Operations Research is the discipline of applying advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions.
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Image courtesy of Prof. Shane Henderson |
Business managers make many decisions involving the interplay of time, money, energy, personnel, and materials. Since manufacturing processes and systems for the delivery of goods and services are extremely complex, sophisticated decision making methods that will increase efficiency are in demand. The allocation of resources, like the description of physical processes, can be represented and analyzed mathematically. Specialists in Operations Research and Engineering use a variety of mathematical techniques and specialized computing tools to develop and apply the appropriate techniques.
What Operations Researchers Do
An automobile manufacturer, for example, might be able to save millions of dollars a year by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks in an assembly line. If an airline improves its ability to forecast passenger demand, and adjusts its schedules accordingly, more seats can be filled. If a hospital schedules the use of its operating rooms more efficiently, costs may be reduced improving service to patients. These are the types of problems that can be solved by experts in Operations Research and Engineering. As work becomes technologically more complex and the demands of the economy require a more efficient use of resources, a growing number of specialists in this field will be needed.
ORE Employment Opportunities
About two-thirds of ORE graduates go directly to work in industry. Many of the remaining enroll in graduate school. Below are some career choices of recent graduates:
- Abercrombie & Fitch, Assistant Allocator
- Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, Quality Engineer
- Capital One, Financial Analyst
- IBM Corporation, Industrial Engineer
- Lockheed Martin Corporation, Operations Leadership Program
- Merrill Lynch, Investment Banking Analyst
- Microsoft Corporation, Program Manager
- United Parcel Service (UPS), Industrial Engineering Management Program