Is it similar to Data science and CS? The course and description indicate the similar notion… What exactly do you learn? Is it okay for a CS student to minor in OR?
As I know, you cannot minor in Operations Research; however, I might be wrong. Operations Research is kind of similar to data science, but more related to applied mathematics.
I am also interested in transferring to this one, from another top engineering school, but I don’t know whether it accepts transfers especially in financial engineering
@reginathepink Oh okay thank you :))
My bachelor’s degree is in applied math. My master’s degree is in Operations Research. There is quite a bit there and it is certainly possible to get a PhD in OR.
I have called it “applied mathematical algorithms”. It teaches methods for solving mathematical problems.
For my master’s there was a significant amount of probability, stochastic systems, and statistics. There was also quite a bit of algorithms. We did use computers a fair amount to solve problems.
One example is networking algorithms: How to you compute the shortest path through a network? How do you determine the maximum amount of a substance that can be transmitted through a network? This latter could be the maximum Internet Traffic through an IP network, or the maximum oil through a network of pipelines, or the maximum amount of cargo through a network of trains or trucks (or both).
Another example of an OR problem: An airplane can fly faster using the same amount of fuel at high altitudes. However, it takes fuel to get yourself up to a high altitude. Also, suppose that you have weaker headwinds at a low altitude, and stronger headwinds at a higher altitude. You are flying from New York to Chicago. Given a map of wind speeds at different altitudes and locations, and given a knowledge of the speed and fuel efficiency at different altitudes, and given knowledge of how much fuel you use up to gain altitude, what is the most efficient flight plan and cruising altitude for planning your flight?
Fedex, UPS, and similar companies use techniques that include OR and AI to optimize planning for their trucks. If you get a package delivery, it is very likely that the truck that delivered your package was already nearby delivering a different package to someone else. This can save them a lot of fuel as well as other resources. This is in fact a very hard problem to solve in an optimal way and they have a few very good mathematicians working for them.
To me OR is both a lot of fun, and a step to a very good career. It is closely related to both mathematics and computer science. To me if you like this stuff (and how could you not!) it makes a lot of sense to take a class or two in OR, or to major in OR.
I am not familiar with the specific class at Columbia but it is definitely a very good university.
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