Curriculum
Program Format for the Master of Science in Operations Research
The online distance MSOR degree consists of 30 semester credit hours and is a coursework-only program. The degree requirements are as follows:
- Operations Research Core Courses – 9 Credits
- Other Operations Research Courses – 9 Credits
- Elective Courses – 12 Credits
- Total Graduate Credit Hours – 30 Credits
Operations Research Core Courses – 3 credits each (each offered once every two years).
One course must be taken from each category.
Continuous Optimization
- IMSE 881 Linear Programming
- IMSE 982 Nonlinear Programming
Discrete Optimization
- IMSE 882 Network Flows and Graph Theory
- IMSE 884 Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization
Stochastic and Probabilistic Analysis
(A program change is underway and the anticipated core courses in this category should be as follows.)
- IMSE 751 Normative Theory of Decisions and Games
- IMSE 860 Applied Stochastic Processes and Theoretical Simulation (anticipated new course yet to be developed)
One MSOR core course is offered each semester (fall, spring, and summer). These six OR courses are taught on a two-year rotating basis and taking all six courses meets the core and “other” OR Course requirements. It is possible to take three of these core courses and still graduate, but students earning an MSOR degree are encouraged to take all six. These six core courses provide a fundamental understanding of the breadth of operations research, which aids in solving complex problems by applying a variety of methods to the problem.
Rotation of Core Course Offerings (PDF)
Other Operations Research Courses
No class can count as both a core OR course and an “other” OR course. The list of suitable operations research courses include any of the core OR classes and any of the following:
- IMSE 643 – Industrial Engineering
- IMSE 780 – Methods of Operations Research
- IMSE 830 – Applied Fuzzy Set Theory
- IMSE 865 – Simulation of Industrial Management Systems
- IMSE 976 – Scheduling Theory
- IMSE 983 – Dynamic Programming
- IMSE 990 – Adv Topics in Operations Research
- IMSE 991 – Multiple Criteria Decision Making
These courses are not currently offered online, but these or additional courses may be offered in the future. Distance students may take additional core courses from the list above to complete the “Other OR Courses” requirement.
Elective Courses
The electives can be taken from various departments and even transferred from another university (up to 10 credit hours). However, the supervisory committee typically wants to see quantitative courses selected as electives and normally will not count more than six hours of courses that do not have substantial mathematics. Thus, most electives tend to be taken from Industrial Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering departments. Some common quantitative electives include:
- IMSE 680 – Quantitative Problem Solving Methods
- IMSE 806 – Engineering Project Management
- IMSE 810 – Industrial Logistics Engineering
- IMSE 811 – Advanced Production and Inventory Control
- IMSE 822 – Advanced Engineering Economy
- STAT 704 – Analysis of Variance
- STAT 705 – Regression and Correlation Analyses
- STAT 716 – Nonparametric Statistics
- STAT 722 – Statistical Designs for Product Development and Process Improvement
