Master of Science in Operations Research | NC State OR

MSOR Curriculum

OR PRO TIP: The MOR curriculum is designed to help you see your path through the three semesters of your MOR degree.

The Master of Science in Operations Research (MSOR) prepares you for a career as a research and development engineer in industry, or for matriculation into a Ph.D. program in Operations Research. The MSOR degree requires a minimum of 31 credit hours and completion of a thesis.

Core Courses (15 hours)

To earn the MOR degree, you must complete five of the following core courses. OR PRO TIP: OR 504 and OR 505 cannot BOTH be used to satisfy this five course requirement, and at least one of OR 505, OR 506 or OR 709 MUST be chosen.

• CSC 505 Design and Analysis of Algorithms
• ISE 537 Statistical Models for Systems Analytics in Industrial Engineering
• MA/ST 546 Probability and Stochastic Processes I
• MA/ST 747 Probability and Stochastic Processes II
• OR 501 Introduction to Operations Research
• OR 504 Introduction to Mathematical Programming
• OR 505 Linear Programming
• OR 506 Algorithmic Methods In Nonlinear Programming
• OR 531 Dynamic Systems and Multivariable Control I
• OR 537 Computer Methods and Applications
• OR 560 Stochastic Models in Industrial Engineering
• OR 562 Simulation Modeling
• OR 706 Nonlinear programming
• OR 708 Integer Programming
• OR 709 Dynamic Programming
• OR 760 Applied Stochastic Models in Industrial Engineering
• OR 761 Queues and Stochastic Service Systems
• OR 762 Computer Simulation Techniques
• OR 772 Stochastic Simulation Design and Analysis
• ST 516: Experimental Statistics For Engineers II, or ST 512: Experimental Statistics For Biological Sciences II

Seminar (1 hour)

Enroll in OR 601 Seminar in Operations Research for one credit hour. You are expected to attend the seminar throughout their program.

Electives (9 to 12 hours)

If additional courses are needed to complete the 31-hour requirement, they should come from mathematics, engineering, statistics, computer science, or other STEM disciplines (e.g., econometrics, data science, etc.). Some business courses are also acceptable as electives. Questions regarding electives should be directed to the OR Director or your faculty advisor.

Thesis (3 to 6 hours)

You must successfully complete a master’s thesis (3 to 6 credits of OR 695 Master’s Thesis Research). Ideally, your thesis will be of sufficient caliber to include publishable research.

Next, form a Graduate Advisory Committee, consisting of at least three faculty, and file a committee-approved Plan of Graduate Work with the Graduate School. Your Chair (or co-chair) and one other committee member should be a member of the OR Faculty. At least one member should represent your minor field of study.

Finally, you must pass your final oral examination conducted by your Advisory Committee. At the committee’s discretion, the exam will include but need not be restricted to a “defense of thesis.”

Upon passing the MSOR final oral examination, you must have the thesis approved by each member of your advisory committee. The thesis must be submitted to the thesis editor of the Graduate School and must conform to the Guide for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations. You can get a copy from the Graduate School.

OR PRO TIP: Be aware of Graduate School submission deadlines for graduation. Submission of your thesis to the Graduate School is by appointment only; call 919.515.2871.

OR Minor

Three (3) OR courses (9 credits) are required to minor in operations research as part of a Master of Science degree, plus having an OR faculty member as part of your committee. If an OR course is cross-listed with other departments, a student is required to register using the OR prefix.