mit operations research courses

Operations Research Center

77 Massachusetts Avenue Building E40-107 Cambridge MA, 02139

617-253-9303 [email protected]

Website: Operations Research Center

Application Opens: September 15

Deadline: December 15 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Fee: $90.00

Terms of Enrollment

Affiliated departments, standardized tests.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

• General test is optional
• Institute code: 3514

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

• Minimum score required: 7
• Electronic scores send to: MIT Graduate Admissions

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

• Minimum score required: 100 (iBT), 250 (CBT)
• Score must be <2 years old

Waiver of TOEFL/IELTS may be available for those students who complete their undergraduate studies in the US (four years of schooling in a US university).

Financial Support

The majority of doctoral degree students receive funding in the form of a research assistantship (RA) during their years at the ORC. Master’s degree students are not guaranteed financial aid; however, we assist them in securing possible funding. Please see the ORC website for more information.

Application Requirements

• Online application
• Statement of objectives
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts
• English proficiency exam scores
• CV or Resume

Special Instructions

Applicants should not send published papers or any other supplemental materials.  Applicants are required to complete Subjects Taken section of the online application.

Official transcripts should be scanned and uploaded as PDF attachments to the online application. Admitted applicants will be required to provide an official sealed transcript from each college attended.

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General Degree Requirements

PATRICK JAILLET

“When I came to MIT for the first time in 1981 as a graduate student, my initial plan was simply to get a master’s degree, visit a bit the U.S., and then go back to France to work as an engineer … Thirty-five years later, I continue to be in awe of the ORC, a magical and unique place within MIT, where students and faculty continuously reinvent the field of operations research, developing new methodologies and using them to impact society in so many ways.”

• MIT Course Catalog

ORC PHD TRACKS

The ORC PhD program offers a  general degree track  as well as three optional degree tracks in  operations management ,  networked systems , and  analytics .

The Operations Research Center (ORC) at MIT offers three top-tier graduate programs: a doctoral degree (PhD) in operations research, a master’s degree (SM) in operations research, and a master’s degree (MBAn) in business analytics.

Each program requires strong communication skills—both written and verbal—and to ensure your academic success, we ask you to demonstrate your English competency.

Writing Requirements

Once you’re enrolled at the ORC, you’ll complete a writing assessment so we can evaluate your writing skills and, if necessary, assign coursework to further develop your skills.

• If your native language is English, you’ll take our Writing Skills Examination . 
• If your native language is not English, you’ll take our English Evaluation Test .

Both tests are administered in conjunction with MIT’s Comparative Media Studies/Writing and Global Studies and Languages programs.

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• AI, ML, & Analytics
• Manufacturing / Lean Optimization
• Product Design & Development
• Robotics & Automation
• Supply Chain
• Sustainability
• Systems Optimization
• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear Science and Engineering

Operations Research

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The MIT Operations Research Center (ORC) studies the use of advanced analytical methods for improving decision-making in a number topics and applications. Students will graduate with an MBA and an SM in Operations Research. Required coursework will focus on statistics, probability, and algorithm methodology. Graduates will be well-versed in advanced data management and optimization, which will allow them to take leadership responsibility in a growing number of roles that use data to create better processes.

Degree Requirements

LGO students completing the MBA and MS in Operations Research take:

• The LGO Engineering Core
• Applied Probability
• Optimization Methods or Introduction to Mathematical Programming
• Machine Learning Under a Modern Optimization Lens or a suitable statistics subject, as approved by ORC faculty advisor
• At least 4 more graduate level courses in operations research focus areas, excluding electives offered by the MBA program, as approved by the ORC faculty advisor.

Research Areas

Operations Research candidates are encouraged to take additional OR-related subjects focusing on an application area. The Operations Research Center coursework is organized into seven broad areas that students can pursue:

• Statistics and Machine Learning
• Operations Management
• Optimization
• Economics and Finance
• Transportation Systems
• Applied Operations Research
• Probabilistic Modeling

Sample of Classes: 2.852 Manufacturing Systems Analysis; 6.231 Dynamic Programming and Stochastic Control; 6.867 Machine Learning; 9.520 Statistical Learning Theory and Applications; 18.443 Statistics for Applications; 18.415[J] Advanced Algorithms

Internships

LGO ORC students will have unique abilities to both lead complex processes and apply advanced analytics knowledge to a variety of business problems. Interns completing their MBA and operations research degrees will likely complete their projects in a data analytics or systems optimization project.

A few recent ORC internships were:

Gianpaolo Luciano Rivera (LGO ’23)

Title: Data-driven clustering for new garment forecasting Partner Company: Zara (Inditex, S.A.)

Katheryn Angevine (LGO ’23)

Title: Transit Time Prediction for E-Commerce Fulfillment Optimization and Carbon Emissions Reduction Partner Company: Nike

Kenny Groszman (LGO ’22)

Title: Sequential Optimization for Prospective Patient Segmentation and Content Targeting Partner Company: ResMed

When reviewing applications, the ORC looks for:

• A previous degree with a strong academic record in a STEM field with extensive undergraduate level coursework in mathematics, including advanced statistics, probability, calculus, and linear algebra. Previous LGO ORC students had degrees in Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, and Physics.
• Research interests in operations research applications, and demonstrated ability to apply advanced analytical methods in industry.
• It is strongly recommended that a former professor write the applicant’s technical recommendation.

If you are interested in Supply Chain/Data Analytics, also check out the Civil and Environmental Engineering department’s Resilient Systems research area. Taking a broad scope to look at world-wide systems, this area highlights issues impacting the entire globe and associated natural and human-made systems. Logistics and supply chain is a very popular research area for LGO students, who take analytics and optimization courses and usually complete an internship in a supply chain or data analysis project.

MIT LGO’s mission is to develop the next generation of operations leaders. Graduates with an MBA and operations research degrees will have extensive opportunities after graduation, in line with LGO’s current placement record.

MBA and Operations Research Careers >

• Certificate Programs

Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations

Technology and Operations

• Requirements
• Sample Plan

Operations, supply chain management, and technology touch every part of an organization. As these enterprises— spanning cultures, geographies, and geopolitical situations—become increasingly complex, executives need new ways to recognize, manage, and profit from complex data, evolving technology, and global connectedness.

Pursuing an Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations is an opportunity to engage with world-renowned faculty from MIT Sloan, the MIT School of Engineering, and various MIT research centers. Courses in this track provide practical approaches for managing complex products, processes, and organizations and for better navigating this intricate world filled with new and different kinds of risk. See all courses in this track. 

What you will learn The Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations is an ideal option for business professionals and technical executives seeking the latest approaches to solving problems, streamlining complex projects, implementing new technologies, and optimizing supply chains.

For example, in Managing Complex Technical Projects , you’ll learn two sets of techniques to better handle the complexity of large product and service development efforts. If you're a non-technical senior business manager, Essential IT for Non-IT Executives will help you work with, oversee, and generate value from IT. Developing a Leading Edge Operations Strategy shares analytical, strategic insights into vertical integration, outsourcing, product strategy, supplier management, process technologies, capacity and risk management, and global networks. If you are responsible for strategic management of product supply and development, Supply Chain Strategy and Management will provide you with a deeper understanding of supply chain integration, technology sourcing, and the forces that influence supply chain structure. And in Visual Management for Competitive Advantage , you’ll acquire practical tools and methods for sustainable improvement efforts of any scale, in any industry, and in any function.

Who is this track for? An Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations is valuable to executives, senior managers, and leaders from every sector who are interested in or responsible for:

• Process improvement
• The impact of advanced technologies on business strategies
• Strategic management of product supply and development
• Complex product design and process development
• Systemic risk resistance and resilience
• And other challenges and opportunities related to technology, operations, and value chain management

Why earn an Executive Certificate from MIT Sloan? An Executive Certificate from MIT Sloan is an opportunity to take a deep dive into the topics that matter to you most. It is formal recognition of your professional development. And, as many executives, mid-career managers, and technical professionals attest, it can be a significant catalyst in your career. Deepen your executive skillset, get up to speed on timely business topics, or tailor your certificate to address specific challenges you face.

While you will receive a certificate of course completion at the conclusion of each individual course, our Executive Certificates are designed around a central track and consist of several courses.

Please see the "Requirements" tab for details on how to earn an Executive Certificate.

How to enroll Go to the red bar at the bottom of the page and click “add to cart.” When you are ready, checkout. There is no cost to enroll in an Executive Certificate, and you can enroll in a track at any time—before or after completing courses.

Questions? Schedule a call with us if you would like speak with a member of our team or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to common questions about our courses and certificates.

Hear why your peers chose to earn their Executive Certificate(s):

You can read blog post profiles of several Executive Certificate Holders under the Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Browse the Executive Certificate Community to meet business leaders who have earned one or more of our Executive Certificates.

How do you earn an Executive Certificate?

Benefits of an MIT Sloan Executive Certificate An MIT Sloan Executive Certificate is formal recognition of your professional development and commitment to continuous learning. Pursuing an Executive Certificate enables you to further your business knowledge and skills on a schedule of your own design. In addition to the knowledge and immediately applicable frameworks you will gain by attending your selected courses, you will:

• Learn from MIT's world-renowned faculty; some of the world’s leading management thinkers
• Engage in hands-on, highly interactive learning experiences designed to solve real-world business issues
• Network with a global group of your peers from various industries and functions
• Receive a digital, verified version of your Executive Certificate (Smart Certificate) which you can post on LinkedIn
• Enjoy an exclusive 20% discount on most additional courses and a 30% discount on the inaugural session of most in person and live online courses
• Be featured with a profile in the Executive Certificate Holder Community
• Be invited to join the private Executive Certificate Holder Group on LinkedIn

Since you select the courses that best fit your learning objectives and schedule, there are many ways to earn your Executive Certificate. Some people like to schedule back-to-back courses to complete the requirements in the shortest possible time frame while others plan around a specific topic area.

Sample plans

• Developing a Leading Edge Operations Strategy (Technology and Operations)
• Supply Chain Strategy and Management (Technology and Operations)
• Building Organizational Resilience: A System Approach to Mitigating Risk and Uncertainty (Technology and Operations)
• Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems (Management and Leadership) ADD TO CART
• Visual Management for Competitive Advantage: MIT’s Approach to Efficient and Agile Work (Technology and Operations)
• Managing Complex Technical Projects (Technology and Operations)
• Managing Product Platforms: Delivering Variety and Realizing Synergies (Technology and Operations)
• Systematic Innovation of Products, Processes, and Services (Technology and Operations) ADD TO CART

View sample plans to earn this certificate in about a month.

What does an Executive Certificate cost? It depends. There is no one set price. You select the courses that fit your schedule and educational plan. The total cost would be the price of the individual courses completed. You may choose all two-day programs or a mixture of two-day and week-long programs. You don't have to enroll in and pay for all of the programs at one time, however there are significant savings when you take advantage of the Multiple Program Registration Discount .

Multiple Program Registration Discount: When you register at one time for two or three courses (using a single application form), you are eligible for a 10% discount on each course. Or register for four or more courses and receive 15% off each course.

Discount Exclusions: Click here to see the list of programs that do not accept discounts of any kind.

Find your courses View Courses in the Technology and Operations certificate track.

Featured course Building Organizational Resilience: A System Approach to Mitigating Risk and Uncertainty This course provides business leaders with a practical approach to assess and build organizational resiliency. Learn how systems thinking and continuous improvement can help your team identify problems before they occur and fundamentally alter your organization’s ability to effectively respond when they do. Understand the role hidden factories and irregular operations play in contributing to catastrophic events, and how this knowledge can be leveraged to reverse their effects. Leave with a playbook for improving the resilience of your company.

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What I gained from the courses, the professors, and my various classmates had a profound effect and has become naturally ingrained as second nature to me in my professional work and even in my personal disposition …

—James Taylor, Assistant Vice President Technical Services, Continental Grain Company, Executive Certificate in Technology and Operations Holder

I’m not naïve about what my MIT Sloan Executive Certificates have done for me. In addition to the skills and frameworks you can acquire, it’s important to realize that the reputation of MIT Sloan is very meaningful in the business world.

—Neil Ackerman, Head of Advanced Technologies, Global Supply Chain, Johnson & Johnson

Enroll Now!

A rising tide lifts all boats, brad flaugher learned to embrace being a manager with mit sloan executive education, ahmad shaaban reaches new career heights after earning an executive certificate in technology and operations, how catalytic questioning brought one participant to new heights, mit at work: a conversation with executive certificate holders, an enduring partnership opens the door to an executive certificate, a taste of mit sloan executive education: open enrollment courses, a pursuit for professional development led to mit, participant perspectives on mit sloan executive certificates, course offerings.

10 Best Operational Research Master Degrees

Ready to find your ideal master's program.

www.mastersprogramsguide.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Like a lot of areas of study, “operations research” is a term that’s a bit confusing to decode. Despite sounding vague, operational research is hugely important for modern-day life.

So what is operations research? It uses advanced analytical methods to help businesses make smarter decisions. Getting a Master of Science in Operations Research is a smart choice. Both for you and for your career, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a major with a high salary and excellent job growth.

Just about every industry and every sector relies on operations research. That’s one reason why earning an operations research masters is a great choice. An operations research master’s degree will provide you with the skills you need to work in a variety of industries. From air travel to telecommunications. Banking to manufacturing. Government agencies. Consulting. Whatever it is, you’ll have the skills you need. The list goes on and on! Businesses need skilled people like you to crunch data and make smart decisions.

Are you looking for a Master of Science in a growing career field?

Operations research is just about everywhere, and its reach will only expand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , there were 109,700 operations research analyst jobs in the U.S. in 2018. There will likely be about 28,100 more by 2028. That’s a job growth rate of 26% ! This is more than five times the national average for all occupations.

The bulk of these jobs are in California, Texas, and Virginia. Virginia has the most operations research analysts. This is not surprising, considering its proximity to Washington, DC). 

What will you learn in an operations research graduate program? The curriculum of the many operation research programs in the United States varies by school. There is a strong tradition of success. MIT’s operations research masters degree goes back 60 years, as does Carnegie Mellon’s.

Operations research masters programs today take advantage of new technology. This is technology that’s essential for solving complex problems. Coursework builds upon highly technical fields like:

• mathematics
• probability

Often, you’ll take courses with long, intimidating names, such as:

• Discrete Probability and Stochastic Processes (MIT)
• Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization (Kansas State)
• Algorithmic Methods in Nonlinear Programming (North Carolina State)
• Optimization Theory and Algorithms: Numerical Optimization (USC)

See Also: 10 Best Master’s in Industrial Engineering

OUR RANKING CRITERIA 

What are the best master’s degrees in operations research .

We know that you have educational goals that you’re itching to pursue, but you may not know where to start. The editors of Master’s Programs Guide utilize a unique ranking  methodology  based on the following five aspects:

25% Overall Degree Affordability:  Average cost of undergraduate and graduate tuition per school

25% Graduation Rate:  Number of students who start at the university and actually finish there

20% Earnings Potential:  Average mid-career salary of school alumni

20% Selectivity:  The number of students who apply versus the number who actually get accepted

10% Online Graduate Offerings:  The number of programs offered online in each department

At Master’s Programs Guide, we strive to do our best to guide you and your family toward a fruitful academic career. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble one, and we want to help you reach your goals.

Check out our operations research graduate programs rankings to get started!

See Also: 50 Best Online Masters of Engineering Management

#1. PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Master of engineering with a specialization in operations research.

West Lafayette, IN is about 70 miles northwest of Indianapolis. It is here that you will find Purdue University. This school is one of the Midwest’s most esteemed universities. U.S. News & World Report ranks it at No. 57 among National Universities. More specific to its operations research program, it is also ranked No. 8 in Best Engineering Schools for graduate studies. You’ll also find one of the best master’s degrees in operations research here.

Purdue’s College of Engineering has 14 individual departments. These range from Aeronautics and Astronautics to Nuclear Engineering. The masters degree operations research is found in the School of Industrial Engineering. Operations research is one of the four specializations offered in the school. You can choose from a long list of graduate courses . Classes include:

• Stochastic Models in Operations Research I
• Nonlinear Optimization Algorithms and Models

Almost as long is a list of Purdue’s research in operations research with 16 research faculty. This research underscores the rigor of Purdue’s program.

Students are encouraged to apply with backgrounds in:

• engineering

There’s no set GPA or specific undergraduate major listed on the program website. A GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale is recommended. Some “recommended” prerequisites include mathematics through:

• Multivariate calculus
• Differential equations
• Linear algebra

Applicants with skills in computer programming are also preferred.

Don’t have those courses on your transcript? That’s okay. You can take most of them at Purdue as part of the masters degree operations research curriculum. Only some graduate-level courses can be taken at the same time as the prerequisites. They also won’t count toward the master’s degree. The graduate-level classes aren’t offered every year, either. You will need to plan accordingly.

Prospective students need to submit GRE scores, a statement of purpose, and recommendation letters. You’ll also need a résumé, an optional “ diversity essay ,” and transcripts. The operations research program offers both thesis and non-thesis options. Each of these requires 30 graduate credit hours with21 credit hours of coursework. You will be able to customize your plan of study. You must maintain a 3.0 to earn a degree.

At $11,693, Purdue’s program is the least expensive of the schools on this list, making it extra attractive for that No. 1 spot. 

See Also: Best Online Cybersecurity Master’s Degree

#2. KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Master of science in operations research.

The Master of Science in Operations Research is available online. It is one of the best master’s degrees in operations research. It’s offered by the Kansas State Global Campus. This is an interdisciplinary program at heart. It focuses on applied mathematics and business decision-making.

In this program, you will develop a mathematical model of a real-world problem. Over the course of your studies, you’ll work to solve that problem.

You must have a bachelor’s with a 3.0 GPA for this graduate degree. Bachelor’s degrees must be in majors like:

• Industrial Engineering
• Engineering
• Mathematics

You must also have an advanced mathematical background. You may also need to have some experience in computer programming.

You will need at least a 159 on the GRE, a statement of objectives, three professional/academic references. Of course, you’ll also need unofficial transcripts from each college attended. You will need 30 credit hours to complete the graduate degree.

This is a coursework program, so there’s no thesis. Timing is everything. That’s because the eight-core courses are offered once every two years. Master’s students only need to take three of them to earn their nine hours of core credits. The school encourages prospective students to take all six core classes. The core courses are divided into three sections:

• continuous optimization
• discrete optimization
• stochastic processes

Sounds easy enough! You will work with a team of advisors to plan out your courses. You’ll culminate your experience with a master’s presentation to test how well you grasped the information you learned in your courses. This presentation will also help you to get a jump start on your career!

The program is entirely online. Prospective students who live within 250 miles of Manhattan, KS will need to travel to the campus for the final experience. Everyone else can request a conference call. Online class formats vary. They generally include:

• Chat discussions

You will need to find a proctor via a local library or university for your exams.

At $18,002, Kansas State offers one of the least expensive programs. It also offers scholarships just for distance learners. All of that makes K State tough to beat.

See Also: Top 50 Best Masters Degree Programs

#3. NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Operations research goes back more than 60 years at NC State. This is when it began as an introductory course. After that, it became a minor for statistics and electrical engineering majors. By 1970, it was an independent major. Today, operations research remains an interdisciplinary major. NC State’s College of Engineering and College of Sciences share it.

That makes sense. The program’s website notes that operations research is, by its nature, interdisciplinary. The Master of Science pulls from:

• Mathematical Sciences
• The Physical Sciences

Because it draws from those worlds, operations research is also quite versatile. NC State aims to make its graduates just as versatile as their field of study.

Don’t come to Raleigh – home to the university – without some serious math in your background, though. To get into NC State’s MS in operations research program, prospective students need an undergraduate degree in a related field. The school doesn’t specify a base GPA or GRE score for admission to the graduate degree. Applicants also need an official transcript from all colleges they have attended.

The school is one of the cheapest on this list, coming in at $14,771 per year. Students must complete 31 credit hours. 15 should be in core courses, three to six from a master’s research thesis, and a one-credit seminar. You can earn another nine credits by choosing three courses in a “minor field of study.” Need more to reach the 31-credit threshold? You can draw from a long list of OR coursework.

NC State’s demanding program produces strong results. The site lists 39 publications from its students and faculty in 2016. These are centered around hot-button topics. These include Augmented Immersed Finite Element Methods for Some Elliptic Partial Differential Equations.

NC State also has a dedicated Military operations research group. This helps prospective students prepare for a career in the military. They do this by studying real-world issues. Examples of issues include veterans’ health care and expeditionary military logistics and risk analysis. People interested in military OR won’t have to go far to practice it, either. Seventy miles south of Raleigh is Fort Bragg. This is the largest military base in the world.

#4. GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Operations research is an interdisciplinary field with a wide variety of applications. No two students will have the same career goals. Georgia Tech makes it easy by designing its curriculum around one common goal. This goal is to help students use their advanced skills to make an immediate impact in industry and government. Headquartered in Atlanta, the school dates to 1885. This is when it opened to help industrialize and modernize the post-Civil War South. 

Thinking ahead has long been part of Georgia Tech’s mission. The Master of Science in Operations Research program follows suit. This is one reason why it’s one of the best master’s degrees around. The curriculum focuses on deterministic and stochastic operations research. The goal of the program is to provide a training in the basics and technical applications of operational research. They can go out and make an immediate impact. It may be surprising that Georgia Tech isn’t especially rigorous with its admissions prerequisites. A background in operations research is not required. Applicants should have a bachelor’s in either:

Applicants need to take the GRE, but the specifics end there – no degree rules, no set scores. You will need a personal statement and some letters of reference. At $16,950 per academic year, Georgia Tech falls below the average costs of other programs on this list. The program lasts around 12-15 months. Low-key requirements + cheapish tuition = yes. Also yes: not having to write a thesis or complete a final project.

Georgia Tech describes its coursework as “ rigorous ,” so it won’t be a cakewalk. The school generally limits the program to 20 students, so admission is competitive. Thirty credit hours are required for a master’s. Students can focus on specific applications. These include:

• Optimization
• Stochastics
• Computational Science
• Other Electives

If this all sounds great except for the “living in Atlanta” part, don’t fret. Georgia Tech’s MS in operations research program can be taken online . 

#5. CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Master of engineering in operations research and information engineering.

Cornell University is an Ivy League school in Ithaca, NY. Its Cornell Tech campus lies on Roosevelt Island, near Manhattan. (It’s the place with the cool tram .) The difference between the locales speaks to their differing missions. Cornell’s campus in Ithaca is home to a storied university full of tradition that dates back to 1865.

Cornell Tech’s sleek and energy-efficient campus is part of NYC’s tech hub. The school has a year-long ME ORIE program. The Master of Science provides students with skills in data analytics and mathematical modeling. Their skills help them to turn data into effective business decisions. It’s ideal for students who want to work at major tech companies or startup ventures.

To be eligible for admission, you must have a passion for data, business, and analytics. You’ll also need courses in:

• Probability and statistics
• Programming

You may have to complete a test to gauge your skills in programming and advanced mathematics. Otherwise, no specific academic background is needed. You will also need to provide a resume and GRE scores. You may have to record an interview, too.

This program has a number of merit-based scholarships for the top students. An example is the WiTNY fellowship for women.

The most interesting part of Cornell’s operations research program? The Studio courses. Students take these each semester. These courses allow you to take real-world classes in other departments. In the Product Studio, students develop a new tech product or service based on a challenge. These are organized with tech companies like Uber or Robin Hood. You will graduate with real, marketable experience. You will also have a portfolio of completed projects that will help you land jobs.

You will take courses over a period of two semesters. You will be able to choose from two concentrations. These include operations analytics or data science. You can use those choices to guide your course selections. After the two semesters, you can travel to the main campus in Ithaca if you’d like to take more classes. Here, you can continue to build skills in engineering and operations research math.

The entire program costs around $28,890. This is expensive, but not the most expensive on this list. This is surprising, especially given that Cornell is an Ivy League Institution. It’s one of the best master’s degrees you’ll find.

See Also: 10 Online Master’s in Computer Engineering

#6. CARNEGIE MELLON

Master of business administration with operations research concentration.

You’ll find another top operations research graduate program at Carnegie Mellon. The Tepper School of Business plays host to the operations research Master of Science. It’s one of the best master’s degrees around. Carnegie Mellon’s business school debuted in Pittsburgh. The Tepper School of Business does not play by the rules. It offers a revolutionary, one-of-a-kind curriculum.

Tepper’s OR program draws from that history. You’ll tackle complex business problems and develop unique solutions for them. The operations research program is an area of concentration within the MBA program. Carnegie Mellon offers four operations research-specific courses. These include Applications of Operations Research and The Art and Science of Predictions. It also has a project credit in business analytics.

Though you will take fewer courses in mathematics in this Master of Science, it’s still quite rigorous. Analytics plays a big part in Carnegie Mellon’s curriculum. The school’s devotion to analytics and leadership sets its MBA program apart from all others. You’ll graduate with an understanding of analytics that goes beyond mathematical modeling. You’ll also receive a well-rounded business education here.

The school operates on what it calls a “mini-semester” system or the quarter system. The academic year includes four quarters that last 6.5 weeks each. This doubles the number of courses in a semester so you can graduate faster. The program lasts two years for full-time students.

Tepper also offers part-time and hybrid programs. These are half online, half on-campus. They are meant for working professionals. Students need 192 units to graduate. The coursework allows for a lot of electives and immersion workshops. There are also plenty of built-in networking opportunities. These can help fuel your job growth. It finishes up with a capstone project. This comes in three forms. There is a Study Abroad option. This is a four-week trip to Germany, Hong Kong, or Mainland China. It concludes with a summary presentation. You can also do a Management Game. This is a computer simulation of a multinational company. There is also Strategic Management of the Enterprise. This consists of consulting for real companies.

The program costs $14,760 per academic year. Carnegie Mellon has flexible admissions prerequisites that make it easy to apply. No piece of the application is more important than others. You’ll need to submit a resume and GMAT or GRE scores. You’ll also need an essay and a professional letter of recommendation. Unofficial transcripts and an on-campus interview are also required. Carnegie Mellon accepts students from any educational background.

#7. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Master of science in operations research engineering.

The University of Southern California has racked up plenty of awards. U.S. News & World Report ranks it No. 22 among National Universities and No. 9 in Best Engineering Schools (where its operations research program lives). It takes first place for Best Online Graduate Computer Information Technology Programs. It’s located near downtown Los Angeles in beautiful Southern California. You will be able to enjoy beautiful weather year-round. There are also plenty of local recreational activities. USC’s campus is close to LA’s large Exposition Park. This is home to many attractions. These include the city’s natural history museum and the LA Memorial Coliseum. You can even visit the brand new Banc of California Stadium. None of that will help you in your studies, but they’re things to consider nonetheless!

The Operations Research Engineering Master of Science at USC is one of the best. It trains students to solve key business problems with mathematics and computers.You will need to complete 21 credits in those required courses. You’ll also take six credit hours of electives. You’ll also take three computer science electives. This will help you earn the 30 credits needed for a master’s. There’s no thesis or capstone project. You’ll move toward job growth in other ways, like networking.

To apply, you will need an undergraduate degree in engineering, mathematics, or science. You should also submit GRE scores and a resume. Submit a personal statement and three letters of recommendation, too.

This program is one of the most expensive on this list. That said, private universities aren’t known for their low prices. You don’t have to battle Los Angeles traffic. You can still benefit from this top-notch (albeit expensive) program. There’s an online version of the program via DEN@Viterbi, the online learning portal. You can also choose a hybrid online/on-campus degree if you can’t decide which fits you best.

See Also: 10 Affordable Online Master’s in Material Science & Engineering

#8. SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY

Master of science with a major in operations research.

Located in Dallas, TX, SMU offers a master of science in operations research. This program has plenty of opportunities for individualization. You can pursue pathways in areas like:

• management consulting
• telecommunications

If price connotes quality, then SMU is the best. At $38,562, it is the most expensive program on our list. It’s well above the average cost of the other schools. Fortunately, there are plenty of financial aid opportunities available. Students should have bachelor’s degrees in:

• Computer science
• A similar technical field

You also need to take six credit hours of calculus and three of linear algebra. You will also need three credits of computer programming e.

The Lyle School of Engineering is home to the operations research program. This degree requires 30 credit hours of study. These credits include core courses like Analytics for Decision Support and Optimization Models for Decision Support. You’ll also be able to take nine hours of a concentration. As mentioned earlier, SMU offers countless options for concentrations. You’ll need advisor approval before studies begin. Options include:

• Engineering management
• Telecommunications
• Another engineering discipline

Not sure what that would entail? The operations research page has sample course schedules for these disciplines. Each of them includes five courses. Expect a fairly small class size. The Lyle School of Engineering’s website notes that it has an 11:1 student to faculty ratio.

Faculty here stay busy outside of the classroom, too. The school receives some of the largest research awards in the nation on a “per faculty basis.” You could study areas like network design or network management. These are two areas that directly impact day-to-day life. Life on campus at SMU is also pretty nice. The campus spreads across a couple of hundred acres in north-central Dallas. This offers a good mix of urban space with greenery. One word of caution. The summers are hot! You can beat the heat by checking out the famous George W. Bush Presidential Library. This is located on SMU’s campus.

#9. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Master of science in engineering management.

Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins University was the nation’s first research university. It is in Baltimore, MD. At first, it only offered graduate programs. Undergraduate degrees didn’t arrive until later. The school has been prestigious since its very beginning. In U.S. News & World Report ’s 2020 rankings, Johns Hopkins placed No. 10 for National Universities and No. 23 for Most Innovative Schools. It’s ranked No. 19 for Best Value Schools. It has a cost of $27,868 per academic year for its OR program. It costs more than the average for this list. It still is affordable for a private school. The graduate program in engineering took No. 17 for Best Engineering Schools. As you can see, Johns Hopkins has always offered quality programs – and that probably won’t change any time soon. 

The Master of Science in Engineering Management is offered by the Whiting School of Engineering. You’ll take five advanced courses along with a suite of management classes that you’ll take with a cohort. The cohort model is a major feature of Whiting’s approach. You’ll start building a professional network rights away in this graduate degree. You’ll also take many courses in entrepreneurship.

This is a flexible program. It allows for lots of electives and course substitutions. You can even join the Home2Homewood program. This allows you to take several online courses before you have to head to Baltimore to complete the rest of your classes.

This program even includes an Immersion Experience. Also known as the Practice of Consulting, this project will allow you to head abroad. You may visit sites like Israel, Honduras, Panama, and New Zealand. You’ll work with a team to solve a client problem. This experience occurs during the fall and spring semesters. It provides students with an excellent real-world look at the work they’ve tackled in class.

To apply, students should have bachelor’s degrees in science or engineering. Plan on submitting the GRE. You will also need:

• Letters of recommendation
• A statement of purpose
• Unofficial transcripts

#10. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Master of operations research.

Some schools offer operations research as a specialization of a larger degree. Others bump it up to degree status, usually as part of the engineering department. MIT took things one step further. It constructed a massive building just for that purpose. It’s fittingly called the Operations Research Center . The Operations Research Center started in 1953 and developed the first-of-its-kind OR curriculum. This was back when applying scientific methods to decision-making and business problems was a revolutionary idea. The primary goal of this program is collaborative investigation.

Students don’t have to have bachelor’s degrees in specific fields to apply. That said, MIT is known for having a competitive admissions process. You will need to submit the GRE a statement of objectives and three letters of recommendation. Transcripts are required. The operations research program only accepts around 40 students each year. This is from a large pool of hundreds of applicants.

The silver lining is that the school only costs $18,971 per academic year. This is a bargain when compared to other prestigious schools of this caliber. U.S. News & World Report ranks it No. 4 in Best Value Schools. That’s low for MIT. It ranks No. 3 in national universities, and No. 1 for Best Engineering Schools for graduate degrees. 

MIT’s vaunted graduate degree emphasizes practical applications of operations research. This is done through coursework and research. The two-year program requires 66 credit units for completion. 42 of these must come from advanced subjects . You’ll take classes in topics such as optimization techniques and probabilistic modeling. You will also take classes that relate to your individual interests.

The coursework is separated into eight groups. These groups include:

• Machine Learning
• Operations Management

You’ll complete a final thesis based on independent research before you graduate.

See Also: 10 Affordable Online Master’s in Mechanical Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a master’s in operations research.

An operations research masters degree is a program that will teach you how to use mathematical and analytical methods. These methods can help businesses develop better management techniques. You’ll be able to help organizations improve their efficiency and make more money.

This program usually comes with optional concentrations. These might include fields like:

• supply chain management
• stochastic models

What can you do with a masters operations research degree?

Businesses have more data than ever before at their fingertips. Knowing how to use it is where the operation research analyst comes in. This is the most common job enjoyed by a person with a Master of Science in operations research. This is a growing field. It is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the fourth Best Business Job in the country.

Operations research emerged as a major discipline during World War II. There was a need for analysts who could plan efficient supply routes and processes. The military continues to use the work of operations research analysts to this day. People with degrees in operations research now work in a variety of diverse fields. You could find work in logistics, manufacturing, and more.

No matter where you find work, you will likely be a high-level decision maker. Getting a master’s degree will only make this process easier. You’ll know how to use statistics and data tools. Your skills can help businesses draw conclusions from available information. You’ll also have the leadership skills necessary to manage a team.

Are operations research masters programs worth it?

Bachelor’s degree is the typical education needed to get an entry-level job in this field. Many employers prefer to hire applicants with master’s degrees. This is especially true now, in our increasingly competitive work environment.

A Master of Science in Operations Research will provide you with the necessary prerequisite training. You’ll also gain access to industry certifications and on-the-job experience. These can help you move in a more specialized or leadership-focused direction.

How can I get financial aid and scholarships for a master’s in operations research? 

Earning a master’s degree is expensive. There’s no question about it! The good news is that there are ways you can make your degree more affordable. You don’t have to be an analyst to figure them out! One of the best ways to find an affordable program is to take a look at these operations research masters programs rankings next. Consider which is the most affordable for you and go from there.

Look to government scholarships and grants first. Although many of these awards tend to be reserved for undergraduate students there is a select amount of aid set aside for graduate students.

Check with your university. Your department may have funds set aside for top students. You can also check with private organizations and institutes. from the Department of Defense are all excellent places to look. Excellent places to look are:

• The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
• SMART Program
• The Information Assurance Scholarship Program from the Department of Defense

As a very last resort, you can always lean on student loans to help pay for the difference. Keep in mind that you will have to pay these back – plus interest.

How much can I make with a master’s in operations research?

You’ll earn a respectable salary with a master’s in operations research. The average salary is around $86,200 per year. Workers in the federal government earn the highest wages overall. A master’s degree will qualify you for the top wages.

The future looks bright for individuals with master’s in operations research. These fields are expected to grow by about 25% through the next decade. That’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is due in part to the fact that jobs for operations research analysts are available in countless industries. You could work in:

• finance and insurance
• manufacturing
• professional services
• federal government

IF YOU ENJOYED THAT THEN CHECK OUT OUR ARTICLES ON THE BEST ONLINE MASTER’S PROGRAMS IN ECONOMICS & 35 BEST ONLINE MASTER OF MATHEMATICS DEGREE PROGRAMS !

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Course info.

• Prof. Charles H. Fine

Departments

• Sloan School of Management

As Taught In

• Operations Management
• Supply Chain Management

Learning Resource Types

Course description.

Our objective in this course is to introduce you to concepts and techniques related to the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service operations. The course begins with a holistic view of operations, where we stress the coordination of product development, process management, and supply …

Our objective in this course is to introduce you to concepts and techniques related to the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service operations. The course begins with a holistic view of operations, where we stress the coordination of product development, process management, and supply chain management. As the course progresses, we will investigate various aspects of each of these three tiers of operations in detail. We will cover topics in the areas of process analysis, materials management, production scheduling, quality improvement, and product design.

To pursue the course objective most effectively, you will have to:

• Study the assigned reading materials.
• Prepare and discuss cases, readings, and exercises in class.
• Prepare written analyses of cases.

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Master of Science in Applied Analytics

Operations Research

This course provides an introduction to the use of operations research methods in business. For this purpose, the course starts with a brief review of the basics from calculus and linear algebra, which is followed by the conceptual foundations of economic modeling and the applications of optimization techniques on various economic problems. The course provides a very sound perspective on how to use operations research techniques in any kind of economic and managerial decision making, which has become an increasingly sought after skill. We will work on various problems, including portfolio management, resource management, environment and energy related regulations, etc.

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2025 Operations Intern

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AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com . Follow @abbvie on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and LinkedIn .

Envision spending your summer working with energetic colleagues and inspirational leaders, all while gaining world-class experience in one of the most dynamic organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a reality for participants in the Operations Development Program Internship at AbbVie.

Operations Development Program Internship Description:

As an AbbVie Operations intern, you will participate in a paid, ten-to-twelve-week summer program working on meaningful assignments that have a real impact on our business and patients worldwide. AbbVie’s global Operations business offers you an opportunity to work in a variety of fields based on your degree type.

Past examples of projects have included:

• Product and process optimization in a manufacturing facility
• Quality systems data analysis to identify compliance trends
• Optimize an enzyme to catalyze a challenging step in the synthesis of a recently approved product

AbbVie’s worldwide business offers you an opportunity for a variety of potential work experiences that are aligned to a variety of functional areas, including those listed below. Interns will be placed in assignments based on business needs and skill set.

• Manufacturing
• Engineering
• Science & Technology
• Environmental Health and Safety

Interns will be placed in one of the following U.S locations. Interns will be placed based on business need and background.

• Branchburg, New Jersey
• Irvine, California
• Lake County, IL
• Waco, Texas
• Worcester, Massachusetts

AbbVie strongly considers high performing interns as candidates for their Operations Development Program (ODP) after they graduate. AbbVie’s ODP is a three-year rotational program with three separate work assignments. The rotations are carried out in a variety of functional areas within Operations. The goal of the program is to develop AbbVie’s future leaders, provide exposure across the business on a global scale, and forums for skill and professional development. If you are interested and want more information visit www.abbviecareers.com and look under student opportunities.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be currently enrolled in university, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related major.
• Expected graduation date between Dec 2025 – June 2026.
• Demonstrated leadership skills (i.e., extracurricular activities or projects).
• Mobility is a key requirement as a pipeline internship to our Operations Development Program. Operations Development Program Members will be required to experience at least one assignment based in one of our U.S. Operations Plants and will rotate to different sites with each rotation based on business need.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent problem-solving, written, and verbal skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal, leadership and project management skills.
• Proven track record of teamwork, adaptability, innovation, initiative, and integrity.

Benefits and Amenities

• Competitive pay
• Relocation support for eligible students
• Select wellness benefits and paid holiday / sick time

Equal Employment Opportunity

At AbbVie, we value bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to develop new and innovative solutions for patients. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

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Human Resources

Three Steps Managers Can Take to Empower Workers

Martha Mangelsdorf

Aug 23, 2024

“Employee empowerment” is a popular buzzword, and organizations obviously benefit if employees share good ideas for improving the workplace and managers act on them. What’s more, recent research indicates that workers who feel they don’t have enough say on the job have lower job satisfaction and well-being, a higher risk of burnout, and a greater likelihood of quitting. 

However, employee empowerment programs aren’t always easy to implement effectively in the workplace, particularly if they involve frontline workers in hierarchical organizations putting forth ideas to improve the organization.  What practical steps can managers take to give employees, particularly frontline employees, more say in their workplace?

That’s one of the questions Arrow Minster explored in their recent MIT Sloan doctoral dissertation  in the  MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) PhD program . For the dissertation, which is titled “ Closing the Voice Gap: Evidence from a Hospital System’s Empowerment Program,” Minster conducted an in-depth, 17-month ethnographic study of an empowerment program for frontline employees at a large, unionized hospital system located on the East Coast of the U.S.  Minster, who earned their PhD in 2024 and is now an assistant professor at the Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State University, studied the implementation of the program in eight departments of the hospital system.

The empowerment program at the hospital system Minster studied had been jointly developed by labor and management at the hospital, and it involved the creation of committees within departments to identify and solve workplace problems. Each committee was co-led by a frontline employee (such as an administrative employee in billing or scheduling or a medical assistant), and committee membership was voluntary. The aim of the program was to improve employee engagement and help employees feel better about work by addressing employees workplace concerns. 

Arrow Minster

That was the formal structure. Through this research, Minster surfaced a number of challenges the program faced, such as the additional work it created for participants and employees’ fears of speaking up. Minster also identified both formal and informal practices that were needed to make the program work smoothly. 

One of Minster’s findings is that department managers played a key role in whether changes that workers sought in the committees got made. In particular,  managers who were effective at encouraging empowerment on the committees made three moves, in a process Minster calls “crafting empowerment.” These three important managerial moves were, Minster wrote, “prioritizing the issue, centering a diagnostic dialogue, and engaging with task assignments.” 

Here’s what that meant in practice:

• Prioritizing the issue.  This involved the manager both publicly endorsing an issue raised by a worker as something that should be on the committee’s agenda. and, more generally, by encouraging attendance at the problem-solving committee’s meetings.
• Centering a diagnostic dialogue.  Once an employee had raised a workplace concern that the manager prioritized, a constructive action for managers was to bring in other people’s perspectives so that the problem could be fully understood and addressed. “This broadening of the issue beyond one’s individual scope made it possible to identify the multiple root causes of the issue, rather than only one’s own,” Minster wrote. Minster also observed that managers who were effective at facilitating this diagnostic dialogue actually talked a lot during the process, as they synthesized various views and helped the committee members identify the root causes of a problem.
• Engaging with task assignments.  For change to happen, managers had to help identify appropriate tasks and next steps and get them assigned to individuals—including taking on tasks themselves. 

“When managers made these moves, workers were able to influence the changes they wanted to see,” Minster observed. More generally, Minster concludes from their research that managers have an important role to play in making empowerment programs effective. “An organization cannot merely give workers the tools for power,” Minster wrote. Instead, Minster concluded, higher-ranking individuals such as managers “must help workers leverage opportunities to have influence over change.” 

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Lincoln Laboratory and National Strategic Research Institute launch student research program to tackle biothreats to national security

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The following announcement was released jointly by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the National Strategic Research Institute.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska (NU), a university-affiliated research center designated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), have established a joint student research program.

The goal is to bring together the scientific expertise, cutting-edge capabilities, and student capacity of NU and MIT for critical issues within global health and agricultural security, aiming to foster solutions to detect and neutralize emerging biological threats.

"We are excited to combine forces with NSRI to develop critical biotechnologies that will enhance national security," says Catherine Cabrera, who leads Lincoln Laboratory's Biological and Chemical Technologies Group. "This partnership underscores our shared commitment to safeguarding America through scientific leadership."

"In an era of rapidly evolving dangers, we must stay ahead of the curve through continuous innovation," says  David Roberts , the NSRI research director for special programs. "This partnership harnesses a unique combination of strengths from two leading academic institutions and two research institutes to create new paradigms in biological defense."

With funding from a DoD agency, the collaborators conducted a pilot of the program embedded within the MIT Engineering Systems Design and Development II course . The students’ challenge was to develop methods to rapidly screen for novel biosynthetic capabilities. Currently, such methods are limited by the lack of standardized, high-throughput devices that can support the culture of traditionally “uncultivable” microorganisms, which severely limits the cell diversity that could be probed for bioprospecting or biomanufacturing applications.

Led by  Todd Thorsen , a technical staff member in the  Biological and Chemical Technologies Group at Lincoln Laboratory, MIT students created the project, "Bioprospecting Experimentation Apparatus with Variable Environmental Regulation," which focused on developing simple high-throughput tools with integrated environmental control systems to expand the environmental testing envelope.

"This program, which emphasizes both engineering design and prototyping, challenges students to take what they learned in the classroom in their past undergraduate and graduate studies, and apply it to a real-world problem," Thorsen says. "For many students, the hands-on nature of this course is an exciting opportunity to test their abilities to prioritize what is important in developing products that are both functional and easy to use. What I found most impressive was the students’ ability to apply their collective knowledge to the design and prototyping of the biomedical devices, emphasizing their diverse backgrounds in areas like fluid mechanicals, controls, and solid mechanics."

In total, 12 mechanical engineering students contributed to the program, producing and validating a gas gradient manifold prototype and a droplet-dispensing manifold that has the potential to generate arbitrary pH gradients in industry-standard 96-well plates used for biomedical research. These devices will greatly simplify and accelerate the microculture of complex mixtures of organisms, like bacteria populations, where the growth conditions are unknown, allowing the end user to use the manifolds to dial in the optimal environmental parameters without the need for expensive, bulky hardware like the anaerobic chambers typically used for microbiology research.

"This class was my first experience with microfluidics and biotech, and thanks to our sponsors, I gained the confidence to pursue a career path in biotech," says Rachael Rosco, an MIT mechanical engineering graduate student. "The project itself was meaningful, and I know that our work will hopefully one day make an impact. Who knows, maybe one day it will lead to cultivating extremophile bacteria on a foreign planet!"

The collaboration will continue to seek DoD research funding to create workforce development opportunities for top scientific talent and introduce students to long-standing DoD challenges. Projects will take place nationwide at several NSRI, NU, Lincoln Laboratory, and MIT facilities.

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Study assesses seizure risk from stimulating thalamus

In awake mice, researchers found that even low stimulation currents could sometimes still cause electrographic seizures

The idea of electrically stimulating a brain region called the central thalamus has gained traction among researchers and clinicians because it can help arouse subjects from unconscious states induced by traumatic brain injury or anesthesia, and can boost cognition and performance in awake animals. But the method, called CT-DBS, can have a side effect: seizures. A new study by researchers at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) who were testing the method in awake mice, quantifies the probability of seizures at different stimulation currents and cautions that they sometimes occurred even at low levels.

“Understanding production and prevalence of this type of seizure activity is important because brain stimulation-based therapies are becoming more widely used,” said co-senior author Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Center for Brains Minds and Machines (CBMM) at MIT.

In the brain, the seizures associated with CT-DBS occur as “electrographic seizures” which are bursts of voltage among neurons across a broad spectrum of frequencies. Behaviorally, they manifest as “absence seizures” in which the subject appears to take on a blank stare and freezes for about 10-20 seconds.

In their study, the researchers were hoping to determine a CT-DBS stimulation current— in a clinically relevant range of under 200 microamps—below which seizures could be reliably avoided.

In search of that ideal current, they developed a protocol of starting brief bouts of CT-DBS at 1 microamp and then incrementally ramping the current up to 200 microamps until they found a threshold where an electrographic seizure occurred. Once they found that threshold, then they tested a longer bout of stimulation at the next lowest current level in hopes that an electrographic seizure wouldn’t occur. They did this for a variety of different stimulation frequencies. To their surprise, electrographic seizures still occurred 2.2 percent of the time during those longer stimulation trials (i.e. 22 times out of 996 tests) and in 10 out of 12 mice. At just 20 microamps, mice still experienced seizures in 3 out of 244 tests, a 1.2 percent rate.

“This is something that we needed to report because this was really surprising,” said co-lead author Francisco Flores, a research affiliate in The Picower Institute and CBMM, and an instructor in anesthesiology at MGH where Brown is also an anesthesiologist. Isabella Dalla Betta, a technical associate in The Picower Institute, co-led the study published in Brain Stimulation .

Stimulation frequency didn’t matter for seizure risk but the rate of electrographic seizures increased as the current level increased. For instance, it happened in 5 out of 190 tests at 50 microamps, and 2 out of 65 tests at 100 microamps. The researchers also found that when an electrographic seizure occurred, it did so more quickly at higher currents than at lower levels. Finally, they also saw that seizures happened more quickly if they stimulated the thalamus on both sides of the brain vs. just one side. Some mice exhibited behaviors similar to absence seizure, though others became hyperactive.

It is not clear why some mice experienced electrographic seizures at just 20 microamps while two mice did not experience the seizures even at 200. Flores speculated that there may be different brain states that change the predisposition to seizures amid stimulation of the thalamus. Notably, seizures are not typically observed in humans who receive CT-DBS while in a minimally conscious state after a traumatic brain injury or in animals who are under anesthesia. Flores said the next stage of the research would aim to discern what the relevant brain states may be.

In the meantime, the study authors wrote, “EEG should be closely monitored for electrographic seizures when performing CT-DBS, especially in awake subjects.”

The paper’s co-senior author is Matt Wilson, Sherman Fairchild Professor in The Picower Institute, CBMM, and the departments of Biology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences. In addition to Dalla Betta, Flores, Brown and Wilson, the study’s other authors are John Tauber, David Schreier, and Emily Stephen.

Support for the research came from The JPB Foundation, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, George J. Elbaum (MIT ‘59, SM ‘63, PhD ‘67), Mimi Jensen, Diane B. Greene (MIT, SM ‘78), Mendel Rosenblum, Bill Swanson, annual donors to the Anesthesia Initiative Fund; and the National Institutes of Health.

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University of Missouri

MU Research Reactor partners with Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

This new collaboration will further enhance MURR’s operational standards, ensuring the highest levels of safety and efficiency.

Aug. 20, 2024

The University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) has entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). This significant milestone underscores MURR’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence, safety and continuous improvement in the field of nuclear research and operations.

As the most powerful university research reactor in the United States, MURR is critical to advancing nuclear science and technology. By collaborating with INPO, MURR will gain access to the organization’s wealth of resources, best practices, and benchmarking opportunities with other leading nuclear facilities. This collaboration will further enhance MURR’s operational standards, ensuring the highest levels of safety and efficiency.

A non-profit organization based in Atlanta, INPO is dedicated to promoting the highest levels of safety and reliability in the operation of commercial nuclear power plants. MURR will be able to learn from the organization’s training, trending data, operating standards and shared best practices.

MURR’s work with INPO will also support their transformational initiative to build a new state-of-the-art research reactor in Columbia. When complete, NextGen MURR will be an essential producer of medical and research radioisotopes to industry partners worldwide.

“This collaboration is very important as we anticipate a new, more advanced reactor on the horizon,” said Matt Sanford, executive director of MURR. “The lessons learned across the nuclear power industry will aid us in preparing our organization to build and operate the NextGen MURR reactor that will benefit humankind for generations.”

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