Best Schools for Operations Research in 2026
These are the top schools offering Operations Research, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Operations Research graduate earns $87,035/yr across 6 schools.
All Operations Research Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | Program | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Operations Research
California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA |
68
59–69 |
$53,677/yr | Very High | 26.4x |
| 2 |
Operations Research
University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA |
71
64–70 |
$88,685/yr | Very High | 13.9x |
| 3 |
Operations Research
Columbia University in the City of New York · New York, NY |
58
49–61 |
$110,457/yr | Very High | 6.2x |
| 4 |
Operations Research
Cornell University · Ithaca, NY |
57
48–59 |
$96,377/yr | Very High | 4.7x |
| 5 |
Operations Research
Princeton University · Princeton, NJ |
57
49–57 |
$100,354/yr | Very High | 3.2x |
| 6 |
Operations Research
Southern Methodist University · Dallas, TX |
54
44–56 |
$72,658/yr | Very High | 3.8x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.