Operations Management

As a student in production and operations management, you will learn what it takes to move a product off the factory floor and into the marketplace. You will develop a broad understanding of business operations with specific training in process management, production planning and control, supply chain management, project management, people management and quality management and control.

As a student in the College of Business and Economics, you will learn business the way business is actually done in the real world. You will examine issues relevant in today’s market and engage in hands-on programs that simulate real business situations. You will closely collaborate with other students, receive personal mentorship from top business faculty and network with practicing professionals.

The acclaimed Integrated Business Curriculum (IBC) is the college's signature program. In your junior year, you will work as part of a team with other business students to address problems for companies such as Boeing, Micron, Starbucks, Columbia Sportswear and Coldwater Creek. The yearlong experience strengthens your teamwork and decision-making skills, and gives you valuable cross-functional knowledge in business systems, product and process planning, managing firm resources and business operating decisions.

Prepare for Success

Production and operations managers don’t spend their days behind a desk. They are where the action is – on the factory floor. It is a dynamic and challenging career that demands excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills. You must be analytical, organized, and logical and have the ability to apply quantitative reasoning to many situations. You should also be able to manage diverse groups of people.

Your First Year

During your first year in the College of Business and Economics, you will complete core discovery courses and general university requirements in English, math, science and communication. You also will take Business 100, an introductory course that provides a broad overview of all business majors.

You will take foundation business courses during your second year and spend your junior year working as part of a small team with other business majors in the Integrated Business Curriculum. Your fourth year will include an intensive capstone course and upper-division courses in your major.

Operations Management Curriculum Sheet

What You Can Do

With a Bachelor of Science in Production and Operations Management, you might become a:

• Production supervisor
• Production planner/scheduler
• Project manager
• Process analyst
• Quality manager
• Production manager
• Purchasing manager
• Logistics manager
• Plant manager

Opportunities

Graduates with a degree in production and operations management have opportunities for excellent careers in retail, manufacturing, wholesale and other large industries. The current demand for professionals in production and operations management far exceeds the number of graduates. Recent graduates have a reported salary of approximately $45,000 and up. Graduates are actively recruited by major companies, such as:

• Micron Technology
• Boeing
• Cintas Corporation
• Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
• G. Loomis
• Ferguson Auto Distribution
• Stryker Medical
• Del Monte
• Jeld-Wen
• Lamb-Weston

Current Research

Faculty members in the College of Business and Economics are nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise in production and operations management. Current faculty research interests include:

• Supply chain management
• Quality management
• Process management
• Project management
• Sustainability and business policy

Activities

Production/Operations Management Club: Learn more about the POM major through organized tours of area manufacturing operations, guest speakers from companies that recruit POM majors and meetings of the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS - a professional society made up mostly of managers working in operations).

Hands-On Experience

In the College of Business and Economics (CBE), you will have hands-on experiential learning opportunities to ensure your readiness for the real business world. These interactive programs give you practical experience and business know-how that will set you apart. Our signature programs include:

• Integrated Business Curriculum : The program revolutionizes the traditional model of teaching business in standalone classes and emphasizes a more realistic approach to business education. The innovative yearlong program brings together juniors in all business majors to address real issues.
• VIEW Entrepreneurship Program: Vandal Innovation and Enterprise Works (VIEW) provides opportunities for you to create and pursue new business ideas and build entrepreneurship skills. The program is available to all majors and hosts an annual competition for teams of student entrepreneurs.
• Vandal Solutions: A nonprofit, student-operated company that gives you practical business experience, while offering the university and local businesses market research, Secret Shoppers and feasibility studies. Proceeds benefit university programs and activities.
• Barker Trading Room : Students gain practical experience in this sophisticated trading room outfitted with 60-inch plasmas tuned to CNBC, a real-time trade station and current technologies. 
• International Experiences : Discover business globally by studying abroad for a semester or accompanying our faculty on one of several CBE student international trips.
• Internships : Gain valuable on-the-job experience through quality internships with major employers.

Facilities

The modern J.A. Albertson Building is home to the College of Business and Economics. Here students learn in technologically advanced classrooms featuring smart boards and wireless connectivity.