If you are studying for an undergraduate degree, you may wish to consider further study by taking a specialist Master’s in OR. OR Master’s courses teach students how to apply a structured, analytical approach to problem-solving within organisations. They equip students with the skills to analyse complex situations, develop practical solutions and support informed decision-making, making it a highly valued degree by employers.
Our main focus when selecting courses for inclusion is whether a programme enables students to develop general tools and insights that help them structure problems effectively and develop practical solutions. In particular, we look for coverage of the core elements of OR, including:
Key Areas
- Quantitative Methods – applying mathematical and statistical techniques to analyse and interpret data.
- Problem-structuring Methods – frameworks and approaches to define, structure and tackle complex problems.
- Decision Support – tools and methods that help organisations make better decisions.
Example OR Techniques:
- Optimisation techniques (e.g., linear programming, integer programming, network optimisation, dynamic optimisation)
- Simulation modelling (e.g., discrete-event simulation, Monte Carlo simulation)
- Decision analysis (e.g., decision trees, influence diagrams, multi-criteria decision-making)
- Forecasting methods (e.g., time-series analysis, demand prediction)
• Queuing theory (analysing waiting lines and service systems)
- Scheduling and resource allocation (e.g., workforce rostering, production scheduling)
- Problem structuring methods (e.g., Soft Systems Methodology, Strategic Choice Approach)
- Data Science and analytics (e.g., predictive modelling, clustering, data visualisation in an OR context)
Research
Once you have studied for a master's degree you may wish to carry on studying and help move the research frontier by pursuing a PhD in a particular area of OR.
You may be studying for a PhD in a mathematical area, but be interested in learning more about OR techniques.
NATCOR (a National Taught Course Centre in Operational Research) is a collaboration between six universities to develop and deliver taught courses in OR to PhD students. It is part of a drive to deepen and broaden PhD studies in the UK across the mathematical sciences. The courses are designed to be of interest to all doctoral students who wish to have a greater knowledge of the underlying theory and application of OR technologies. Further, the courses give students in other areas of mathematics an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge of direct industrial relevance.
For further information please visit the NATCOR website.