Changing F1 Degree Program Code from non-STEM to STEM

[kiwi_in_america 0]

I am in a Psychology program majoring in Social Psychology. Social Psychology is recognized as a branch of research psychology and is listed as a STEM topic by the government: https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Document/2016/stem-list.pdf

However Psychology is not recognized as STEM. My school have printed my I-20 with the code for Psychology (non-STEM), rather than the code for the Social Psychology subfield (STEM).

But my departmental advisor and school immigration office have told me that because the *degree* I am studying doesn't specify Social Psychology, they can't change the code on my I-20 to match Social Psychology.

Wondering if there is anyone else out there who has dealt with this issue with their own school, what their success was, and any discussions you have had? Also wondering if my school is legally correct that they must match the formal Degree Program, not the content of the major, to the CIP code?

Edited March 31, 2016 by kiwi_in_america

[canadian_wife 1,822]

That sounds about right, although your degree will be a Bachelor of Psychology (assuming) your major is Social Psychology. The STEM goes with the degree program, not the major.

I believe it goes by your degree program. Not your major.

Good luck

[kiwi_in_america 0]

Thank you for your answer! (I'm doing PhD, not BS, but that probably isn't relevant here). That's what the school told me. I can't find information from the government one way or the other on it.

The reason for my scepticism is: it seems strange to list Social Psychology and about 8 other Psychology subdisciplines if the intent is to match to the Degree Program, rather than the major, because I would be surprised if there is a single school in America who really has a program (rather than a major) in Social Psychology. Why list it if Social Psychology is typically studied as a major in a wider Psychology Degree Program?

At the least, the people making the list and the people writing the rule about how to match the list to degree programs haven't been very well coordinated. That wouldn't be surprising, but another explanation would be that it wasn't intended to apply so strictly to the Degree Program.

Edited March 31, 2016 by kiwi_in_america

[jan22 3,056]

Or another explanation is that immigration officials know they do not have time/are not quaified in every possible field to evaluate individual transcripts to deermine that a specific individual has followed a specific course of study in a sub-discipline to make it STEM vs non-STEM. The only recourse is to make the determination by degree vs major.