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Operations Research at California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
68 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
69
Optimistic
68
Base Case
59
Pessimistic
Earnings $53,677/yr (-38% vs median)
AI Risk Very High (54% exposed)
Job Market Medium (22,200 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Operations Research graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $845K $619K $381K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 29.8x 21.8x 13.4x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 11.1x 8.2x 5.0x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 69 68 59

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$28,380
Out-of-state: $75,900
Median Debt at Graduation
$15,998
3.6 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$77,841
45% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Operations Research graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 22,200 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Natural sciences managers $161,180 8,500 +3.7% 50%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%
Operations research analysts $91,290 9,600 +21.5% 63%

Compare & Explore

Operations Research at Other Schools

Columbia University in the City of New York ($110,457) Princeton University ($100,354) Cornell University ($96,377) University of California-Berkeley ($88,685) Southern Methodist University ($72,658)

Other Majors at California State University-Northridge

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($106,780) Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions ($100,724) Construction Engineering Technologies ($79,352) Public Administration ($76,049) Computer Engineering ($75,692) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($75,207) Mechanical Engineering ($71,359) Accounting and Related Services ($68,904)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Operations Research at California State University-Northridge?
This program scores 68/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 69 (optimistic) to 59 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Operations Research career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Operations Research graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $380,651 (pessimistic) to $844,780 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Operations Research graduates?
The career paths mapped to Operations Research have roughly 22,200 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Operations Research at California State University-Northridge worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 21.8x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 13.4x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
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. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.