP Definition:

*In addition to course descriptions, it may be necessary to provide course syllabi, but syllabi need not be submitted unless requested

Resources: for information from the Department of Homeland Security, see Appendix A for the Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension and Appendix B for the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List

Appendix A: Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension

Retrieved from https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-hub/additional-resources/eligible-cip-codes-for-the-stem-opt-extension (February 10, 2022)

Appendix B: DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List

Retrieved from https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/stem-list.pdf (February 10, 2022)