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The tables below present the occupations that are most commonly associated with a degree in Operations Research. We have separated the tables depending on whether we examine graduates who stop their education with the bachelors degree in Operations Research, and those who get either a masters in Operations Research, a Ph.D. in Operations Research.
While the list above describes the occupations of students with advanced degrees in Operations Research some students with a bachelors degree in Operations Research will get advanced degrees in other fields. The tables listed below descibe the types of advanced degrees that were chosen by students with a bachelors in Operations Research.
Since all of the above tables present information on the average salary, it is possible to lose sight of the fact that some majors place students in jobs with a narrow range of salaries near to the mean while others place students in many different income categories. For this reason, we have drawn two frequency distributions (histograms) of Operations Research Salaries.
The diagram below includes all
students with a major in Operations Research who received no degree beyond the bachelors.
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The diagram below includes all
students with a major in Operations Research while an undergraduate. The data includes
students who subsequently earned degrees beyond the bachelors. 
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The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages
whose most recent college degree was a bachelors degree majoring in Operations Research.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $54,386 142 17.19 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers) $40,876 92 11.14 OTHER management related occupations $56,017 62 7.51 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services $34,137 45 5.45 OTHER OCCUPATIONS (Not Listed) $26,791 43 5.21 OTHER administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators) $52,670 37 4.48 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists $38,240 35 4.24 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists $50,059 33 4.00 Computer system analysts $38,282 30 3.63 Sales Occupations - Retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics) $50,818 30 3.63 OTHER marketing and sales occupations $42,852 22 2.66 Sales Occupations - Commodities Except Retail (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies, medical and dental equiptment/supplies) $48,819 20 2.42 Computer programmers (business, scientific, process control) $38,211 17 2.06 OTHER computer, information science Occupations $28,890 16 1.94 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers $41,435 13 1.57 Information systems scientists or analysts $46,847 13 1.57 Engineers: Industrial $27,354 12 1.45 Secretaries, receptionists, typists $47,697 12 1.45 Transportation/material moving occupations $40,773 11 1.33 Other engineers $28,466 10 1.21 Operators and related occupations (e.g., machine set-up, machine operators and tenders, fabricators, assemblers) $25,190 10 1.21 Food Preparation and Service (e.g., cooks, waitresses, bartenders) $32,337 9 1.09 Social Workers $43,718 9 1.09 Registered nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, therapists, physician assistants $32,025 8 .97 OTHER service occupations, except health $38,966 7 .85 Engineers: Electrical, electronic, industrial, mechanical $44,894 7 .85 OTHER engineering technologists and technicians $33,123 7 .85 Artists, Broadcasters, Editors, Entertainers, Public Relations Specialists, Writers $55,025 6 .73 Computer engineer - software $60,342 6 .73 Construction trades, miners and well drillers $45,032 6 .73 Protective services (e.g., fire fighters, police, guards) $37,792 5 .61 OTHER health occupations $45,920 5 .61 Engineers: Electrical, electronic $35,000 4 .48 Farmers, Foresters and Fishermen $46,093 3 .36 Engineers: Mechanical $46,757 3 .36 Operations research analysts, modelling $24,166 3 .36 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236) $42,480 3 .36 Precision/production occupations (e.g., workers, woodworkers, butchers, bakers, printing occupations, tailors, shoemakers, photographic process) $47,216 2 .24 Engineers: Environmental $64,400 2 .24 Unknown $15,071 2 .24 Teachers: Pre-Kindergarten and kindergarten $33,277 2 .24 Teachers: Secondary - other subjects $23,207 2 .24 Teachers: Elementary $28,756 2 .24 Drafting occupations, including computer drafting $23,400 2 .24 Mechanics and repairers $28,140 1 .12 Agricultural and food scientists $150,000 1 .12 Psychologists, including clinical (Also see 070) $73,000 1 .12 Engineers: Aeronautical, aerospace, astronautical $65,000 1 .12 Engineers: Civil, including architectural and sanitary $22,880 1 .12 Health Technologists and Technicians (e.g., dental hygienists, health record technologists/technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical or laboratory technicians, radiologic technologists/technicians) $26,000 1 .12 Teachers: Secondary - computer, math or sciences $27,320 1 .12 Engineers: Mining or geological $39,400 1 .12 Statisticians $52,000 1 .12 Engineers: Sales $51,000 1 .12 Architects Engineers (Also see 101-103) $28,600 1 .12 Technologists and technicians in the biological/life sciences $30,000 1 .12 Librarians, Archivists, Curators Managers, Executives, Administrators (Also see 151-153) $30,000 1 .12 Professors: Engineering $31,200 1 .12 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing $31,500 1 .12 Economists $37,440 1 .12 Lawyers, Judges
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages
whose most recent college degree was a masters degree in Operations Research.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $66,598 167 27.56 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers) $48,216 42 6.93 OTHER management related occupations $56,182 39 6.44 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists $46,963 39 6.44 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists $63,619 23 3.80 Insurance, securities, real estate, and business services $56,377 19 3.14 Engineers: Electrical, electronic $51,848 18 2.97 OTHER OCCUPATIONS (Not Listed) $56,610 17 2.81 Engineers: Mechanical $76,328 17 2.81 Transportation/material moving occupations $51,983 17 2.81 Computer system analysts $55,793 12 1.98 Other engineers $62,062 10 1.65 OTHER computer, information science Occupations $43,009 10 1.65 OTHER marketing and sales occupations $56,539 9 1.49 Engineers: Industrial $44,006 9 1.49 Computer programmers (business, scientific, process control) $57,225 9 1.49 Information systems scientists or analysts $75,584 9 1.49 Sales Occupations - Commodities Except Retail (e.g., industrial machinery/equipment/supplies, medical and dental equiptment/supplies) $35,304 9 1.49 Counselors, Educational and Vocational (Also see 236) $65,744 8 1.32 Engineers: Aeronautical, aerospace, astronautical $33,306 7 1.16 Social Workers $44,234 7 1.16 OTHER postsecondary $44,448 7 1.16 Registered nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, therapists, physician assistants $76,250 6 .99 Lawyers, Judges $42,556 5 .83 Engineers: Environmental $46,575 4 .66 Chemists, except biochemists $63,250 4 .66 Computer engineer - software $29,220 4 .66 OTHER service occupations, except health $31,740 4 .66 Sales Occupations - Retail (e.g., furnishings, clothing, motor vehicles, cosmetics) $34,608 4 .66 Health Technologists and Technicians (e.g., dental hygienists, health record technologists/technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical or laboratory technicians, radiologic technologists/technicians) $54,850 4 .66 Engineers: Chemical $60,556 4 .66 Engineers: Civil, including architectural and sanitary $35,625 4 .66 Teachers: Secondary - other subjects $23,711 4 .66 OTHER administrative (e.g., record clerks, telephone operators) $45,957 3 .50 Protective services (e.g., fire fighters, police, guards) $44,833 3 .50 Librarians, Archivists, Curators Managers, Executives, Administrators (Also see 151-153) $33,733 3 .50 Construction trades, miners and well drillers $48,400 3 .50 Unknown $40,667 3 .50 Engineers: Sales $39,800 3 .50 Accounting clerks, bookkeepers $55,760 3 .50 OTHER health occupations $28,620 2 .33 Psychologists, including clinical (Also see 070) $28,995 2 .33 Precision/production occupations (e.g., workers, woodworkers, butchers, bakers, printing occupations, tailors, shoemakers, photographic process) $59,350 2 .33 Computer engineer - hardware $54,665 2 .33 Engineers: Electrical, electronic, industrial, mechanical $50,750 2 .33 Atmospheric and space scientists $48,500 2 .33 Artists, Broadcasters, Editors, Entertainers, Public Relations Specialists, Writers $44,500 2 .33 Teachers: OTHER precollegiate area $40,200 2 .33 Teachers: Secondary - computer, math or sciences $39,736 2 .33 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing $36,000 2 .33 Professors: Computer Science $85,000 1 .17 OTHER engineering technologists and technicians $75,000 1 .17 Agricultural and food scientists $17,680 1 .17 Secretaries, receptionists, typists $56,118 1 .17 Engineers: Nuclear $55,800 1 .17 Architects Engineers (Also see 101-103) $52,923 1 .17 Teachers: Secondary - social sciences $52,000 1 .17 Medical scientists (excluding practitioners) $39,000 1 .17 Economists $37,200 1 .17 Professors: Law $36,500 1 .17 Professors: Home Economics $28,000 1 .17 OTHER physical scientists $24,000 1 .17 Mechanics and repairers $20,000 1 .17 Professors: Foreign Language $20,000 1 .17 Clergy and Other Religious Workers
The information in the table below is based on data from people of all sexes and ages
whose most recent college degree was a Ph.D. degree in Operations Research.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Occupation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$58,585 7 38.89 Professors: Business Commerce and Marketing
$60,500 2 11.11 Top and mid-level managers, executives, administrators (people who manage other managers)
$116,162 2 11.11 Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists
-$10 1 5.56 Clergy and Other Religious Workers
$33,500 1 5.56 Professors: OTHER social sciences
$41,600 1 5.56 Psychologists, including clinical (Also see 070)
$50,000 1 5.56 OTHER management related occupations
$60,000 1 5.56 Unknown
$62,000 1 5.56 Professors: Computer Science
$65,000 1 5.56 Accountants, auditors, and other financial specialists
Avg 1993 Number of Pct of
Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$60,522 56 25.34 Business administration and management
$55,048 42 19.00 OTHER business management/administrative services
$73,569 13 5.88 Financial management
$50,607 12 5.43 Business, general
$48,470 10 4.52 Accounting
$44,419 8 3.62 Education: OTHER education
$48,960 7 3.17 Business marketing/marketing management
$28,672 5 2.26 OTHER philosophy, religion, theology
$43,454 5 2.26 Social Work
$38,498 4 1.81 Education: Counselor education/guidance services
$58,375 4 1.81 Business/managerial economics
$50,991 4 1.81 Information services and systems
$60,000 3 1.36 Operations research
$50,158 3 1.36 Public administration
$41,127 3 1.36 OTHER health/medical sciences
$43,167 3 1.36 Computer science
$30,500 2 .90 Education: Administration
$27,220 2 .90 OTHER engineering-related technologies
$50,450 2 .90 Architecture/Environmental Design
$59,000 2 .90 Computer systems analysis
$47,500 2 .90 Library Science
$46,000 2 .90 OTHER social sciences
$26,160 2 .90 Education: Elementary teacher education
$60,874 2 .90 OTHER engineering
$36,300 2 .90 Psychology: Counseling
$39,000 2 .90 Education: Secondary teacher education
$21,600 1 .45 Economics
$21,632 1 .45 Area/Ethnic Studies
$73,000 1 .45 Computer programming
$22,200 1 .45 Communications, general
$58,000 1 .45 Computer/information sciences, general
-$10 1 .45 International relations
$57,000 1 .45 Liberal Arts/General Studies
$38,000 1 .45 OTHER communications
$55,016 1 .45 Home Economics
$55,000 1 .45 Political science and government
$27,972 1 .45 Education: Special education
$28,000 1 .45 OTHER conservation/renewable natural resources
$30,000 1 .45 Psychology: General
$30,160 1 .45 Chemistry
$31,000 1 .45 OTHER foreign languages and literature
$33,645 1 .45 Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies
$40,000 1 .45 Food sciences and technology
$38,879 1 .45 Physical therapy and other rehabilitation/therapeutic services
Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $40,500 2 20.00 Education: OTHER education $55,000 2 20.00 Business administration and management $126,000 2 20.00 Business/managerial economics $30,000 1 10.00 Business marketing/marketing management $43,500 1 10.00 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies $46,000 1 10.00 Education: Administration $70,000 1 10.00 Psychology: Counseling
Other advanced degrees include: JD, LLB, ThD, MD, and the DDS.
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Avg 1993 Number of Pct of Salary Observations Majors Description of Field of Study ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- $85,651 33 84.62 Law/Prelaw/Legal Studies $75,000 3 7.69 OTHER business management/administrative services $34,364 1 2.56 Education: OTHER education $70,000 1 2.56 Accounting $150,000 1 2.56 OTHER health/medical sciences
Prepared by Prof. Kenneth S. Chapman: kenneth.chapman@csun.edu