2025 Best Operations Research Schools
21
Colleges in the United States
1,718
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
Operations Research isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #203 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 21 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for operations research students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,718 degrees in operations research during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Operations Research School
Your choice of operations research school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Operations Research School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Operations Research Rankings by Degree Level
The operations research school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Operations Research Schools.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for Operations Research in the United States
The schools below may not offer all types of operations research degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top Schools in Operations Research
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NY
376
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in operations research. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,198 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were approximately 376 operations research students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in operations research from Columbia University in the City of New York
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in operations research. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge. A Best Colleges rank of #1 out of 2,198 schools nationwide means MIT is a great school overall.
There were approximately 23 operations research students who graduated with this degree at MIT in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in operations research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NJ
91
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat Princeton University if you wish to pursue a degree in operations research. Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,198 schools nationwide means Princeton is a great university overall.
There were about 91 operations research students who graduated with this degree at Princeton in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in operations research from Princeton University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
261
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in operations research. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,198 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were about 261 operations research students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in operations research from University of California - Berkeley
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,198 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.More information about a degree in operations research from Northwestern University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In NY
228
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #24 out of 2,198 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.
There were approximately 228 operations research students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in operations research from Cornell University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In TX
Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,198 schools nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.
There were about 10 operations research students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in operations research from Rice University
Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,198 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.
There were roughly 9 operations research students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in operations research from Carnegie Mellon University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In TX
50
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. This university ranks 4th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were roughly 50 operations research students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in operations research from Southern Methodist University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In GA
51
Operations Research Degrees Awarded
Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,198 schools nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.
There were roughly 51 operations research students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in operations research from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
