STEM courses - USA, Canada, Australia, germany Universities List, Eligibility, Advantages

Edited By Hema Gopalakrishnan | Updated on Sep 01, 2023 02:34 PM IST

STEM courses country-wise- STEM as you know is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM courses is used as an umbrella term for study programmes in any of these fields. Courses in STEM subjects have always been high on the priority list when students apply to study abroad. STEM courses cover different aspects of these subjects. In fact many top countries offer study abroad STEM programmes. This is because graduates in STEM courses are and will be in high demand in this digital era and they can hope for bright career opportunities if they have done a course from a top international university. Apart from this, the STEM courses list in the US, UK, Canada, Australia or other European countries add immense value to one’s career prospects. We will look at the STEM courses country-wise in this article to help you decide what and where to study in your journey to make a career in the STEM field.

STEM courses - USA, Canada, Australia, germany Universities List, Eligibility, Advantages

Top countries to study STEM courses

Some of the top study abroad destinations offer both long-term and short-term courses in STEM subjects. Most students prefer to study STEM courses abroad. According to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report, the percentage of international students studying STEM subjects in the US stood at 79.4% in 2021/22.

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Source-https://opendoorsdata.org/data/us-study-abroad/fields-of-study

While the US is no doubt a top destination for international students among STEM courses country wise, there are other countries that are equally good. We will look at each country in detail.

What are STEM courses?

STEM as we mentioned earlier is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This is the full form of STEM courses. STEM courses have an interdisciplinary approach. These courses prepare students to excel as engineers, researchers or computer scientists in STEM fields. These courses aim to develop transferable skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and research skills among students.

STEM courses in the USA

Universities in the US top the world rankings in STEM courses, and many students prefer to go to the US for STEM courses. The answer to the question what is STEM courses in the USA is that they cover an extensive syllabus and equip students with in-depth theoretical and technical knowledge. Students who finish their STEM courses in the USA can work after study in the USA and are eligible for the STEM-OPT extension which allows them to stay in the country for 24 months after they complete their course. As of 2023 various universities in the US offer more than 400 STEM courses. Some of the top STEM courses in the USA for international students are technology, mathematics, food science, architecture, and environmental studies. Here are more details about the STEM courses offered by the top universities in the USA.

There are also MBA STEM courses in the US that more business schools in the country are adopting. The STEM MBA programs include a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) section in the MBA course. The STEM MBA course provides both technical and managerial knowledge to students. MBA STEM courses in the USA are ideal for those with an undergraduate degree in STEM fields and are suitable for those looking for a degree in technology and management. STEM MBA graduates are likely to get higher salaries when compared to regular MBA graduates.

Top universities in the US for STEM courses

Name of university	STEM courses list
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Computer science
California University of Technology	Biomedical sciences
Harvard University	Chemical engineering
Stanford University	Mathematics and Statistics
University of California Berkeley	Civil Engineering Chemistry

STEM courses list in the UK

After the USA it is the UK that is preferred by international students to do their STEM courses. Students who finish their STEM courses at government-approved institutions are eligible for a post-study work visa. The UK also boasts of a solid research base in STEM fields. Some of the top study abroad STEM programs offered in the UK include computer science, biology, aerospace engineering, civil engineering, biology, astronomy and biochemistry. Here is a list of the top universities in the UK offering STEM courses.

Top universities in UK for STEM courses

Name of University	STEM courses list
University of Glasgow	Biology Data science
University of Cambridge	Civil engineering
University of Oxford	Mechanical engineering
King’s college London	Computer science
University of Bristol	Psychology
University of Warwick	Chemistry
University of Edinburgh	Mathematics
Imperial College London	Mechanical engineering

STEM courses in Canada

Canada’s flexible immigration policies and easy methods to get permanent residency makes it a favourite option for STEM courses. Top ranked universities in Canada provide STEM courses that have extensive practical training and provide exposure to industries.Some of the popular STEM courses include computer networking, computer science, food technology and processing, physics etc.

Top universities in Canada for STEM courses

Name of university	STEM course
University of Saskatchewan	Chemical engineering
University of Waterloo	Aerospace engineering
University of Alberta	Biochemistry
University of Guelph	Computer science
University of Calgary	Astronomy
University of Victoria	Information science
University of Ottawa	Psychology
University of Ontario Institute Technology	Mathematics
University of Montreal	Electrical engineering
Concordia University	Mechanical engineering
University of Toronto	Biology
University of British Columbia	Civil engineering
McGill University	Chemistry
Ryerson University	Computer programming Food technology and processing Physics

STEM courses in Australia

Australia is fast catching up as a top study abroad destination for STEM courses. In fact the Australian National University is among the top ten universities for STEM courses and is known for its STEM course in earth and marine life sciences. The top courses in STEM subjects are computer science, aeronautical engineering, electronic engineering, structural engineering,chemical engineering, etc. Here are more details:

Top universities in Australia for STEM courses

Name of university	STEM course
University of Melbourne	Chemical engineering
University of Sydney	Environmental studies
Australian National University	Software engineering
University of Queensland	Mechanical engineering
University of Adelaide	Astronomy Biochemistry Plant sciences Human biology Statistics Botany Physics
University of New South Wales	Food science

STEM courses in Germany

More than 30 percent of graduates in Germany are pursuing STEM based courses and it has the third highest population of STEM graduates. The universities here are research oriented which makes it ideal for post study research or job opportunities. Some of the popular STEM courses in Germany include chemical engineering, automotive engineering,and electrical engineering.

Top universities in Germany for STEM courses

Name of university	STEM course
University of Bonn	Computer programming Environmental Studies Food Science Geology Genetics Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Physics Statistics Zoology Computer and information science
Free University of Berlin	Civil engineering
Technical university Berlin	Chemical engineering
RWTH Aachen	Chemistry
Humboldt university Berlin	Astronomy
Heidelberg university	Architectural engineering
Technical University of Munich	Agricultural engineering
Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich	Aeronautical engineering

Eligibility requirements for STEM courses

If you are planning to do a STEM course either at the graduate or the undergraduate level at universities abroad, then there are certain eligibility requirements that you should meet.

English proficiency requirements: You must have the minimum required score in English language proficiency exams such as the IELTS or TOEFL.
Aptitude test scores: You must meet the score requirements such as ACT, SAT or GRE based on whether you are applying for undergraduate or graduate degrees in STEM courses.
Academic requirements:
For courses in science it will be 10+2 and three years of bachelor’s course in science.
For STEM courses in technology it will be 10+2 and four years of bachelor’s course in any technology related subject is required.
For STEM courses in engineering it will be 10+2 and four years of bachelor’s course in any engineering specialisation.
For STEM courses in mathematics it will be 10+2 and three years of bachelor’s course in any course related to mathematics.
Work experience is required as part of the eligibility for STEM post graduate courses. The required years of work experience can be between 1 to 2 years based on the curriculum.

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Countries with the most number of STEM graduates

If we look at the number of STEM graduates by country, a 2022 report by UNESCO institute for statistics on the number of students undertaking STEM courses in major countries shows that India is likely to have the highest number of STEM graduates because it produces the highest number of graduates in the field. Countries like Malaysia and Tunisia are seeing more enrolments in STEM courses according to the data available. Other countries with a strong presence of STEM graduates are the UAE, Germany, Belarus and South Korea which have more than 30 percent of STEM graduates.

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Source: Statista

The high number of Indians in STEM courses can be partly attributed to the fact that there are many premier universities and institutes offering STEM courses and the popular courses are business analytics, information science, data science, MBA, financial technology, quantitative economics, etc. The top universities and institutions for STEM course in India are:

IIT Delhi
IIM Calcutta
IIT Kharagpur
IIM Bangalore
IIM Ahmedabad
XLRI Jamshedpur
NMIMS Mumbai
Jawaharlal Nehru University
ISB Hyderabad
Amity University

Women in STEM courses

There has been continuous efforts to get more women and girls to get into STEM and event though the enrolment of girls in these courses has been steadily increasing, a report by the World Bank indicates that about 18% of women in tertiary education level are enrolled in STEM related courses while it was around 35% for boys in countries like the UK, US and Canada. It is a much better scenario in India with more than 40% of women being STEm graduates. The number of Indian women opting for STEM has been steadily increasing every year as per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report.

Advantages of doing a STEM course

If you have opted to study abroad for your STEM course, you will have many benefits. One of them is the chance at better job opportunities in the country where you studied as well as in your home country. In fact many countries make it easier for STEM graduates to find work and get a post study work visa, this includes the US, UK, Ireland, New Zealand. Ireland allows you to stay back in the country and work for two years and later apply for a PR visa.

Another advantage of doing a STEM course are opportunities to get jobs with higher salaries.