Operations Research Degree

6 schools compared · Average earnings $87,035/yr
Schools Offering
6
Avg Grad Earnings
$87,035/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
47/100
AI Automation Risk
Very High
59% task exposure

Best Schools for Operations Research

Top 6 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

# School DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
71
64–70
$88,685/yr Very High 13.9x
2 California State University-Northridge
Northridge, CA
68
59–69
$53,677/yr Very High 26.4x
3 Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
58
49–61
$110,457/yr Very High 6.2x
4 Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
57
49–57
$100,354/yr Very High 3.2x
5 Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
57
48–59
$96,377/yr Very High 4.7x
6 Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
54
44–56
$72,658/yr Very High 3.8x

Highest Earning Operations Research Programs

Schools where Operations Research graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School 1-Year Earnings DW Score AI Risk
Columbia University in the City of New York $110,457/yr 58 Very High
Princeton University $100,354/yr 57 Very High
Cornell University $96,377/yr 57 Very High
University of California-Berkeley $88,685/yr 71 Very High
Southern Methodist University $72,658/yr 54 Very High
California State University-Northridge $53,677/yr 68 Very High

Best ROI for Operations Research

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Operations Research.

School ROI Multiple Earnings DW Score
California State University-Northridge 26.4x $53,677/yr 68
University of California-Berkeley 13.9x $88,685/yr 71
Columbia University in the City of New York 6.2x $110,457/yr 58
Cornell University 4.7x $96,377/yr 57
Southern Methodist University 3.8x $72,658/yr 54
Princeton University 3.2x $100,354/yr 57

Related Majors

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Operations Research graduates earn?
Across 6 schools, Operations Research graduates earn an average of $87,035 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $53,677 to $110,457 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Operations Research?
Operations Research is rated "Very High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 59% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Operations Research program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of California-Berkeley ranks #1 for Operations Research with a score of 71/100 and graduate earnings of $88,685/yr.
Is a Operations Research degree worth it?
On average, Operations Research graduates earn 9.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.

About This Data

This page aggregates Operations Research programs across 6 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.

The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.