Master of Science in Management (MSM)

Master of Science in Management - Operations Research (MSM-OR)

"The MSM-OR curriculum is proactive and consistently evolving and is helping me both expand my scope of academic interest and careers and develop the practical analytical tools and interpersonal skills that are necessary to succeed in the corporate world. " Sandhya Raju MSM-OR Candidate, May 2007 Hometown: Naperville, IL Undergraduate Institution and Degree: Purdue University, B.S. in Electrical Engineering

In today's competitive business environment, organizations face a host of issues that require specialized analytical skills in the area of operations research. And the national and international demand for individuals with these areas of expertise usually far exceeds the supply. Our program provides these skills and more.

MSM-OR graduates are highly sought after by logistics, consulting, manufacturing, health care, banking and insurance companies. Historically, a high percentage of our graduates receive job offers before or shortly after graduation with starting salaries in the $70,000 range.

The Weatherhead Difference

Unlike students in an MBA or traditional master's programs offered by engineering schools, Weatherhead MSM-OR students not only learn techniques and applications of operations research but also gain a solid understanding of business fundamentals. In this way, Weatherhead MSM-OR graduates can contribute specialized value to their organizations, while effectively communicating with professionals in other business disciplines. This combination of training creates a highly competitive, polished operations research professional.

The MSM-OR program provides significant time and cost advantages compared to more traditional programs, since it can be completed in 12 months rather than two years.

Employers of our graduates include:

American Greetings	Intuit
Accenture	J.R. Simplot Co.
Booz Allen Hamilton	KeyBank/KeyCorp
BP Amoco	Manugistics
Capital One	McKinsey & Co.
Deloitte & Touche	National City
Federal Reserve Bank	Numetrix
FedEx	Penske Logistics
First National Bank System	Progressive Insurance
General Electric	Telephia, Inc.
Goldman Sachs	Total Management Systems
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.	TRW, Inc
Hewlett-Packard	Watson-Wyatt
i2 Technologies	Yucatan Foods

Prerequisite Knowledge
The courses in this program require a working knowledge of undergraduate calculus that includes single and multivariate differentiation and integration, one semester of undergraduate linear algebra, and a working knowledge of C++. Following an assessment exam on linear algebra and calculus, students are counseled individually to identify topics they need to review.

Curriculum

The MSM-OR curriculum is comprised of the following three components:

A. Business Core (6 credits)

The Business Core provides students with an introduction to the major principles and concepts of business operations. Business Core selections include 6 credit hours in:

Accounting Economics Finance

Information Systems Marketing Operations

B. Operations Research Core (18 credits):

The Operations Research Core provides a solid grounding in the techniques of management science. The core courses are:

Linear Programming Deterministic Models with Applications Probability & Statistics I Probability & Statistics II Integrated Problem Solving

Stochastic Models with Applications Regression and Forecasting Simulation Models with Applications Simulation Design Data Structures

C. Specialty Track (12 credits)

To obtain an in-depth, marketable set of skills in one area of concentration or to design a specialty track in an area of special interest, students take a coherent sequence of courses in one of four tracks:

Operations Research Operations Management Finance Information Systems

Official details of the MSM-OR program are given in the MSM-OR Guidelines.

* Click here to view Operations Research course descriptions.