Operations Research
Operations researchers apply mathematical models and analytical methods to help organizations make better decisions. They tackle problems in logistics, scheduling, resource allocation, and efficiency. Work is often office-based and involves simulation modeling, optimization algorithms, and business strategy support.
Common Job Titles: Decision Analyst Operations Research Analyst Optimization Analyst Quantitative Analyst Systems Analyst
Related Academic Programs
The Applied Economics minor is a strong complement to virtually any major, including those within, and outside of, the School of Business. (Note that most School of Business majors will, as part of their major, already have earned 6 to 9 credits toward the Applied Economics minor, making it particularly attractive.)
The minor can enhance the market value of a major and can provide students with options and opportunities beyond those offered by the major program of study.
The Certificate in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with Oracle will instruct you in Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning software, an integrated multi-module application software that supports business processes. Oracle is one of the top ERP vendors and the skills gained by learning this software will allow you to become more valuable in the current marketplace. Oracle certification is valuable to hiring managers who want to distinguish among candidates for critical IT positions.
This program enables students to become proficient in Oracle Supply Chain and prepares them for the Oracle Supply Chain Certified Professional Consultant exams. Students who complete this certification will have the ability to implement and support eBusiness Supply Chain applications.
SAP is the world’s largest enterprise application software company, with more than 170,000 customers in more than 120 countries. The certificate program in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with SAP helps set our graduates apart from other business and management information systems graduates when gaining successful employment. Based on a Central Michigan University study, the average starting salary of SAP graduates was $5,250 greater than non-SAP graduates.
The goal of this program is to use SAP technology as a tool to help teach business concepts. Instead of studying “cold” textbook exercises at the end of a given textbook chapter, students directly interact with a real business, executing real functions and transactions in a life-like business-to-business simulation.
Penn State Behrend offers the innovative interdisciplinary-based Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor to students in any major.
The minor equips students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset; think critically and “outside the box” to sense opportunities; develop value propositions; and create sustainable value in fast-paced socio-technological environments. The minor at Penn State Behrend currently offers the New Ventures Cluster, although additional clusters will be made available.
Our world runs on data, and the people who best understand it—and who can explain it—are essential to any organization. With the B.S. in Functional Data Analytics, you’ll learn to analyze and interpret the numbers, but also discover how to clearly convey that information to others.
Like all engineers, industrial engineers are problem-solvers. Their specific task? They bring people, resources, and technology together to find ways to improve processes and increase efficiency. Every industry wants to save time and money, so the opportunities for industrial engineers are wide-ranging. Maybe your career will lead you to health care or information systems. Or maybe utilities, transportation, or the financial world appeal to you. You are limited only by your interests and goals.
Science-related companies don’t just hire scientists—they need business-minded employees, too, to manage money, monitor supply chains, handle sales, interpret consumer behavior, and manage marketing.
With the B.S. in Interdisciplinary Science and Business (ISB) from Penn State Behrend, you’ll be uniquely qualified for positions on the business side of science, technology, and healthcare organizations—prepared with a deep understanding of what the company does along with the know-how to help lead it to future success.
Effective projects don’t just happen; they are coordinated by effective project managers. The ability to bring in large, multifunctional projects on time and on budget requires a unique set of skills in leadership, resource planning, and management. This 30-credit graduate program helps working professionals to develop the tools needed to carry out these complex organizational activities.
Mathematics is one of the oldest and most basic sciences, the foundation on which many other disciplines rely. Mathematical knowledge increases problem-solving skills in many fields.
You’re good with numbers—how can you make that a career? With the B.S. in Mathematics from Penn State Behrend, you can specialize in a variety of fields, including statistics, economics, actuarial science, computer science, modeling, and data analysis.
The Operations and Supply Chain Management minor is designed primarily for students enrolled in non-business majors, especially those in engineering and engineering technology and in science, who wish to augment their majors with further studies in operations. The objective of the minor is to acquaint these students with the issues and methods associated with managing operations within manufacturing or service industries. Relevant studies include principles of management, operations management, logistics systems, procurement, planning and control, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and project management.
Every organization needs a strong leader—maybe that leader is you. With the graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership from Penn State Behrend, you can build a foundation in the essential skills needed to navigate challenges, adapt to change, and lead a team to success.
In this 12-credit program, you’ll study the fundamentals of management theory, learning to make effective decisions and improve your critical thinking skills. You’ll also develop technical skills to analyze problems through hands-on coursework and real-world case studies.
Physics is the fundamental science from which many fields of science and engineering developed. Understanding it gives you insights into your field at broad and fundamental levels. This strengthens your abilities to innovate and to see basic connections in your specialization or across disciplines.
A physics minor can provide you with a cross-disciplinary background that is highly valued by industry and academics.
If you’re passionate about using data to solve problems, then you might benefit from adding a certificate in Project and Supply Chain Analytics to your degree. This 12-credit certificate program takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating project management, supply chain management, and data analytics to build your skills in managing the flow of goods, services, and information.
The certificate program is designed to help you learn to apply analytical methods to find solutions and insights needed for key decision making within an organization. The certificate provides a foundation that can be used to boost your portfolio in a number of fields, including management, data analytics, or business intelligence, or to help prepare you for further graduate studies.
The online Graduate Certificate in Project Management is an interdisciplinary, 12-credit program that uses problem-based learning to provide a strong foundation in project management theory and practice. The program is AACSB accredited, so your certificate will be a well-respected credential.
An 18-credit Psychological Science minor is available to students in any major, and it is a valuable addition if one’s career will involve interaction with other people.
This minor is designed to provide undergraduate students with a broad overview of topics and domains within psychology; knowledge and skills related to research methods in psychology; and a deeper knowledge of research, theory, and application in one or two specific content domains. Students completing this minor will find a flexible selection of coursework in psychology.
An 18-credit Sociology minor is available to students in any major, and it is a valuable addition to one’s personal ability to communicate in and outside of the workplace.
This minor is designed to allow undergraduate students to explore the wide range of topics, social groups, and social interactions studied by sociologists. From social inequities and social problems to the familiar institutions of family, school, religion, and government, the diversity of courses available allows sociology minors to explore courses relevant to their interests.
Statistics originated from the simple study of games of chance and grew into one of the most important applications of human knowledge. One cannot read a newspaper or watch the evening news without being exposed to some sort of statistic or graphic used to describe everything from approval ratings to medical studies. A statistical background enables people to critically analyze and interpret this information.
The Intercollege Minor in Sustainability Leadership allows students in any major to incorporate sustainability as a significant theme in their undergraduate degree program. Through a combination of coursework and immersive experiences in sustainability, students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become sustainability leaders in their respective fields.
This minor is designed to accommodate undergraduates enrolled in engineering and engineering technology and in science who wish to augment their majors with further studies in industrial or technical sales. This minor is designed for non-business majors. The objective of the minor is to acquaint the technical students of these majors with the issues and methods associated with industrial or technical sales. Relevant studies include principles of management, operations management, supply chain management, marketing, logistics systems, procurement, personal selling or business-to-business marketing, and project management. Students who complete the minor will be positioned for career opportunities as direct sales engineers who play a key role in the selection, purchase, installation, and maintenance of technical products by selling technology and engineering solutions, or as manufacturing representatives who independently form contracts in exclusive marketing territories for multiple small manufacturers of compatible but not competing technical products.