Graduate Program Information
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Curriculum program plans shown reflect current degree requirements. Previous academic year requirements can be accessed from the catalog page by choosing the appropriate academic year.
Doctor of Philosophy in Operations Research
| Major Code: | 9074 | Degree Awarded: | Doctor of Philosophy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Mode(s): | Classroom | Location(s): | Main Campus - Melbourne |
| Admission Status: | Graduate | Age Restriction: | No |
The doctor of philosophy program provides a more advanced level of education, as well as demonstrated ability to perform independent research. These additional strengths should qualify the graduate for vital positions of leadership in industry, business, government and academia.
Admission Requirements
An applicant for the doctoral program will normally have completed a master’s degree in operations research or a related discipline. If the master’s degree is not in operations research, then the student will be required to take the core courses for Florida Tech’s master’s degree in operations research. These courses may be used toward fulfilling the credit requirements for the Ph.D. in operations research. Students also will be required to pass a written qualifying examination equivalent to Florida Tech’s master’s final program examination.
General admission requirements are discussed in the Academic Overview section of the university catalog.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 48 credit hours beyond the requirements for the master’s degree is required to earn the doctoral degree. These credits include 24 credit hours of dissertation research in addition to normal coursework.
Each student must complete an approved program of study, pass a comprehensive examination, complete a program of significant original research, and defend a dissertation concerning the research.
General degree requirements are presented in the Academic Overview section of the university catalog.
Curriculum
The individual doctoral program of study must be approved by the student’s doctoral committee and the program chair. Students who have not taken MTH 5051 and MTH 5102, or their equivalents, will be required to take them. Students are also required to take at least two courses from the Computation/Computer Science list.
The doctoral program in operations research does not fall within the traditional boundaries of a single discipline. The scope is broad and interdisciplinary. Consequently, every course in a student’s program of study is evaluated in terms of how it complements other courses and provides breadth and depth to the program. Considerable latitude is permitted in course selection, provided the core requirements for operations research/mathematics/computation are met. The remaining courses are selected in collaboration with the doctoral committee according to the interests and research objectives of the student. The student may opt to concentrate study in the area of human-centered design (described below).
| Computation Electives | ||
| MTH 5301 | Numerical Analysis | |
| MTH 5305 | Numerical Linear Algebra | |
| MTH 5320 | Neural Networks | |
| ORP 5050 | Discrete System Simulation | |
Human-Centered Design
The program in human-centered design (HCD) is offered for students who wish to carry out advanced research, innovation and leadership in the academic world, as well as fill equivalent positions in industry and government. The program may be completed through one of three areas: aerospace engineering, operations research or computer science. Other research areas within the field may be pursued depending on current trends in the Human-Centered Design Institute (HCDI) of Florida Tech.
The program is designed to attract students who have the greatest potential for expanding the frontiers of knowledge and art of HCD, and in transferring this knowledge and art to others. It is open to graduate students who have a strong interest in people and are ready to learn about applied human and social sciences. HCD requires significant breadth and depth of understanding in engineering, mathematics and science, the mastery of several specialized subjects and the creativity to extend the body of knowledge and art on a particular subject through significant original research.
Each candidate is expected to publish major portions of their dissertation in refereed conferences and journals, and is strongly encouraged to actively participate in research activities of the HCDI while pursuing the degree. The student’s advisory committee and the director of the HCDI must approve the doctoral program of study.