Top Business Schools for Operations Management 2021

Of the school’s 2020 MBA graduates, twenty-seven percent went into roles operations management or logistics, one of the highest rates of all schools surveyed by FIND MBA. The MBA program's specialization in Supply Chain Management offers a number of operations-oriented classes.

Smeal's graduates go into operations in droves – a whopping 46 percent of the class of 2020 went into operations, supply chain, or logistics roles, the highest proportion of any school surveyed by FIND MBA. The school's faculty includes some key figures in operations research, such as V. Daniel R. Guide, who co-edits the Journal of Operations Management. Although the school doesn’t offer an MBA in Operations Management, it does offer an MBA concentration in Supply Chain Management.

The school’s Center for Operational Excellence serves as a hub for Fisher students seeking jobs in operations management. Students can pursue an MBA major in Operations and Logistics. In recent years, as much as 22 percent of the MBA class went into operations or logistics-related roles, according to the school. Experienced professionals looking for a more in-depth look at Lean and Six Sigma tools can look at the school’s one-year long Master of Business Excellence program.

The school hosts the uniquely multidisciplinary Center for Behavioral Operations Management, which examines how humans interact with supply chains. Typically, about 10-15 percent of MBA grads go into the operations or logistics fields. Rotterdam is a hub for global operations and logistics.

Through Rutgers' Center for Operations Research, students can pursue a dual-degree MBA / MS in Operations Research and Business Analytics, which covers topics in information technology, analytics, and related areas. Thirty-five percent of Rutgers’ 2020 MBA graduates went into operations and related roles.

The school offers an MBA concentration in Operations & Analytics, where students can delve into modules like “Data Management and Business Intelligence,” “Operations Strategy,” and “Strategy and Operations Consulting.” This concentration is now STEM-designated, which gives international students the option of extending their post-study work visa to 36 months in total. Typically, around 10 to 15 percent of Vanderbilt’s MBA grads go into operations management positions.

Although the school does not offer an MBA in Operations Management, the core program’s core curriculum covers a range of topics in the field. The school’s Operations Management & Information Technology department consistently produces relevant research. In recent years, as much as seventeen percent of the school’s MBA class of went into operations management and related fields.

Through Mays Business School’s MBA certificate in Supply Chain and Operations, students can study the overlap between these two interacting fields. The school’s Department of Information and Operations Management produces research in the operations management field; in general, around one-fifth of Mays’ MBA class goes into operations or logistics-related roles. 

The Canadian school hosts the ‘Centre for Excellence in Operations,’ which produces a range of multidisciplinary research and puts on events. Alberta MBA students can pursue the innovative ‘Operations & Business Analytics Career Track;’ in recent years, upwards, of 20 percent of the school's MBA graduates have gone into operations management and related roles. 

Typically, around 20 to 25 percent of Krannert MBA grads went into operations positions. With an Operations Management MBA major and a related student club, it's no surprise that US News & World Report consistently puts the school its top-ten list of best schools for a career in operations or production.