2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Operations Research
29
Ranked Colleges
957
Degrees Awarded
$106,190
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Operations Research is the 203rd most popular major in the country with 1,698 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, operations research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $84,787 and had an average of $14,538 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 957 operations research graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major” ranking, we looked at 29 colleges that offer a degree in operations research. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their operations research program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Operations Research Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree operations research students.
Top 29 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Operations Research
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management is a small school located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio that handed out 28 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Operations Research at AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Naval Postgraduate School. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. This small school is located in Monterey, California, and it awarded 85 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Naval Postgraduate School Operations Research Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 320 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Operations Research at Columbia
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 138 degrees to qualified masters’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Operations Research at Cornell
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida Institute of Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. Florida Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Melbourne, Florida. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Operations Research at Florida Institute of Technology
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified masters’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Operations Research at UC Berkeley
Baruch College ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Baruch is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 masters’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Baruch Operations Research Report
Princeton University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #8. This medium-sized school is located in Princeton, New Jersey, and it awarded 13 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Princeton University Operations Research Report
Case Western Reserve University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Case Western is a fairly large school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 23 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at Case Western Reserve University
Rice University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 12 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Rice Operations Research Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s operations research degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Operations Research at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Northeastern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Northeastern University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 32 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Operations Research at Northeastern University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 46 masters’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Operations Research at UIUC
With a ranking of #14, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full MIT Operations Research Report
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Operations Research at Illinois Tech
North Carolina State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. NC State is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 masters’s operations research degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at NC State
Southern Methodist University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 6 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Operations Research at Southern Methodist University
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 5 degrees to qualified masters’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon
Kansas State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Kansas State University is a large school located in Manhattan, Kansas that handed out 4 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Operations Research at Kansas State University
University of Southern California ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s operations research degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Southern California Operations Research Report
With a ranking of #21, Utah State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Logan, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s operations research degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Operations Research at USU
Morgan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #22. Morgan State University is a public institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Operations Research at Morgan State
Western Michigan University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. WMU is a fairly large school located in Kalamazoo, Michigan that handed out 0 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Operations Research at Western Michigan University
With a ranking of #22, Georgia State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major list. Georgia State is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 0 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Operations Research at Georgia State University
University of Arkansas came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Fayetteville, Arkansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s operations research degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Operations Research at University of Arkansas
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Located in Troy, New York, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s operations research students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Operations Research at RPI
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. Rutgers New Brunswick is a large public school situated in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It awarded 0 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Operations Research at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
University of Delaware came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking. UD is a public institution located in Newark, Delaware. The school has a large population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Operations Research at UD
Colorado School of Mines did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Operations Research Major ranking, coming in at #22. Mines is a medium-sized public school situated in Golden, Colorado. It awarded 0 masters’s operations research degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Operations Research at Mines
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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