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General Operations Research

Types of Degrees General Operations Research Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Operations Research have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	441
Master’s Degree	1,384
Doctor’s Degree	85

What General Operations Research Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Operations Research develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Operations Research graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General Operations Research emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a General Operations Research program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Operations Research careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Operations Research graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Operations Research professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
C++	Object or component oriented development software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Dassault Systemes CATIA	Computer aided design CAD software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Operations Research graduates include:

• Marine Engineering Professor
• Chemical Engineering Professor
• Petroleum Engineering Teacher
• Plastics Engineering Teacher
• Agricultural Engineering Teacher
• Metallurgy Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Professor
• Geological Engineering Teacher
• Industrial Engineering Professor
• Environmental Engineering Professor
• Ship Construction Teacher
• Electronics Teacher
• Theoretical Mechanics Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Operations Research graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	36.1%
Bachelor’s degree	21.2%
Master’s degree	11.7%
Post-doctoral training	11.7%
Post-master’s certificate	9.8%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Some college courses	1.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Operations Research?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 63% of General Operations Research degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	706	37.0%
Men	1,204	63.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Operations Research graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	554	29.0%
Asian	218	11.4%
Hispanic or Latino	129	6.8%
Black or African American	37	1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	44	2.3%
Race Unknown	46	2.4%
International Students	881	46.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Operations Research Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Operations Research graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$85,170
4 years	$126,482
5 years	$163,394

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $163,394 — roughly 92% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Operations Research Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for General Operations Research. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	8
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Operations Research Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Operations Research graduates earn a median of $126,482 four years after completion — roughly 233% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Operations Research	14.37
Engineering Physics/Applied Physics	14.1201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.