Operations Research Master's Degree

Degree required for admission: Students admitted to the program must possess a bachelor's degree in engineering, science, mathematics, computer science, statistics, economics with a minor in mathematics, or other related field from an accredited academic institution. Students should possess a strong mathematics background (three terms calculus, one term ordinary differential equations required; one term linear algebra recommended). Applicants should have a strong undergraduate record to be competitive for admission. 

GPA required: Minimum of 3.0 

GRE requirements: General test required 

Other application requirements: Three recommendation letters, transcripts, resume, and a personal-professional statement are required. If you have not earned a degree from an undergraduate or graduate institution in which the instructional language was English, you may be required to take the TOEFL/IELTS. All application requirements in the Graduate Application must be completed as specified in the application. 

We accept applications on a rolling basis, which means there are no deadlines to apply.  Please submit your degree applications no later than 4 - 6 weeks before the semester you wish to enroll.

Breadth requirement: Any high-level programming course (such as Fortran, Pascal, or C, the latter of which is highly recommended) 

Students must complete all required courses for a total of 30 graduate points of academic work via CVN with an academic average of 2.5 or better. All degree requirements must be completed within 5 years of the beginning of the first course credited toward the degree.

For answers to your most common admissions questions, please review our FAQ page here.

Students must complete all required courses for a total of 30 graduate points of academic work via CVN with an academic average of 2.67 or better.  All students must take at least 18 points of graduate work in the IEOR Department (denoted by courses with the IEOR, CSOR, ECIE, SIEO designations) and at least 30 points of graduate studies at Columbia. All degree requirements must be completed within 5 years of the beginning of the first course credited toward the degree. This includes courses taken in the non-degree program.

Required Courses: 

The following core courses must be included unless they or their equivalents have been completed prior to admission to the program:

• IEOR E4150: Probability and Statistics
• IEOR E4004: Optimization Models and Methods or IEOR E4007: Optimization Models and Methods (FE)*
• IEOR E4106: Stochastic Models or IEOR E4701: Stochastic Models (FE)* 
• IEOR E4404: Simulation or IEOR E4703: Monte Carlo Simulation* 

* Course focuses on applications to the financial services industry. Only one course, not both, can be applied to the program. 

And six elective courses chosen in consultation with the IEOR Faculty advisor. 

2023–2024 Tuition & Fees

Please note that all tuition and fees are in U.S. dollars and are estimated. Tuition and most fees are prescribed by statute and are subject to change at the discretion of the Trustees.

CVN Credit Tuition: $2,462.00 per point (Credit Hour)
CVN Fee: $395 non-refundable fee per course
Transcript Fee: $105 non-refundable one-time fee
Tuition Deposit: $1,000 (More information on our Resources page)

Estimated cost of one nondegree course: $7,886.00
Estimated total cost of certification (four courses): $31,229.00

Estimated total cost of MS (ten courses): $77,915.00
*Estimated total cost of DES (ten courses plus a minimum of 12 research credits): $108,249.00

Graduate Admission Application Fee: $85 non-refundable one-time fee 
Certification Program Application Fee: $85 non-refundable one-time fee 

Late Registration Fee: $100 non-refundable fee

CVN Withdrawal Fee: $75, plus prorated tuition and all non-refundable fees
For example: A three-credit course would be $7,781 + transcript fee $105 (one-time) + CVN fee $395 = $7,886

*Assumes DES student enrolls in two six-credit research courses.

For Drop/Withdrawal fees and dates, refer to the Academic Calendar for the current term.

Please note: CVN no longer offers courses for audit.

Payment should be mailed to:

Attn: Shewanna House
Accounting & Business Management
Senior Student Services Rep
Payments & Deposits
210 Kent Hall, Mail Code 9205
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Before you mail your check or money order, please take careful note of the following requirements to ensure the timely processing of your payment: https://sfs.columbia.edu/content/pay-mail.