Grad school ยท Engineering
Operations Research graduate programs: earnings and debt by school
23 colleges award master's degrees in operations research. Graduates of the typical program earned $130,294 a year after finishing, and those who borrowed left with a median of $45,608 in federal loans taken at the school.
Official field: Operations Research. Admission figures such as LSAT, MCAT or GRE scores are not part of this federal data, so check each school.
| Degree level | Programs | Typical earnings 1 yr after | Typical median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master's | 23 | $130,294 | $45,608 |
| Doctoral | 14 | n/a | n/a |
Is it worth it? Debt vs first-year pay
Each dot is one master's program. Dots above the dashed line have graduates earning more in their first year than the program's median debt.
Master's programs in operations research
Highest first-year earnings
Doctoral programs in operations research
| College | Graduates (2023-24) | Earnings 1 yr after | Earnings 4 yrs after | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY | 13 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Florida Institute of TechnologyMelbourne, FL | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| New York UniversityNew York, NY | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleigh, NC | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Frequently asked questions
How much do operations research graduates earn?
Graduates of the typical master's program earned a median of $130,294 one year after finishing, in 2024 dollars.
How much debt do operations research graduate students take on?
The typical program's graduates who borrowed left with a median of $45,608 in federal loans taken at that school. Undergraduate loans are not included.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field of study file, data release of October 15, 2026. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working, not enrolled. One-year figures: graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Four-year figures: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. More on the data.