<p>I'm currently a Statistics and Economics major who is interested in pursuing an MS degree in Operations Research a few years down the road after graduation and some work experience. In general, what is the preferred background for people to be admitted to good OR programs? I'll have a 400-level class in Linear Algebra, but besides that it's all statistics and some programming classes, such as C++ and SAS/R (and no real analysis). If it makes a difference, I'm interested in Operations Research degrees that have more of a focus on public policy.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>EDIT: I've also taken a class in elementary differential equations, but I doubt that has much applicability to OR.</p>
<p>Check out the IEOR at Columbia University, I believe it’s top 3 IEOR. I took some graduate courses in this field. It’s a very diverse field with all sort of background.</p>
<p>@DrGoogle Thanks for the response! Do you think Real Analysis would be a useful course for me to take in my undergrad years if I’m looking into a masters in Operations Research/Management Science? Naturally it doesn’t have any application, but am I right in assuming it would be helpful in advanced statistics courses and nonlinear optimization?</p>
<p>@alaink, to be honest with you, I don’t have a clue what Real Analysis, I’m not math major. I had up until Fourier Series and Laplace Transform and that’s the extend of it. However, I suggest you to look at the catalog of Columbia to see if there is any real course that is even close to it. But from my first glance, it doesn’t look like it.
<a href=“http://ieor.columbia.edu/concentration/283”>http://ieor.columbia.edu/concentration/283</a></p>
<p>Real Analysis often functions as an introduction to proofs at most schools. If you haven’t already taken a class that fills that function, real analysis would be a good choice. </p>
<p>@Vladenschlutte, how important do you think a class in proofs will be for an MS in OR? From the looks of it, I won’t have time to take an intro level proof class (which is needed to take the course in Real Analysis). </p>
<p>I’m not sure how you get away without taking a Real Analysis class in Stats major. Our “stats majors” had to take that along with algebra and complex analysis.</p>
<p>Anyways, I took two Operations Research classes before I ever took a proof class. I also took an intro to proofs class, which was garbage because all we did was play with set theory. It hasn’t been useful in getting me the A grades I got in Abstract Algebra / Real Analysis. I only know someone who went to Cornell for Operations Research that was in my Operations Research class, but he had several proofs classes. They test your logic.</p>
<p>You don’t need experience in proofs for an undergraduate level real analysis class, that is the intro proving class. Are you talking about a grad level (often PhD level one)? If so you should take something more elementary first. </p>