Operations Research, Ph.D.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Lyle School of Engineering requirements for the Ph.D. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following. (For a Ph.D. degree, the Lyle School of Engineering requires a minimum academic credit of 54 credit hours earned in coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree or 24 credit hours earned in coursework beyond a master’s degree. In addition, a minimum of 24 research credit hours are required in dissertation work.)

1. The successful completion of at least 8 graduate courses (at least 24 credit hours) beyond the master’s degree.
2. In their first year of the doctoral study, the students are required to complete 18 credit hours of coursework (6 courses) including two core course requirements.
3. At the end of the spring semester of the first year, the student is required to take the Preliminary Counseling Exam (PCE) to demonstrate competence in operations research fundamentals. This exam has two parts:
   1. The first part is composed of two written exams on the topics of OREM 8370  and OREM 8371  (i.e., the core requirement courses). If a student already secured an A grade in both of the core requirement courses, this part can be waived completely. However, if the student received an A- or less in at least one of the two core courses, this part is required in its totality. The exam is graded based on Pass/Fail grading scheme.
   2. The second part is composed of two research paper presentations and cannot be waived. From a list of papers provided by the faculty, the student chooses two papers. Once the choices are confirmed, the student reads them following a guide provided and prepares a 45-minute presentation on each paper (given at separate times) for an oral exam on the in-depth understanding of the subject. The student also prepares written reports on the papers and submits them before the oral exams. An examination committee, formed by the PhD program director, will conduct the exam. This part of the exam can also include a computational study based on one of the papers chosen. Written exams and/or performance in the first year courses and paper reports, presentations, and, the student’s responses to the examination committee’s questions will be used to grade the overall performance as well as the future success potential of the student in the doctoral program. Each part of the exam can be retaken at most once in a way that a decision on the status of the student in the PhD program can be made by the end of the summer semester of the first year. The student is responsible to submit the Preliminary Exam Initiation form to the department within a week after the detailed information on the second part of the exam is announced.
4. If the student has a suitable background in a core course, that course can be waived. In this case, the student must take the PCE exam at the time that it is offered, without any exception regardless of his/her previous grade on the waived core requirement course. If the exam is passed successfully, then the course credit can be honored towards total minimum credit requirement (24 hours). In this specific situation, the student is still required to complete 18 credits of coursework (6 courses without including independent study or research credit related courses) in the first two semesters in the program.
5. The student, although not required if no funding is available, can choose to spend the summer semester of the first year by:
   1. engaging in independent research study with faculty (in which case the summer funding would be provided by the faculty),
   2. taking background enhancement courses (e.g., from the third group above) or skill set courses (e.g., programming, writing, presenting, GIS, etc.) in consultation with the OR program director (can also be in addition to independent study),
   3. taking an internship approved by the OR program director (summer funding provided by the company), or
   4. enrolling in research credit course if already funded by a faculty member out of a grant.
6. Having passed the PCE and completed at least 6 courses (18 credit hours) in the program, in the second year, the student will complete at least two additional courses (to fulfill minimum 24 credit hours requirement) from the second group above and one independent research study course (if not completed in the preceding summer). Depending on how this requirement is planned to be satisfied and on the student’s commitment to a research project with an academic advisor, additional credit requirements to ensure full-time student requirements (9 credit hours per semester) can be fulfilled in alternative ways. In coursework selection, care must be taken to ensure that the student accumulates both breadth of knowledge in OR and depth of knowledge in the specific area of interest. If the student is not yet committed to work with an advisor by the end of the fall semester, he/she needs to consult with the OR program director and the faculty who offered the independent research study to decide on additional complementing courses to take in the spring.
7. Regardless of what path was taken in the second year of study, the student must form his/her Dissertation Supervisory Committee by the end of the spring semester of the second year latest. However, this is preferred to happen earlier, by the end of the fall semester, as the committee can also make suggestions for the additional coursework to be completed in the spring semester of the second year. This completes the degree plan formation and the student concentrates on the research in the summer semester of the second year and the following fall semester. It may also be possible to spend the same summer at an internship, preferably related to the area of research, by the approval of the student’s supervisory committee.
   At this point, completion of the forms Recommendation and Certification of Appointment of Supervisory Committee and Doctoral Degree Plan need to be submitted to the graduate office.
8. The student is expected to complete the Qualifying Examination administered by his/her supervisory committee in the spring or summer semester of the third year in the program. The exam will typically include a series of take-home exams individually given by the supervisory committee members and completion of a dissertation research proposal that includes some preliminary results and a clear articulation and plan of the research proposed. This will be followed by a meeting with the committee where the student will present his/her research proposal, lead a discussion to receive feedback from the committee, and address any other questions regarding the take-home exams and related advanced topics. Upon passing this exam, the student will be admitted to candidacy.
   At this point, the student should complete and submit the Admission to Candidacy form to the graduate office.
9. The student will complete his/her research and the Dissertation. The Dissertation Defense is expected to take place by the end of the fourth year in the program. At the completion of the exam, the form Report on Thesis or Dissertation and/or Final Examination is submitted to the graduate office.
10. During their PhD program, students are required to give at least one departmental seminar on their research and attend to all research seminars announced in the OREM Department.
11. Starting in the second year, students are required to submit annual reviews following the template provided at the end of the spring semester.

Bachelor of Science to Operations Research, Ph.D. Direct Admission

The Direct B.S. to PhD Program requires a total of 78 credit hours composed of at least 36 credit hours of course work and at least 24 credit hours of dissertation research work. In this program, the following core courses should be completed before taking the Preliminary Counseling Exam (PCE). The rest of the course credits will be completed from the courses also listed below. There may also be other courses that qualify in the latter category based on the discretion of the student’s dissertation committee chair and supervisory committee.

In the first three semesters (typically, fall and spring semesters of the first year and the fall semester of the second year), the student is required to complete the core courses. Additional courses may include courses from the second group and/or other courses that may be required as foundational courses depending on the student’s background. Doctoral students must maintain at least a 3.000 GPA every term and at least a 3.400 overall (cumulative) GPA during their course of study. In addition, the student is required to average at least 3.50 in the last two core courses listed below. 

1. At the end of the fall semester of the second year, the student is required to take the Preliminary Counseling Exam (PCE) to demonstrate competence in operations research fundamentals. This exam has two parts.
   1. The first part is composed of two written exams on the topics of OREM 8370  and OREM 8371  (i.e., the core requirement courses). If a student already secured an A grade in both of these core requirement courses, this part can be waived completely. However, if the student received an A- or less in at least one of these core courses, this part is required in its totality. The exam is graded based on a Pass/Fail grading scheme.
   2. The second part is composed of two research paper presentations and cannot be waived. From a list of papers provided by the faculty, the student chooses two papers. Once the choices are confirmed, the student reads them following a guide provided and prepares a 45-minute presentation on each paper (given at separate times) for an oral exam on the in-depth understanding of the subject. The student also prepares written reports on the papers and submits them before the oral exams. An examination committee, formed by the Ph.D. program director, will conduct the exam. This part of the exam can also include a computational study based on one of the papers chosen.
      Written exams and/or performance in the program and paper reports, presentations, and the student’s responses to the examination committee’s questions will be used to grade the overall readiness as well as the future success potential of the student in the doctoral program. Each part of the exam can be retaken at most once in a way that a decision on the status of the student in the Ph.D. program can be made by the end of the summer semester of the second year. The student is responsible to submit the Preliminary Exam Initiation form to the department within a week after the detailed information on the second part of the exam is announced.
2. The student, although not required if no funding is available, can choose to spend the summer semesters of the first and second years by:
   1. engaging in independent research study with faculty (in which case the summer funding would be provided by the faculty),
   2. taking additional background enhancement courses or skill set courses (e.g., writing, presenting, GIS, etc.) in consultation with the OR program director (can also be in addition to independent study),
   3. taking an internship approved by the OR program director (summer funding provided by the company), or
   4. enrolling in research credit course if already funded by a faculty member out of a grant.

The other 6 courses for 18 credits can be selected from the second group below. The student must consult with their academic advisor while determining the course selection. The prerequisites of any course not on the lists below do not typically count towards satisfying minimum 36 credit hours requirement.

1. Having passed the PCE, completed core courses in the program and any independent study course(s), in the third year, the student will complete the additional 6 courses (to fulfill minimum 36 credit hours requirement) from the second group below.
2. Also, the student must form their Dissertation Supervisory Committee by the end of the spring semester of the second year at the latest. However, this is preferred to happen earlier, when PCE is finalized in the fall semester, as the committee can also make suggestions for the coursework to be completed in the spring semester. This completes the degree plan formation and the student concentrates on the research in the same year. At this point, the forms Recommendation and Certification of Appointment of Supervisory Committee and Doctoral Degree Plan need to be submitted to the graduate office.
3. The student is expected to complete the Qualifying Examination administered by their supervisory committee in the fourth year in the program. The exam will typically include a series of take-home exams individually given by the supervisory committee members and completion of a dissertation research proposal that includes some preliminary results and a clear articulation and plan of the research proposed. This will be followed by a meeting with the committee where the student will present their research proposal, lead a discussion to receive feedback from the committee, and address any other questions regarding the take-home exams and related advanced topics. Upon passing this exam, the student will be admitted to candidacy. At this point, the student should complete and submit the Admission to Candidacy form to the graduate office.
4. The student will complete their research and the Dissertation. The Dissertation Defense is expected to take place by the end of the fifth year in the program. At the completion of the exam, the form Report on Thesis or Dissertation and/or Final Examination is submitted to the graduate office.
5. During their Ph.D. program, students are required to give at least one departmental seminar on their research and attend all research seminars announced in the OREM Department.
6. Starting in the second year, students are required to submit annual reviews following the template provided at the end of the spring semester.