Operations Research: Eligibility, PG courses, institutes and job roles

Are you good at using your mathematical skills to create algorithms to find the best possible solution to a very complex problem? While opting for higher studies, you can go for Operations Research, a branch of Mathematics that deals with optimisation to come up with potential solutions in key sectors like risk management and urban planning.

What is Operations Research

Operations Research is a step-by-step procedure that you need to solve a problem and make a decision. It involves advanced mathematical and analytical methods. This is an important subfield of Mathematics and Statistics which identifies a problem, constructs real-world models, solves the problem, tests and implements the solution.

Studying Operations Research:

• You need at least 55% aggregate and Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry as mandatory subjects in your Class XII board exams.
• You need to clear BTech/BStat/BSc/MSc courses with Mathematics and Statistics as compulsory subjects at the graduation level.
• For MTech and PhD in Operations Research, your GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) score is important.

Some institutes that offer Operations Research courses:

Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), multiple locations

Course: Master of Technology in Quality, Reliability & Operations Research [MTech (QROR)].

• Duration: Two Years.

• Eligibility: An applicant must have:

1. A master’s degree in Statistics with Physics and Chemistry at the Plus-Two level.
2. A master’s degree in Mathematics with Statistics as a subject at the undergraduate or postgraduate level and Physics and Chemistry at the (10+2) level.
3. A BE/BTech degree or any other qualification considered equivalent (such as AMIE — a degree-level exam conducted by the Institution of Engineers in India for distance-based admission to BE and BTech courses).

• The programme is offered in two streams:

1. Statistics stream for candidates with a master’s degree in Statistics, as mentioned above. Or a master’s degree in Mathematics for candidates, as mentioned above.
2. Engineering Stream for candidates with an undergraduate degree in Engineering or Technology, as mentioned above.

• Selection Procedure: All candidates, including the sponsored ones, are admitted through written tests and interviews. For admission to this programme, a valid GATE score is not necessary. Candidates with valid GATE scores also must write the tests.

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Course: Junior Research Fellowship in Quality, Reliability & Operations Research (QROR).

• Eligibility: An applicant must have:

1. An MTech/ME/MS/MPhil/equivalent degree in Quality/Reliability/Operations Research.
2. An MStat/MSc/MA/equivalent degree in Mathematics/Statistics/Physics with Mathematics as a subject at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.
   

• Admission: Depends on the candidate’s UGC NET score and performance in a personal interview.

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Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay

Course: MTech in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR).

• Duration: Two years.

• Eligibility: A 650+ score in GATE does not guarantee a seat. It just means you are eligible since there might be more eligible students than the capacity. IEOR also follows a bucketing system as per the GATE paper.

• Admission: Based on the candidate’s GATE score. The minimum GATE cut-off for direct admission to the IEOR MTech course is 650 for the General category for all GATE papers.

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Course: PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR).

• Eligibility: Applicants must have first-class or 60% marks in:

1. Their master's degree in any branch of Engineering with adequate exposure to Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.
2. Their MSc course in Mathematics, Statistics or Operations Research.
3. Their bachelor's degree in any branch of Engineering with an excellent academic record.
4. Candidates with a bachelor's degree in Engineering or a master's degree in any Science subject must have a valid GATE score to become eligible for teaching/research assistantships provided by the Institute.

• Admission: This depends on the candidate’s performance in the written entrance test and a personal interview.

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University of Delhi, Delhi

Course: Master of Operational Research.

• Duration: Two years.

• Eligibility:

1. Any master’s degree examination conducted by the University of Delhi or an examination recognised as equivalent with at least two papers in Mathematics/Computer Science/Statistics/Operational Research at the graduation/higher level with 55% marks.
2. Any bachelor’s degree examination under the 10+2+3 scheme of examination under the University of Delhi or an examination recognised as equivalent with at least two papers in Mathematics/Computer Science/Operational Research/Statistics with 55% marks.

• Admission: Through an admission test and a personal interview.

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Course: PhD in Operational Research.

• Eligibility: The candidate should have at least 55% aggregate (or equivalent CGPA score) in the master’s-level course in Operational Research. Or they need at least 60% marks in an allied subject with at least two papers in Operational Research from a recognised university/institute. Additionally, the common eligibility criteria as per university rules will also be applicable.

• Admission:

1. Admission to the PhD programme is through a written exam based on multiple choice questions.
2. The entrance test will be a qualifying exam with qualifying marks of 50%. The syllabus for the entrance test will consist of 50% questions on research aptitude/methodology and 50% subject-specific questions.
3. The shortlisted candidates on the basis of the written exam will be called for an interview.

From the academic year 2022-23, the MPhil programme in Operational Research has been discontinued according to New Education Policy.

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Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Uttar Pradesh

Course: MSc Operations Research.

• Duration: Two years.

• Eligibility:

1. BSc/BA (Hons) or BSc/BA with Statistics or Mathematics as a main/major subject with at least 55% aggregate.
2. BSc/BA (Hons) or BSc/BA or its equivalent with Statistics or Mathematics as one of the subjects with at least 55% aggregate.

• Admission: Depends on the candidate’s performance in the entrance test conducted by the university and a personal interview.

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Job roles with a degree in Operations Research:

• Operation research analyst: They identify problems in sectors like business, logistics and healthcare to collect data. They use statistical analysis and predictive modelling to find realistic solutions.

• Risk analyst: They help in identifying the potential financial risks of a company. They analyse and develop risk-mitigation strategies to minimise the risk and gain the maximum out of it.

• Management consulting: They advise and help companies solve existing problems and expected problems. They also suggest how to maximise growth and improve functioning.

• Fraud detection analyst: Their primary role is to monitor high-risk transactions and create fraud analysis models. They determine fraud trends by analysing past records and transaction patterns.

• Supply chain manager: They keep track of the company's logistics and ensure the operations with all vendors and suppliers fulfil the desired quality. They develop quick strategies to fasten up the whole supply chain process.

• Financial analyst: They have a major role in forecasting revenues and expenditures. These professionals also determine the correct capital budgeting for a project.