Department Web Site: http://bschool.washington.edu/departments/mgtsci/
Course Requirements for Majors
Research Methods Minor Area Requirements
A Typical Course Schedule
Requirements for an Operations Management Minor
Faculty and their Research Interests

General Information

The Department of Information Systems & Operations Management (ISOM) supports two areas for doctoral study: Information Systems (IS) and Operations Management (OM). IS and OM are linked by their common use of quantitative analysis and computers, which form an integral part of all Management Science courses. Both areas are designed for persons seeking academic and research careers.

The Operations Management area deals with the functional parts of an organization that produce goods and services. The curriculum in OM focuses on the many changes that have occurred in recent years in the way that managers think, plan, and operate manufacturing and service facilities. These changes have been driven by dramatic improvements in information technology, the growth and increasing accessibility of global markets, and the necessity to adapt to more sophisticated and quality conscious consumers. Overall, these forces have created a fundamental change in market forces and global competition that has, in turn, resulted in an increased visibility of the management of production and operations.

All students are required to demonstrate a firm understanding of areas that form the foundation of most OM research: microenomics, probability and statistics (including stochastic processes/models), and optimization theory (courses in these areas typically constitute the first year's curriculum).

Research areas recently emphasized include inventory and supply chain management, project management (including new product development projects), and service systems (including call center management). In addition, research that combines operations issues with other areas such as finance, marketing, and information systems are encouraged.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree at an accredited university and should have a reasonable training in mathematics and economics. An admission committee of faculty members in the Management Science Department reviews all completed applications. While the committee considers all relevant factors in its recommendations, important factors include past academic performance, GMAT scores (which are usually above 650 for successful applicants), and previous work experience. The GRE exam can be substituted for the GMAT but the GMAT is strongly preferred. In some cases we may request a personal interview.

Recommended Preparation Prior to Entry

It is assumed that students entering the operations management area are knowledgeable in advanced calculus, linear algebra, basic statistics, and a high level programming language. Any student who is deficient in these areas should consider taking appropriate courses prior to entering the program.

Operations Management Area Faculty Coordinator

Prof. Apurva Jain, Operations Management Area Faculty Coordinator, would be glad to answer your questions. You can contact him by phone (206-685-4970 or by email (apurva@u.washington.edu).

Student Advising

The Department’s Doctoral Review Committee will guide new students until they establish a Supervisory Committee. Students are strongly encouraged to establish a Supervisory Committee by end of their first year. The Supervisory Committee (or Doctoral Review Committee if the Supervisory Committee had not been established) assists the student in choosing appropriate courses, approves course of studies, and monitors the student’s progress.

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Course Requirements for Majors

Courses that constitute an OM major are classified into three groups: Group I includes MBA level courses; Group II includes the doctoral level courses in Operations Management; and Group III includes courses from other areas. The courses from Group III are to be chosen so as not to have excessive overlap with coursework in minor areas. All OM students must enroll in the doctoral seminar (OPMGT 599) until all coursework is completed and the OM area examination is successfully completed; after completing this milestone, we strongly encourage all students to continue participating in the doctoral seminar. The number of credits for each course is indicated in parentheses after the course number.

Group I. MBA level courses:

Group II. Doctoral level courses:

Group III. Two graduate level courses from areas other than a minor area. It is strongly recommended that students select courses in Computer Science, Statistics and Economics.

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Research Methods Minor Area Requirements

All students majoring in Operations Management must select Research Methods as one of their minor areas. The Research Methods area is designed to insure that all students are knowledgeable with research tools needed to conduct high-level research in Operations Management.

The requirements listed below are viewed as minimal preparation for conducting doctoral level research; we strongly recommend that students expand their research methods area beyond the courses listed below.

Microeconomics

Required courses (or equivalent):

Suggested courses:

Optimization / Mathematical Programming

Required courses (or equivalent):

Suggested courses:

Probability Theory / Stochastic Processes / Queuing / Simulation

Required courses (or equivalent):

Statistical Analysis / Inference

Required courses (or equivalent):

Suggested courses:

It is expected that courses in Research Methods area will be completed by the end of the second year.

Other Minor Area Requirements

Operations Management courses deal with both service systems and manufacturing organizations. We examine the production function of an organization at a strategic level as well as the plant and shop floor level. Areas included in the Operations Management program include waiting lines (queues), operations strategy, distribution and logistics, quality management, project management, inventory control, and supply chain management.

In addition to Research Methods, OM students must select one additional minor area depending on her interest. Possible minor areas include:

Administrative Behavior and Organizational Theory
Business Policy
Economics
Health Services
Industrial Engineering
Information Systems
Statistics

It is expected that all doctoral students have taken OM 502 - Introduction to Operations Management (or the equivalent).

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A Typical Course Schedule

Assuming adequate background preparation, students are expected to complete the following coursework in the first and second year. The normal schedule is as follows but course offerings and quarter offerings might change depending on faculty availability.

First Year

Second Year

*Offered alternatively

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Requirements for an Operations Management Minor

Students who select Operations Management as a minor area are required to take all three courses in Group I as well as the OPMGT 581 and OPMGT 587 courses.

Group I. MBA level courses:

Group II. Doctoral level courses:

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Written Area or Qualifying Examination

After completing all coursework in his or her major area, each student will take a written area examination consisting of questions contributed by all appropriate area faculty and administered by the chair of the student’s Supervisory Committee. The exam is graded on a high pass, pass, low pass, or fail basis; if appropriate, the Supervisory Committee may require additional work and/or classes as a condition of passing the exam. If the student fails the exam, he or she can take the exam one additional time after satisfying deficiencies.

General Examination

After successfully completing the written area exam, each student takes a general (oral) examination. Members of the Supervisory Committee administer this examination. Typically, this exam involves a defense of the student’s dissertation proposal; however, the chair of the Supervisory Committee determines the precise format of the general exam.

Dissertation

After successfully completing the general examination, the student is admitted to candidacy and continues work on his/her dissertation research. A Reading Committee guides the student in working with the dissertation. It is also expected that the student will present his research to the Management Science department in the doctoral seminar.

Final Examination

When the dissertation is completed, a final defense of the Supervisory Committee administers a final defense or final examination.

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Operations Management Faculty and their Research Interests

Bruce H. Faaland
Professor, Ph.D. Stanford
206-543-4633, bfaaland@u.washington.edu
Manufacturing (assembly lines, inventory control, materials management, performance measures, production strategies), project management, simulation modeling, mathematical programming models.

Mark. S. Hillier
Associate Professor and Evert McCabe Fellow, Ph.D. Stanford
206-685-1912, mhillier@u.washington.edu
Operations management, inventory control, mathematical programming applications.

Apurva Jain
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Purdue
206-685-4970, apurva@u.washington.edu
Retain industry logistics, supply chain management, multi-level production inventory systems, impact of e-commerce on operations management.

Theodore D. Klastorin
Burlington Northern/Burlington Resources Professor, Ph.D. Texas
206.543.1833, tedk@u.washington.edu
Study and comparison of production scheduling and planning problems with particular interest in project management, facility location, problems in numerical taxonomy.

Kamran Moinzadeh
Burlington Northern/Burlington Resources Professor, Ph.D. Stanford
206-543-1932, kamran@u.washington.edu
Production and operations management, inventory management, supply-chain management.

Thomas G. Schmitt
Associate Professor, D.B.A. Indiana
206-543-9001, glennsch@u.washington.edu
Supply-chain management, manufacturing scheduling, service operations, project management, business process-re-engineering, inventory management.

Andrew F. Siegel
Grant I. Butterbaugh Professor, Ph.D. Stanford
206-543-4476, asiegel@u.washington.edu
Statistics, finance, computing, probability, data analysis.

Hirokuni Tamura
Professor, Ph.D. Michigan
206.543.4399, htamura@u.washington.edu
Data analysis methodology for management information, statistical auditing, cost estimation, quality control and TQM, international business (Japan, international exchange programs, issues related to future business education).

Yong-Pin Zhou
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Pennsylvania
206.221.5324, yongpin@u.washington.edu
Service operations, Queueing Systems, Markov Decision Processes, Call-center related applications

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