Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Program Learning Outcomes for the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Upon completing the BA degree with a major in Operations Research, students will be able to:
- Formulate appropriate mathematical programs and stochastic processes that model real-world situations. (Critical Thinking)
- Calibrate models with appropriate real-world data, using statistical and data science tools. (Critical Thinking)
- Use commercial and open-source software to solve operations research models. (Design)
- Communicate the solutions and insights generated by operations research models to a non-technical audience. (Communication)
Requirements for the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Operations Research must complete:
- A minimum of 17 courses (54-56 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 11 courses (33-35 credit hours, depending on course selection) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit after matriculation at Rice may be applied towards specific major requirements. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor, or where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Operations Research | 54-56 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Requirements | ||
| COMP 140 | COMPUTATIONAL THINKING | 4 |
| MATH 101 | SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS I | 3 |
| or MATH 105 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS I | |
| MATH 102 | SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS II | 3 |
| or MATH 106 | AP/OTH CREDIT IN CALCULUS II | |
| MATH 212 | MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS | 3 |
| Intermediate Requirements | ||
| CMOR 303 | MATRIX ANALYSIS FOR DATA SCIENCE | 3 |
| CMOR 350 | STOCHASTIC MODELS | 3 |
| CMOR 360 | INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| ELEC 378 | MACHINE LEARNING: CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES | 3 |
| STAT 315 | PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS FOR DATA SCIENCE | 4 |
| Advanced Requirements | ||
| CMOR 442 | LARGE-SCALE OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| or CMOR 451 | SIMULATION MODELING AND ANALYSIS | |
| CMOR 452 | 3 | |
| CMOR 461 | LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| CMOR 462 | OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 3 elective courses (see course list below) | 9-11 | |
| Senior Design | ||
| DSCI 435 / COMP 449 | APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA SCIENCE PROJECTS | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Operations Research | 54-56 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 33-35 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying major requirements may additionally meet distribution requirements, such as the Analyzing Diversity (AD) requirement, or some of the student's declared major, minor, or certificate requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements. |
Course List to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
To fulfill Elective Requirements, students must complete a total of 3 courses (9-11 credit hours, depending on course selection) from the following department approved electives.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CMOR 404 | GRAPH THEORY | 3 |
| CMOR 441 | LINEAR AND INTEGER PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| CMOR 455 | STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | 3 |
| CMOR 531 | CONVEX OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| CMOR 533 | NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| CMOR 543 | COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| CMOR 544 | STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| COMP 382 | REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | 4 |
| COMP 414 | OPTIMIZATION: ALGORITHMS, COMPLEXITY AND APPROXIMATIONS | 3 |
| COMP 416 | GENOME-SCALE ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES | 3 |
| COMP 441 | LARGE-SCALE MACHINE LEARNING | 3 |
| or ELEC 478 | INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING | |
| or ELEC 578 | INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING | |
| or INDE 577 | DATA SCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING | |
| or STAT 413 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL MACHINE LEARNING | |
| COMP 459 | MACHINE LEARNING WITH GRAPHS | 3 |
| ECON 437 / ENST 437 | ENERGY ECONOMICS | 3 |
| ECON 443 | FINANCIAL ECONOMICS | 3 |
| ECON 449 | PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL ENGINEERING | 3 |
| ECON 456 | TOPICS IN BUSINESS ECONOMICS: FINANCIAL MARKET AND INVESTMENTS | 3 |
| ECON 470 | MARKET DESIGN | 3 |
| ECON 481 | HEALTH ECONOMICS | 3 |
| ELEC 533 / CMOR 553 / STAT 583 | INTRODUCTION TO RANDOM PROCESSES AND APPLICATIONS | 3 |
| ELEC 475 | LEARNING FROM SENSOR DATA | 3 |
| INDE 511 | GRAPH ALGORITHMS | 3 |
| INDE 513 | OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | 3 |
| INDE 543 | MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS | 3 |
| INDE 597 | TOPICS IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERNG | 3 |
| STAT 313 / CEVE 313 | UNCERTAINTY AND RISK IN URBAN INFRASTRUCTURES | 3 |
| STAT 410 | LINEAR REGRESSION | 4 |
| STAT 418 | PROBABILITY | 3 |
| STAT 419 | STATISTICAL INFERENCE | 3 |
| STAT 421 | APPLIED TIME SERIES AND FORECASTING | 3 |
| STAT 449 | QUANTITATIVE FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| STAT 482 | QUANTITATIVE FINANCIAL ANALYTICS | 3 |
| STAT 486 | MARKET MODELS | 3 |
| STAT 581 / CMOR 552 | MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | 3 |
| STAT 582 | MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY II | 3 |
Policies for the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research should be aware of the following program restrictions:
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, under Declaring Majors, Minors and Certificates, students may not obtain both a BA and a BS in the same major. Students pursuing the BS Degree in Operations Research may not additionally pursue the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research.
- As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, students may not major and minor in the same subject.
- Students pursuing the major in Operations Research may not additionally declare the major in Computational and Applied Mathematics.
- Students pursuing the major in Operations Research may not additionally declare the minor in Computational and Applied Mathematics.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s transfer credit advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the major in Operations Research should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guidelines:
- No more than 4 courses (12 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards major requirements after matriculation at Rice.
- Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director (and/or the program's official transfer credit advisor) on an individual case-by-case basis.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research website: https://cmor.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the BA Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Fifth-Year Master's Degree Option for Rice Undergraduate Students
In certain situations and with some terminal master's degree programs, Rice students have an option to pursue a master’s degree by adding an additional fifth year to their four years of undergraduate studies.
Advanced Rice undergraduate students in good academic standing typically apply to the master’s degree program during their junior or senior year. Upon acceptance, depending on course load, financial aid status, and other variables, they may then start taking some required courses of the master's degree program. A plan of study will need to be approved by the student's undergraduate major advisor and the master’s degree program director.
As part of this option and opportunity, Rice undergraduate students:
- must complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree and the master's degree independently of each other (i.e. no course may be counted toward the fulfillment of both degrees).
- should be aware there could be financial aid implications if the conversion of undergraduate coursework to that of graduate level reduces their earned undergraduate credit for any semester below that of full-time status (12 credit hours).
- more information on this Undergraduate - Graduate Concurrent Enrollment opportunity, including specific information on the registration process can be found here.
Rice undergraduate students completing studies in science and engineering may have the option to pursue the Master of Computational and Applied Mathematics (MCAAM) or the Master of Industrial Engineering (MIE) degree. For additional information, students should contact their undergraduate major advisor and the MCAAM/MIE program director.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research website: https://cmor.rice.edu/.