OR 501 Introduction to Operations Research

3 Credit Hours

(also offered as ISE 501)

Operations Research (OR) is a discipline that involves the development and application of advanced analytical methods to aid complex decisions. This course will provide students with the skills to be able to apply a variety of analytical methods to a diverse set of applications. Focus will be on how to translate real-world problems into appropriate models and then how to apply computational procedures and data so that the models can be used as aids in making decisions. Course will introduce students to the use of Julia along with the JuMP modeling language and the Gurobi mathematical programming solver. Applications will include improving the operation of a variety of different production and service systems, including healthcare delivery and transportation systems, and also how OR can be used to make better decisions in areas like sports, marketing, and project management.

Prerequisite

Undergraduate courses in single variable differential and integral calculus and an introductory course in Probability and/or statistics.

Course Objectives

To build a general understanding of the field of Operations Research (OR). To learn to translate problems into an appropriate model that can then be used to aid in decision-making. To set a foundation for future advanced graduate studies in Operations Research and industrial and business applications.

Course Requirements

HOMEWORK: 7 assignments

EXAMINATIONS: Midterm and  Final Examinations (both take home)

Textbook

No required textbook.

Recommended reference: Changhyun Kwon, Julia Programming for Operations Research, 2nd Edition, 2019.

Created 04/15/2022