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Academics
Math

Operations Research (SMO)

The Discipline and the Major

Operations research is the discipline of applying mathematical methods to study and analyze complex decision-making problems. Such decision-making problems come from all parts of everyday life, including business, healthcare, and the military. For example, delivery companies like FedEx and UPS use operations research to optimize their pickup and delivery processes, not only reducing their financial costs, but their carbon footprint as well. Hospitals such as the Mayo Clinic use operations research to schedule their operating rooms so that the surgeries for a given day can be completed without much overtime, therefore reducing medical staff fatigue and increasing patient safety. The Navy and Marine Corps use operations research to help make decisions about a wide range of issues related to force development and warfighting.

Operations research majors are required to take courses in optimization, probability, statistics, and simulation – these are the pillars of the discipline. In preparation for these courses, students in the major take foundational courses in mathematics and computer programming. The major also involves several electives: some provide depth by focusing on advanced topics or applications; others provide breadth by covering related disciplines, such as economics, computer science, and other areas of mathematics. Students in the major must also take a capstone course, in which students typically work in teams on a semester-long project that involves the application of operations research methods to a real-world decision-making problem.

Opportunities

The operations research major matrix has enough flexibility to support language minors, as well as many study abroad and exchange programs. There are also many summer internship opportunities for operations research majors, both in the military and the private sector. For those interested in advanced studies, there is an honors version of the major which involves advanced coursework and working one-on-one with a faculty member on a substantial research project. Students can also pursue individual research opportunities through the Trident Scholar and Bowman Scholar Programs. 

After graduation, operations research majors will have a strong foundation for graduate study in operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School or at a civilian graduate school. Operations research majors who graduate with an overall QPR of at least 2.7 and a major QPR of at least 3.0 will receive either a Navy 3211E subspecialty code or a Marine Corps 8051 Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) code. 

Individuals with training in operations research are in high demand across the military. For example, operations research faculty at USNA have worked on research projects and sponsored internships at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Assessment Division (OPNAV N81); USMC Operations Analysis Directorate (OAD); Commander, Naval Air Force (CNAF) Force Readiness Analytics Group (FRAG); and Joint Staff Directorate of Logistics (J4). Operations research expertise is highly sought after in the private sector as well.

Considerations for those who might be interested in this major

Midshipmen considering the operations research major should have a strong interest in using mathematics to solve real-world problems, enjoy solving mathematics problems and logic puzzles, and be comfortable with using computers as a tool. No prior computer programming experience is required to be successful in this major.

Mathematics Department Site

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