Program Overview

Operations Management, MS

The Operations Management (MS) program focuses on the analysis, design, and management of operations that produce and deliver goods and services. It applies structured, quantitative techniques to analyze and design business operations and to support effective business decision making. Operations management helps evaluate and select actions based on information, process analysis, and quantitative modeling. There are tremendous opportunities for the effective application of these tools, techniques, and methods in a wide range of business operations, including service operations, manufacturing, distribution, transportation, logistics, supply chain management, revenue management, quality management, finance, human resources, information systems, marketing, and strategic planning.

Admissions

To be considered for regular admission, an application must include:

• Resume
• 3 Letters of Recommendation, with one letter written by an individual holding a graduate degree
• GRE score of at least 307, a GMAT (old version) score of at least 580, or a GMAT Focus Edition score of 545
• Grade of B- or higher in Calculus I (The University of Alabama equivalent is MATH 121)
• TOEFL score of at least 90 or an IELTS score of at least 7.0 for non-native English speakers who are required to submit an English Language test score

Curricular Requirements

The program consists of 30 hours of coursework, which students can complete in 12 to 24 months starting in the summer semester. All students are expected to complete the program within 24 months. Students may choose between the OM (Traditional) or the OM (with Decision Analytics concentration) curriculum options.

Operations Management

The program has a common 9-credit hour core. Students then fulfill the remaining 21 credit hours according to their chosen curriculum option. Regardless of the chosen curriculum option, elective courses allow students to obtain additional instruction in other subjects such as project management, supply chain strategy, quality management, amongst others.

Required Core Courses | Hours
---|---
ST 560| Statistical Methods| 3
OM 500| MGT Science & Spreadsheet Mod| 3
OM 540| Systems Simulation| 3
Credit Hours Subtotal: | 9

Operations Management (Traditional)

OM (Traditional) Required Courses | Hours
---|---
OM 517| Supply Chain Modeling & Analys| 3
OM 522| Operations Scheduling Problems| 3
OM 523| Inventory Management| 3
OM 527| Purchasing and Sourcing| 3
OM 525| Effective Quality Management| 3
Credit Hours Subtotal: | 15
Approved Electives, choose two| 6
AC 506| Concepts Financial Managrl Acc|
EC 500| Managerial Economics|
FI 504| Financial Management for MBA|
IBA 550| Global Business|
IBA 555| Global Market Management|
MGT 517| Leadership & Ethics|
GBA 525| Business Policy|
IBA 560| Adv. Import/Export Strategy|
OM 596| Capstone Project|
OM 524| Mfg Sched & Control Systems|
Required Core Courses| 9
Or other electives with program coordinator approval.|
Total Hours| 30

Operations Management (with Decision Analytics Concentration)

The Operations Management (with Decision Analytics Concentration) master's degree combines the prescriptive modeling and analytical skills obtained from the Operations Management program with the data management and data mining skills offered in the Applied Statistics program.

Decision Analytics Concentration Required Courses | Hours
---|---
ST 521| Statistical Data Management| 3
ST 522| Adv Statistical Data Mgt| 3
ST 531| Data Mining I| 3
ST 532| Advanced Data Mining| 3
Approved Electives (choose 3 from the list below)| 9
OM 517| Supply Chain Modeling & Analys|
OM 522| Operations Scheduling Problems|
OM 523| Inventory Management|
OM 524| Mfg Sched & Control Systems|
OM 525| Effective Quality Management|
OM 527| Purchasing and Sourcing|
Required Core Classes| 9
Total Hours| 30

Comprehensive Exam/Capstone

The MSOM Written Comprehensive Exam (WCE) consists of two parts: Course exams and case studies. The exam is administered through Blackboard Learn during a 7-day period approximately 5-6 weeks prior to Commencement.

• For course exams, each student must choose three courses among OM 517, OM 522, OM 523, OM 524, OM 527, and OM 540, and must take those three course exams.
• The case study part of the exam is not timed, and the students can work on it at any time during this 7-day period.

The MSOM program has four Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):

1. Recognition, identification, and definition of an operational problem or process improvement.
2. Selection of appropriate tools and techniques to achieve desired improvement.
3. Correct and complete application of tools and techniques to achieve desired improvement.
4. Satisfactory communication of technical subject matter.

The course exams assess SLOs 2 and 3; the case studies assess SLOs 1 and 4. An overall score of 70% or higher (averaged over the three course exams and the case study exam) is considered passing. Any other score is considered failing. Note that per the University of Alabama policy, "Failing the exam twice will result in dismissal from the degree program and the Graduate School." If you fail your first attempt, you have the option of taking the WCE for a second (and last) time during the same semester. The second WCE will be given only for those courses for which your original score was below 70%. An overall score of 70% or higher (averaged over the three course exams and the case study exam, with the revised score(s) used if the exam is retaken) is still needed for passing.