Students of statistics can elect to participate in the Operations Research Dual-Title Degree Program. 
Operations Research is the use of scientific methodology in the formulation, analysis, and solution of problems of decision making. The term Operations Research originated in World War II to describe studies of military operations involving man-machine systems. Since its origin, operations researchers have addressed a wide variety of problems, including production and inventory control, transportation and distribution system design, capital investment marketing strategies, health maintenance, pollution control, personnel staffing, military deployment, resource management and other regional planning problems, just to name a few. The applications of operations research are numerous, and more importantly, new applications are continually arising. The strength and versatility of operations research lie in its ability to model the behavior of complex systems in quantitative mathematical terms, as well as its
prescriptive power through analysis and synthesis.

Operations Research is interdisciplinary by nature and draws on the techniques from many fields, including the mathematical sciences, engineering, economics, and the physical sciences. The unique structure of the OR program at Penn State enables students from rather diverse backgrounds to attain and be identified with the
tools, techniques, and methodology of Operations Research and at the same time maintain a close association with their field of major interest. The opportunity to study and work with others from such
diverse backgrounds provides an enriching experience not usually available in graduate work. By a judicious selection of courses, a student can tailor a plan of graduate study to meet career objectives in both of the chosen fields.

Students electing to participate in this program will earn a
dual-title degree, e.g., Ph. D. in Statistics and Operations Research, or M.S. in Statistics and Operations Research. The Ph.D. students can also elect to take Operations Research as a minor.

Additional information regarding the dual-title degree OR program can be found on the program website
http://www2.ie.psu.edu/or/index.html
and the graduate degree programs bulletin
http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/whitebook/programs/o_r.htm

Master's Degree in STAT/OR

OR Course Requirements for MS dual-title

• 6 credits minimum from statistics and stochastic processes
• 6 credits minimum from optimization (linear programming, integer programming,dynamic programming, etc.)
• 3 credits minimum from numerical methods or simulation
• 3 credits minimum from applications and/or specialization (statistics, economics, information systems, inventory models, scheduling models, and waiting-line models, etc.)

Doctoral Degree in STAT/OR

OR Course Requirements for Ph.D. dual-title

• 9 credits minimum from statistics and stochastic processes
• 9 credits minimum from optimization (linear programming, integer programming, dynamic programming, etc.)
• 6 credits minimum from numerical methods and simulation
• 12 credits minimum in applications and/or
  specialization  (statistics, economics, information systems, inventory models, scheduling models, and waiting-line models, etc.) These may all be in statistics.

OR Course Requirements for Ph.D. Minor

• 6 credits minimum from statistics and stochastic processes
• 6 credits minimum from optimization (linear programming, integer programming, dynamic programming, etc.)
• 3 credits minimum from numerical methods or simulation

In addition, an MS student is required to take 1 credit of OR Colloquium each year enrolled in the major graduate program, up to 2 credits maximum, and a Ph.D. dual title or Ph.D minor student is required to take 1 credit of OR Colloquium each year enrolled in the major graduate program, up to 4 credits maximum

Exceptions

Any request for an exception to the requirements for any of the above degrees should be submitted in writing to the graduate studies chair, for consideration by the faculty. Students granted exceptions will receive a written statement of the exception terms.