Doctoral Program in Operations Management
Authoritative curriculum information can be found exclusively in the University Bulletin. All other content, including this page, is for informational purpose only. You can find the curriculum for this program on this page of the Bulletin.
- Overview of the OM Doctoral Program
- Program Requirements
- Sample 5-year Schedule
- Recent Doctoral Courses Offered
Overview of the OM Doctoral Program
Mission
To educate and train scholars capable of producing high quality operations management research and to place our graduates as faculty members in top-tier universities.
Admissions and performance
We enroll an average of two students per year out of many highly qualified applicants. Students admitted typically have GRE scores over 310 with scores in the quantitative section of the GRE exam in the 90th percentile or higher. International students typically have TOEFL scores of 600 or higher. Our students are highly competitive with their peers globally and give talks and invited presentations at national and international conferences.
Advising and evaluation
The operations management doctoral program coordinator advises all first-year doctoral students. During their first year, students have many opportunities to learn the research interests of departmental faculty by taking classes, attending seminars and enrolling in research practica. By the beginning of their second year, students will typically have selected an advisor who begins to introduce them to potential research topics. By the middle of their third year, students will have selected a thesis advisor. Each year, every student’s academic progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. This review includes 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 during their second year in the program. Students are expected to defend their thesis proposal by March of their fourth year and students typically defend their completed dissertation at the end of their fourth year or during their fifth year.
Research and interaction with faculty
Stern's operations management group has historically included faculty with strong operations management and operations research backgrounds. These two disciplines, along with statistics, data science, economics and computer science, 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 using operations to provide a competitive advantage to organizations.
Doctoral students in operations management take core courses in optimization theory, stochastic processes, and data science. A wide range of electives based on faculty expertise are offered including inventory theory, game theory, service operations, assortment optimization, supply chain finance and more. Students are also encouraged either to assist faculty members who are actively working with firms or to develop first-hand expertise through individual contacts with industrial organizations.
The faculty members focus their research on current and emerging themes in managing operations in today's fast changing 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 operations management faculty have strong ties with the world's technology and financial organizations as well as 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.
Wenqiang Xiao
Coordinator, Operations Management Doctoral Program
TOPS Department
Program Requirements
Doctoral students in operations management are expected to achieve expertise in the areas of operations management and operations research. All students in the NYU Stern doctoral program must demonstrate competence in probability, statistics and microeconomics either through courses taken in a prior degree program or by taking a similar course offered at NYU. As part of the operations management doctoral curriculum, students must also take 3 methodological core courses in the areas of optimization, stochastic processes and data science. After completing their course requirements, students may enroll in elective courses relevant to their chosen field of research. Recent PhD electives offered by the operations management group include
- Pricing in the Sharing Economy
- Stochastic Inventory Theory
- Supply Chain Finance
- Service Operations Management
- Game Theory
- Choice Models in Operations
- Applied Game Theory
In addition to required coursework, doctoral students must complete 5 research practica prior to graduation. Each research practicum is a 1 credit course graded Pass or Fail in which students work closely with a faculty member to conduct joint research. By working closely with faculty members, students are expected to develop their own independent research skills. After their core coursework is complete, students are required to take written and oral comprehensive exams before October 1st of their third year. Students must also complete a teaching practicum in their third year of studies during which they assist a faculty member in their class preparation. Students are expected to complete their thesis proposal by March of their 4th year and the doctoral program concludes with the proposal, writing and defense of a dissertation. All students are required to complete the doctoral program within six years, however most students graduate within 5 years. A sample 5-year schedule is given below.
Sample 5-year Schedule
Recent Doctoral Courses Offered
OPMG-GB.3321.P1 Stochastic Processes
OPMG-GB.3392.P1 Pricing in the Sharing Economy
OPMG-GB.4317.01 Stochastic Inventory Theory
OPMG-GB.4334.01 Convex Optimization
OPMG-GB.4313.20 Supply Chain Finance
OPMG-GB.4331.20 Service Operations Management
OPMG-GB.4306.01 Dynamic Programming
OPMG-GB.4321.20 Choice Models in Operations
OPMG-GB.4330.01 Linear Programming
OPMG-GB.4340.02 Applied Game Theory
