Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Program Learning Outcomes for the BS Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Upon completing the BS degree with a major in Operations Research, students will be able to:
- Formulate mathematical programs and stochastic processes that model real-world situations.
- Design and analyze exact and approximate approaches to solve operation research models.
- Design, implement and debug software to solve operations research models.
- Communicate the solutions and insights generated by operations research models to a non-technical audience.
Requirements for the BS Degree with a Major in Operations Research
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BS degree with a major in Operations Research must complete:
- A minimum of 20-21 courses (64-70 credit hours, depending on course selection) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 14 courses (43-45 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 requirements for one area of specialization (see below for areas of specialization). When students declare the major in Operations Research, students must additionally identify and declare one of six areas of specialization, either in:
The undergraduate program in operations research has been designed to accommodate a wide range of student interests. Students are strongly encouraged to take additional courses in pure and applied mathematics, computation, and modeling.
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 | 64-70 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BS Degree with a Major in Operations Research | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Requirements | ||
| COMP 140 | COMPUTATIONAL THINKING | 4 |
| COMP 182 | ALGORITHMIC THINKING | 4 |
| COMP 215 | INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAM DESIGN | 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 | |
| Select 1 from the following: | 3-6 | |
| MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS | ||
or MATH 232 | HONORS MULTIVARIABLE CALCULUS | |
| HONORS CALCULUS III and HONORS CALCULUS IV | ||
| Intermediate Requirements | ||
| CMOR 350 | STOCHASTIC MODELS | 3 |
| CMOR 360 | INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| MATH 302 | ELEMENTS OF ANALYSIS | 3 |
| or MATH 321 | INTRODUCTION TO ANALYSIS I | |
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| MATRIX ANALYSIS | ||
| MATRIX ANALYSIS FOR DATA SCIENCE | ||
| HONORS LINEAR ALGEBRA | ||
| LINEAR ALGEBRA | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS | ||
| HONORS PROBABILITY AND MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS | ||
| PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS FOR DATA SCIENCE | ||
| Advanced Requirements | ||
| CMOR 441 | LINEAR AND INTEGER PROGRAMMING | 3 |
| CMOR 442 | LARGE-SCALE OPTIMIZATION | 3 |
| CMOR 451 | SIMULATION MODELING AND ANALYSIS | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 1 from the following Areas of Specialization (see Areas of Specialization below): | 15-18 | |
Algorithms in Operations Research | ||
Data Science | ||
Financial Engineering | ||
Foundations of Operations Research | ||
Supply Chain Management | ||
Breadth in Operations Research | ||
| Senior Design | ||
| DSCI 435 / COMP 449 | APPLIED MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA SCIENCE PROJECTS | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Operations Research | 64-71 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements | 18-25 | |
| 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 FWIS or distribution requirements may additionally meet other 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. |
| 1 | Elective Requirements may not include CMOR 494, CMOR 495, or independent study courses (such as CMOR 490 or CMOR 491). |
Course Lists to Satisfy Requirements
Students must complete the requirements as listed for one of the following areas of specialization as offered by the Operations Research major. A total of 5 courses (15-18 credit hours, depending on course selection) must be taken in the area of specialization, including a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) taken from departmental (CMOR) course offerings.
Area of Specialization: Algorithms in Operations Research
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Select 3 courses from the following: | 9-11 | |
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| GRAPH ALGORITHMS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS 1 | ||
| OPTIMIZATION: ALGORITHMS, COMPLEXITY AND APPROXIMATIONS | ||
| GENOME-SCALE ALGORITHMS AND DATA STRUCTURES | ||
| LARGE-SCALE MACHINE LEARNING | ||
| MACHINE LEARNING WITH GRAPHS | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Applied Operations Research | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS | ||
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | ||
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE | ||
| OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| Theoretical Foundations | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | ||
| APPLIED STOCHASTIC PROCESSES | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS 1 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15-18 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students may take COMP 382, CMOR 444, CMOR 531, CMOR 533, or CMOR 544 as either an Area of Specialization Core Requirement or an Area of Specialization Elective Requirement, but the same course will not count toward both requirements. |
Area of Specialization: Data Science
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Select 3 courses from the following: | 9-10 | |
| OPTIMIZATION FOUNDATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| OPTIMIZATION: ALGORITHMS, COMPLEXITY AND APPROXIMATIONS | ||
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | ||
| LARGE-SCALE MACHINE LEARNING | ||
or ELEC 478 | INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING | |
or ELEC 578 | INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING | |
or STAT 413 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL MACHINE LEARNING | |
| MACHINE LEARNING WITH GRAPHS | ||
| LEARNING FROM SENSOR DATA | ||
| NEURAL MACHINE LEARNING I | ||
| NEURAL MACHINE LEARNING AND DATA MINING II | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Applied Operations Research | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS | ||
CMOR 456 | ||
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | ||
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE | ||
| OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| Theoretical Foundations | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students may take CMOR 531 or CMOR 533 as either an Area of Specialization Core Requirement or an Area of Specialization Elective Requirement, but the same course will not count toward both requirements. |
Area of Specialization: Financial Engineering
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | ||
| Select 3 courses from the following: | 9 | |
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
CMOR 456 | 1 | |
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE 1 | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| FINANCIAL ECONOMICS | ||
| TOPICS IN BUSINESS ECONOMICS: FINANCIAL MARKET AND INVESTMENTS | ||
| QUANTITATIVE FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT | ||
| QUANTITATIVE FINANCIAL ANALYTICS | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Applied Operations Research | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS | ||
CMOR 456 | 1 | |
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | ||
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE 1 | ||
| OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| Theoretical Foundations | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | ||
| APPLIED STOCHASTIC PROCESSES | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students may take CMOR 456, CMOR 462, CMOR 531, CMOR 533, or CMOR 544 as either an Area of Specialization Core Requirement or an Area of Specialization Elective Requirement, but the same course will not count toward both requirements. |
Area of Specialization: Foundations of Operations Research
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Select 4 courses from the following: | 12-13 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | ||
| APPLIED STOCHASTIC PROCESSES | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Applied Operations Research and Theoretical Founcations | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION | ||
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
CMOR 456 | ||
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | ||
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE | ||
| OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION 1 | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | ||
| APPLIED STOCHASTIC PROCESSES | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students may take CMOR 531 or CMOR 533 as either an Area of Specialization Core Requirement or an Area of Specialization Elective Requirement, but the same course will not count toward both requirements. |
Area of Specialization: Supply Chain Management
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Select 3 courses from the following: | 9 | |
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS 1 | ||
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT 1 | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING 1 | ||
| MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Applied Operations Research | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS 1 | ||
CMOR 456 | ||
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT 1 | ||
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE | ||
| OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING 1 | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| Theoretical Foundations | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | ||
| APPLIED STOCHASTIC PROCESSES | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | Students may take CMOR 452, CMOR 461, or CMOR 465 as either an Area of Specialization Core Requirement or an Area of Specialization Elective Requirement, but the same course will not count toward both requirements. |
Area of Specialization: Breadth in Operations Research
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Applied Operations Research | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| SERVICE SYSTEMS ANALYTICS | ||
CMOR 456 | ||
| LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT | ||
| OPTIMIZATION METHODS IN FINANCE | ||
| OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE | ||
| REVENUE MANAGEMENT & PRICING | ||
CMOR 466 | ||
| Theoretical Foundations | ||
| Select 2 courses from the following: | 6-7 | |
| GRAPH THEORY | ||
| DISCRETE OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND APPLICATIONS | ||
| CONVEX OPTIMIZATION | ||
| NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION | ||
| STOCHASTIC OPTIMIZATION | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY I | ||
| APPLIED STOCHASTIC PROCESSES | ||
| STOCHASTIC NETWORKS AND QUEUEING SYSTEMS | ||
| REASONING ABOUT ALGORITHMS | ||
| Additional Elective | ||
| Select 1 course from either category listed above (Applied Operations Research or Theoretical Foundations) | 3-4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
Policies for the BS Degree with a Major in Operations Research
Program Restrictions and Exclusions
Students pursuing the BS 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. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). 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 the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director 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 guideline:
- 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.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Computational and Applied Mathematics and Operations Research website: https://cmor.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the BS 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 and Applied Mathematics and Operations Research website: https://cmor.rice.edu/.