Doctoral Program in Operations Management

Overview of the OM Doctoral Program

Mission
To educate and train scholars who will produce first-rate OM research and who will succeed as faculty members in first-rate universities. Our areas of study include optimization, stochastic modelling, and operations management applications.

Admissions and performance
We enroll an average of two or three students each year out of more than 100 highly qualified applicants. Students enrolling typically have GMATS over 700 or GREs over 1400. International students typically have TOEFLs higher than 600. Our students are highly competitive within Stern and nationally, and present talks and invited presentations at national and international conferences.

Advising and evaluation
The OM doctoral program faculty director advises all first-year doctoral students. During the first year students have many opportunities to get to know the research interests of all departmental faculty. By the beginning of the second year, students have selected a concentration advisor who will guide them through the comprehensive exam process and up to the thesis stage. By the middle of the third year students will have selected a thesis advisor. Each year every student submits a statement of intellectual progress to his/her advisor. All faculty meet to review the progress of all students in a day-long meeting each year. At this time, the student's intellectual progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. The results of this review include a formal letter to the student assessing the previous year's work and offering guidance for the following year's work. All students take a comprehensive written and oral exam at the end of the second year. Students defend their thesis proposal by March of their fourth year and defend their completed dissertation at the end of the fourth year or during the fifth year.

Research and interaction with faculty
Stern's operations management (OM) group has historically included faculty from two disciplines: operations research, and management and organizational behavior. These two disciplines, along with economics and information systems, continue to have a significant influence on the teaching and research directions of the operations management faculty. In today's business environment, there is a strong interest in combining strategy and industry structure with operations to yield a competitive advantage to organizations.

Doctoral students in OM take courses in optimization theory, stochastic processes, probability models, inventory theory, planning and scheduling theory, as well as game theory and economics. Based on the department's philosophy that developing a familiarity with an application industry is essential to long-term success, students are encouraged either to assist faculty members who are actively working with industrial organizations or develop first-hand expertise through individual contacts with firms.

The faculty members focus their research on current and emerging themes in managing operations in today's economy. They use a combination of analytical, empirical and theory building methodologies to understand: how to design operating systems, contracts and quality systems for the management of decentralized supply chains; best practices in retailing; vehicle routing; call center management; task and workforce scheduling; Internet business models and strategies; and how to forecast new product sales.

Faculty members hold editorial positions on numerous journals and are active in the major societies such as the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science. As a result of Stern's New York City location, the school and its OM faculty have strong ties with the world's financial organizations and chemical, computer, consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies in the tri-state area.

Click on the links on the right to learn how to apply, to attend an information session, and to contact the Stern School Doctoral Office.

Rene Caldentey
Coordinator, Operations Management Doctoral Program
IOMS Department

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Program Requirements

Doctoral students in OM are expected to achieve expertise primarily in the area of Operations Research and Management. In addition, students will take courses focusing on statistics, economics and mathematics. These courses already exist. Based on the OM department’s philosophy that developing a familiarity with an application industry is essential to long-term success, PhD students are encouraged either to assist faculty members who are actively working with industrial organizations or develop first-hand experience through individual contact with firms.

Students may take up to a total of 60 credits as follows:

Note: Substitutions are allowed, when appropriate, with the permission of PhD coordinator.

7 basic courses in OM and related areas (21 credits):
Linear and Integer Programming
Combinatorial Optimization and Applications
Dynamic Programming
Queuing Theory
Stochastic Processes
Microeconomic Theory
Statistical Inference and Regression Analysis
5 advanced courses in OM (15 credits):
Supply Chain Management I
Supply Chain Management II
Stochastic Modeling
Scheduling Theory
Stochastic Control to Revenue Management
At least 4 elective courses from the following (12+ credits):
Real Variables I
Real Variables II
Probability Limit Theorems I
Probability Limit Theorems II
Numerical Methods I
Numerical Methods II
Regression and Multivariate Analysis
Times Series Analysis
Forecasting Time Series Data
Econometrics I
Econometrics II
Industrial Organization
Quantitative Applications in Marketing I
Special Research Topics in Marketing
Microeconomic Theory II
Game Theory I
Game Theory II
Nonlinear Optimization
5 research practica (5 credits) and 1 teaching practicum (1 credit)

In addition to required course work, doctoral students participate in research projects led by faculty members, attend research seminars, present seminars concerning their own research, and write and attempt to publish research studies.

By fall of the third year, doctoral students are required to take and pass the department’s comprehensive examination. Doctoral students who complete their coursework and pass the comprehensive exam may apply for the M.Phil degree.

The doctoral program concludes with the proposal, writing and defense of a dissertation.

Students are required to complete the doctoral program within six years (most students will graduate in 4-5 years).

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Operations Management Program of Study

I. Minimum Sequence of Courses:


Year/Semester	Courses per semester
Year 1: Fall	3 basic courses 1 advanced OM course
Year 1: Spring	2 basic courses 1 advanced OM course 1 elective course
Year 2: Fall	2 basic courses 1 advanced OM course 1 elective course
Year 2: Spring	1 advanced OM courses 2 elective courses

II. Courses:

Upon recommendation of OM PhD Coordinator:

**Background courses/Prerequisites**
Course title	Offered by
Introduction to Mathematical Analysis I & II	Courant Institute
Linear Algebra	Courant Institute
Computer Programming Skills (CPAC)	Courant Institute

**Required Basic Courses**
Course title	Offered by
Linear & Integer Programming	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Combinatorial Optimization and Applications and Convex Optimization	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Dynamic Programming	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Queueing Theory	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Stochastic Processes	Courant Institute OM Group, IOMS Stern
Microeconomic Theory	Economics Department, GSAS
Statistical Inference and Regression Analysis	Statistics Group, IOMS Stern

**Required Advanced Courses**
Course title	Offered by
Real Variables I	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Supply Chain Management II	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Stochastic Modeling	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Stochastic Theory	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Stochastic Control to Revenue Management	OM Group, IOMS Stern
Based on requirements, advanced courses may also cover the following topics: Production Scheduling Distribution Logistics Simulation Service Operations Management Auction Theory	OM Group, IOMS Stern

III. Suggested Elective Courses from Other Departments
Course title	Offered by
Real Variables I Real Variables II Probability Limits Theorems I Probability Limits Theorems II Numerical Methods I Numerical Methods II	Courant Institute
Regression & Multivariate Analysis Time Series Analysis Forecasting Time Series Data	Statistics Group, IOMS Stern
Econometrics I Econometrics II Industrial Organization	Economics Department, Stern
Quantitative Applications in Marketing I Special Research Topics in Marketing	Marketing Department, Stern
Microeconomic Theory II Game Theory I Game Theory II	Economics Department, GSAS
Nonlinear Optimization	Courant Institute

Notes:

Students are encouraged to take electives to support their research perspective. Samples of electives of three perspectives are shown below. Others are possible:

Management Science:	Probability Limit Theorems I, II; Numerical Methods I, II; Nonlinear Optimization
Empirical Modeling:	Econometrics I, II; Regression & Multivariate Analysis; Time Series Analysis
Strategic Management:	Organization and Strategy, Industrial Organizations, Advanced Strategy

Basic courses or advanced OM courses may be waived only with the permission of the PhD coordinator.

Comprehensive Examinations will be given once per year and include a written and an oral exam. The examinations are constructed by a common group of faculty and are based on the basic and advanced coursework.

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Doctoral Courses

OPMG-GB.3321 (B60.3321) Introduction to Stochastic Processes
OPMG-GB.4303 (B60.4303) Stochastic Service Systems
OPMG-GB.4304 (B60.4304) Special Topics: Supply Chain Management
OPMG-GB.4305 (B60.4305) Advanced Topics in Optimization
OPMG-GB.4306 (B60.4306) Dynamic Programming and Stochastic Controls
OPMG-GB.4308 (B60.4308) Applications of Stochastic Control to Revenue Management
OPMG-GB.4309 (B60.4309) Advanced Stochastic Modelling I
OPMG-GB.4311 (B60.4311) Advanced Stochastic Modelling II
OPMG-GB.4314 (B60.4314) Revenue Management and Pricing
OPMG-GB.4315 (B60.4315) Combinatorial Optimization and Applications
OPMG-GB.4316 (B60.4316) Queuing Networks: Theory Applications
OPMG-GB.4317 (B60.4317) Stochastic Inventory Theory
OPMG-GB.4318 (B60.4318) Advanced Topics in Optimization II
OPMG-GB.4319 (B60.4319) Stochastic Simulation
OPMG-GB.4326 (B60.4326) Computational Mathematics and Large Scale Dynamic Programming
OPMG-GB.4340 (B60.4340) Game Theory in Operations