operations research phd salary

Salary for an Operations Research Ph.D. Graduate

Operations research involves the flow and allocation of people, inventory, equipment and information. The solutions to logistical issues impact the organizations ability and costs of providing goods and services, what consumers and institutions pay for them and the provision of public safety and security. If you pursue a Ph.D. in operations research, you explore cutting-edge theories in logistics that you can share with students, government officials and leaders of industry and finance.

Teaching in Business Schools

A Ph.D. is often a path to a faculty position at a business school. According to a survey of The Association to Advance Collegiate Business Schools, business school professors earned on average $140,600 in 2011. Assistant professors made an average salary $117,400. For assistant professors, the mean salary in 2011 was $116,900, according to the survey.

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Defending a Nation

Operations research helps the military plan battles, flights, rescues and other missions and activities. Analysts study troop levels; the flow of vehicles, tanks, aircraft and ships and the cost and effectiveness of weapons systems. Mathematical and statistical models are your tools. With your Ph.D. and work experience, you can earn as much as $116,901 as an operations research analyst in the Navy and $147,857 as an operations research analyst in the Air Force.

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With a Ph.D. in operations research, you can land jobs with computer, software and information technology companies or in government information technology departments, often in management. Computer and information system managers assess their firm's technology needs and set policies for meeting them; they may also and may test or oversee testing and analysis of their company's risk for computer or network failures. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2012 median salary for these professionals was $120,950. Computer and information system managers made an average of $137,390 in computer design and related services firms and $133,460 for management, scientific and technical consulting companies.

Innovative Ways to Trade

With its emphasis on complex mathematics and statistics, operations research influences the financial industry. Models and algorithms run by computers lead to unique investment trading strategies, such as arbitraging -- the buying of a security in one market and selling it in another to take advantage of different market conditions. As a holder of a Ph.D. in operations research, you can work with investment and brokerage houses and credit card companies. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary for an operations research analyst in the securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage industry was $117,880 in 2012.

Columbia University: The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research -- PhD Careers
Rutgers Business School: PhD in Operations Research
Georgia Tech: Scheller School of Business: PhD -- Operations Management
Stanford University: Management Science and Engineering:
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Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer and Information Systems Managers -- Summary
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Operations Research Analysts -- Summary
Naval Postgraduate School: Operations Research Department
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New York University: Stern Business School: Arbitrage