Operations Research Concentration
Ph.D. in Management
This program is offered by the Department of Management Science and Information Systems (MSIS). It is the continuation of the previous concentration in Management Science and the program of Operations Research offered by the Rutgers Center for Operations Research (RUTCOR).
Primary areas of interest are applied statistics, optimization, business analytics, operations management, inventory theory, scheduling, manufacturing under uncertainty, queuing theory, and risk theory.
Faculty research interests range from methodology research to quantitative modeling to empirical studies. The MSIS department includes a number of world-renowned scholars. Many faculty members serve on editorial boards of major academic journals, have chaired at premier conferences in operations and management science and have been members of NSF panels and other advisory boards. Research by the MSIS faculty is widely published in books and leading journals.
The students should have solid college-level knowledge of linear algebra, analysis, and probability, and good programming skills. Students who aspire to doctoral study in Operations Research but need to strengthen their background may wish to consider our Master of Information Technology and Analytics program, which admits both part-time and full-time students. Students in this program take many of the same courses as our doctoral students in Operations Research and may use these courses towards their doctoral degree if they are later admitted to the doctoral program.
Requirements
Additional enrollments may be required:
- Students are sometimes required to enroll in non-degree courses to improve their English or their writing. They may also need to enroll in the non-degree course Teacher Training Seminar as part of their preparation for teaching. These enrollments require payment of tuition, but they do not count towards the 72 credits required for the degree.
- Students must enroll in 26:711:689 every semester until they have defended a dissertation proposal. This registration requires their attendance in MSIS weekly seminar. A grade is given, but the enrollment is for zero credits and no tuition is charged.
Students take three courses for degree credit each semester during the first two years. They take the qualifying examination at the end of the second year. During their third and fourth year, they write a dissertation. Within a year after passing the qualifying examination, the student should defend a dissertation proposal.
Course Information
Foundation/methodology requirement (4 courses)
- 26:960:575 Introduction to Probability
- 26:960:577 Introduction to Statistical Linear Models
- 26:711:651 Linear Programming
- 26:711:652 Nonlinear Optimization
Major (5 courses)
- 26:711:525 Stochastic Models of Operations Research (pending approval)
- 26:711:653 Discrete Optimization
- 26:711:548 Topics in Applied Operations Research (pending approval)
And at least two courses out of the following list:
- 26:198:644 Data Mining
- 26:711:563 Stochastic Calculus for Finance
- 26:960:576 Financial Time Series
- 26:711:557 Dynamic Programming
- 26:711:555 Stochastic Programming
Electives (3 courses, selected from the following)
- 26:223:655 Econometrics - Time Series
- 26:198:645 Privacy, Security, and Data Analysis
- 26:630:675 Marketing Models
- 26:711:685 Game Theory
- 26:960:580 Stochastic Processes
- 26:711:530 Semidefinite and Second Order Cone Programming
- 26:799:660 Supply Chain Modeling and Algorithms
- 26:799:661 Stochastic Models for Supply Chain Management
- 26:799:685 Special Topics in Supply Chain Management
- 26:711:685 Special Topics in Operations Research/Management Science
- Theory of Boolean Functions
- Convex Analysis and Optimization
- or any other course approved by the doctoral coordinator
First early research requirement (equivalent to one course): Students write a paper with a faculty member, to be presented to the department during the fall semester.
Second early research requirement (equivalent to one course): Write a paper (ideally a dissertation proposal) with a faculty member, to be presented to the department during the fall semester. Part-time students may postpone participation to the summer after the third year.
Other rules and requirements: For details of rules and requirements that apply to all doctoral students in RBS, see Policies and Procedures.
Course Descriptions
- 26:711:686 First Early Research Seminar in Management Science
- 26:711:687 Second Early Research Seminar in Management Science
- 26:711:688 Independent Study in Management Science
- 26:711:799 Dissertation Research in Management Science
Please note: Links to recent syllabi are provided where possible. In some cases, the link goes to the web site for the individual faculty member, where the syllabus is maintained. In other cases, the link allows you to download the syllabus. Other syllabi are available in the Program Office.
These syllabi are provided as information to potential applicants. They should also help current students make their individual study plans. But they are subject to change. Students should not buy books or make other plans related to a course until they have confirmed with the instructor that they have an up-to-date syllabus for the semester in which they are taking the course.