PhD in Management Science, Operations Management Concentration

business school phd students in the international management studies program

Program Overview

The PhD program in Operations Management emphasizes the development of models, methods, applications and algorithms as they apply to problems in industrial manufacturing, complex logistics and supply chains, and services. Students are exposed to deterministic and stochastic modeling and may apply and develop these and new methods to solve problems in their selected topics. Students may combine a major in finance, information systems or marketing with one in operations management/supply chain management.

The goal of the PhD program in Operations Management is to educate future practitioners and researchers in the concepts and analytical techniques needed to develop scientific solutions to the problems currently faced by operations managers.

Program Contact

Ganesh Janakiraman

Ganesh Janakiraman

PhD Area Coordinator, Operations Management

ganesh@utdallas.edu | (972) 883-5846 | JSOM 3.403

The Operations Management Ph.D. program is designed to train students for successful academic careers in research universities. The Operations Management group is top-ranked among public universities in North America and #3 in the world in research productivity, with large faculty specializing in such diverse areas as inventory, revenue and supply chain management, control theory, behavioral operations and empirical operations management. Our world-class faculty is committed to training and mentoring students to become productive independent researchers and excellent teachers.

Research Ranking

The Operations Management faculty are highly visible, active researchers currently ranked #1 in research based on publications in four operations management journals.

Faculty research pursuits range from quantitative modeling to empirical studies, mathematical programming, applied stochastic processes, statistics, econometrics, and economics.

Possessing latitude and depth in technical strength, their research renders a big impact both on academia and industry.

The UTD Top 100 Worldwide Rankings of Business Schools Based on Research Contribution in Management Science, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Operations Research, Production and Operations Management 2017-2021:

Top 10 Operations Management Programs Worldwide, ranked by Research Contribution
Rank University Articles Score Country
1 University of Texas at Dallas (Naveen Jindal School of Management) 125 62.12 USA
2 University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School) 118 58.46 USA
3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan School of Management) 108 46.28 USA
4 New York University (NYU) (Leonard N Stern School of Business) 92 40.11 USA
5 Columbia University (Columbia Business School) 82 40.08 USA
6 Harvard University (Harvard Business School) 74 39.20 USA
7 Cornell University / Cornell Tech (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management (incl. Dyson)) 85 37.71 USA
8 Stanford University (Graduate School of Business) 81 37.28 USA
9 Washington University at St. Louis   (Olin School of Business) 79 35.78 USA
10 University of Southern California (Marshall School of Business (incl. Leventhal)) 67 34.27 USA

Student Placements

With a strong emphasis on rigorous coursework and student research, the Operations Management degree program immerses students in a challenging and dynamic learning environment.

Our faculty are committed to student success and innovation, and extensively collaborate with students on research papers. Students are also given the flexibility to determine their research interests and are provided access to both academic and industry resources and connections.

The goal of the Operations Management program is to educate future practitioners and researchers in the concepts and analytical techniques needed to understand and advance scientific solutions to the problems currently faced by operations managers. Students graduate from the Operations Management degree program with the knowledge and skill set to produce quality research, effectively teach, and lead in industry.

Selected University Placements – PhD in Management Science, Operations Management Concentration
Grad Year First Name Last Name University/Company Title
2023 Chandrasekhar Manchiraju Michigan State University Assistant Professor
2023 Lingling Shi McMaster University Assistant Professor
2022 Zahra Dehkordi Georgia Tech Post-doc
2022 Abdullah Gokcinar The Gap Data Scientist
2022 Can Kucukgul Rutgers University, Camden Assistant Professor
2022 Duc Vu University of Michigan, Flint Assistant Professor
2021 Fariba Mamaghani Tulane University Assistant Professor
2021 Joohyun Kim University of North Carolina, Charlotte Assistant Professor
2021 Mehdi Farahani University of Miami Assistant Professor
2020 Chungseung Lee SUNY Korea Assistant Professor
2020 Wen Zhang Baylor University Assistant Professor
2020 Jiayu Chen University of Calgary Assistant Professor
2020 Zhichao Feng The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Assistant Professor
2019 Blair Flicker University of South Carolina Assistant Professor
2019 Harish Guda Arizona State University Assistant Professor
2019 Zhongwen Ma Verizon Data Scientist
2019 Xi Shan Bemidji State University Assistant Professor
2018 Ying Cao Pennsylvania State University, Erie Assistant Professor
2018 Xiao Zhang Saint Louis University Assistant Professor
2018 Yulia Vorotyntseva Saint Louis University Assistant Professor
2018 Sina Shokoohyar Saint Joseph’s University Assistant Professor
2017 Bharadwaj Kadiyala University of Utah Assistant Professor
2017 Ilhan Emre Ertan Wayfair Science Manager
2017 Yang Bo Chinese University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor
2016 Shaokuan Chen Target Lead Data Scientist
2016 Shivam Gupta University of Nebraska-Lincoln Assistant Professor
2016 Ting Luo California State University, Fullerton Assistant Professor
2015 Bahriye Cesaret Ozyegin University Assistant Professor
2015 Jingyun Li California State University, Stanislaus Associate Professor
2015 Sandun Perera University of Nevada, Reno Associate Professor
2015 Wei Chen University of Kansas Associate Professor
2014 Liying Mu University of Delaware Assistant Professor
2014 Varun Gupta Pennsylvania State University, Erie (Behrend College) Associate Professor
2013 Kyung Jung University of Florida Clinical Associate Professor
2013 Meng Li University of Houston Associate Professor
2013 Osman Kazan Tulane University Associate Director for Master of Business Analytics
2013 Qingning Cao University of Science and Technology of China Associate Professor
2012 Chao Liang Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business Assistant Professor
2012 Tao Li Santa Clara University Associate Professor
2012 Yunxia Zhu University of Nebraska-Lincoln Associate Professor
2011 Anshuman Chutani University of Nottingham (UK) Assistant Professor
2011 Tharanga Rajapakshe University of Florida Associate Professor
2010 Casey Chung S&H Systems Vice President Strategic Planning and Logistics
2010 Jun Ru California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Assistant Professor
2010 Mili Mehrotra University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Associate Professor
2009 Gokcen Olcay Gebze Technical University Associate Professor
2009 Ruixia Shi University of San Diego Associate Professor
2009 Sanjay Kumar Valparaiso University Richard E. Meier Endowed Professor of Management
2007 Manoj Vanajakumari University of North Carolina, Wilmington Associate Professor
2007 Nagihan Comez Özyeğin University Associate Professor
2007 Xuying Zhao University of Notre Dame Associate Professor
2006 Jing Zhou University of North Carolina, Charlotte Professor
2006 Lama Moussawi American University of Beirut Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development
2006 Qi (Annabelle) Feng Purdue University Professor, John and Donna Krenicki Chair in Operations Management
2005 Hong Yin Western Carolina University Assistant Professor
2005 Sanjeewa Naranpanawe SAS Institute Sr. Data Scientist Consultant
2005 Sirong Luo Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Professor
2005 Xianghua Gan Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China Associate Professor
2003 Neil Geismar Texas A&M University The Center for Executive Development Chaired Professor
2003 Xiaohang Yue University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Professor, Roger L. Fitzsimonds Distinguished Scholar
2001 Subodha Kumar Temple University Professor, Paul R. Anderson Distinguished Professor

Student Publications

With degree backgrounds ranging from Purdue, Tsinghua University, Penn State, and the Indian Institute of Technology, our Operations Management students are diligent, explorative, resourceful, and progressive.

Our intensive program attracts quality students that both challenge and support one another. They share a unified collegiality in our diverse and interdisciplinary Operations Management degree program.

Below are examples of publications of current/recently graduated students in 24 leading business journals from 2016 onwards.

Kucukgul, Can, S. Wang and O. Ozer. Engineering Social Learning: Information Design of Time-Locked Sales Campaigns for Online Platforms. Management Science, Forthcoming.

Zhang, Minmin, G. Wang, J. Li, W.J. Hopp, D. Lee. Pausing Transplants in the Face of a Global Pandemic: Patient Survival Implications, Production and Operations Management. Forthcoming.

H. Farahani, Mehdi, M. Dawande, G. Janakiraman. Order Now, Pickup in 30 Minutes: Managing Queues with Static Delivery Guarantees. Operations Research, Forthcoming.

Feng, Zhichao, M. Dawande, G. Janakiraman, A. Qi. An Asymptotically Tight Learning Algorithm for Mobile-Promotion Platforms. Management Science, accepted.

Manchiraju, Chandrasekhar, M Dawande, G Janakiraman, Multiproduct Pricing with Discrete Price Sets. Operations Research, Forthcoming.

Qu, Zihao, M. Dawande and G. Janakiraman. A Near-Optimal Algorithm for Real-Time Order Acceptance: An Application in Post-Acute Healthcare Services. Operations Research. Forthcoming.

Dawande, M., Feng, Zhichao, and Janakiraman, G., 2021. On the Structure of Bottlenecks in Processes. Management Science, 67(6): 3853–3870.

Gupta, Shivam, Bansal, S. 2021. Optimal Market Integration Decisions by Policy Makers: Modeling and Analysis of Agriculture Market Data. Forthcoming in Operations Research.

H. Farahani, Mehdi, Dawande, Milind, Gurnani, Haresh, Janakiraman, Ganesh. 2021. Better to Bend than to Break: Sharing Supply Risk Using the Supply-Flexibility Contract. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. 23(5):1257-1274.

Gupta, Shivam, Wang, S., Dawande, M., Janakiraman, G., 2020. Procurement with Cost and Non-Cost Attributes: Cost-Sharing Mechanisms. Operations Research. Vol. 69, No. 5, September–October 2021, pp. 1349–1367

Shan, Xi, Li, T., and Sethi, S. A responsive-pricing retailer sourcing from competing suppliers facing disruptions. Forthcoming. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

Zhang, Wen, Pavlov, V., Katok, E. Optimal Contract Under Asymmetric Information About Fairness. Forthcoming. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

Zhang, Wen, Chen, Q, Katok, E. Now or Later?: When to Deploy Qualification Screening in Open-Bid Auction for Re-Sourcing. Forthcoming, Operations Research.

Chen, Jiayu, Qi, A., Dawande, M., 2020. Supplier centrality and auditing priority in socially responsible supply chains. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Vol. 22, No. 6, November–December 2020, pp. 1199–1214

Ozer, O., Bensoussan, A., Kadiyala, Bharadwaj, 2020. A mechanism design approach to vendor managed inventory. Management Science, Vol. 66, No. 6, June 2020, pp. 2628–2652

Gao, L., Shi, Jim, J., Gorman, M.F., Luo, Ting, 2020. Business analytics for intermodal capacity management. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Vol. 22, No. 2, March–April 2020, pp. 310–329

Guda, Harish, and Subramanian, U., 2019. Your uber is arriving: managing on-demand workers through surge pricing, forecast communication, and worker incentives. Management Science, Vol. 65, No. 5, May 2019, pp. 1995–2014

Bo, Yang, Dawande, M., Huh, W.T., Janakiraman, G., Nagarajan, M., 2019. Determining process capacity: intractability and efficient special cases. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Vol. 21, No. 1, Winter 2019, pp. 139–153

Dawande, M., Janakiraman, G., Bo, Yang, 2018. Technical note—Analysis of scrip systems: on an open question in johnson et. al (2014). Operations Research, Vol. 66, No. 3, May–June 2018, pp. 611–619

Dawande, M., Bo, Yang, Janakiraman, G., McCormick, S.T. On integral policies in deterministic and stochastic distribution systems. Operations Research, Vol. 65, No. 3, May–June 2017, pp. 703–711

Gao, L., Yang, N., Luo, Ting, Zhang, R. Dynamic supply risk management with signal-based forecast, multi-sourcing, and discretionary selling. Production and Operations Management, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 2017, pp. 1399–1415

Petruzzi, N., Zhang, J., Li, Meng. Overconfident competing newsvendors. Management Science, Vol. 63, No. 8, August 2017, pp. 2637–2646


Admission Procedures

Applicants should have at least a bachelor’s degree. Admission is based on grade point average, graduate examination test score (GMAT* or GRE), letters of reference (at least three, with two from academic references), business and professional experience (if applicable), a written statement of personal objectives and compatibility with faculty research activities. Since the School of Management starts making first-round admission decisions on December 9, it is best to complete the entire application process no later than December 8. While applications will be accepted after that date, applying after December 8 may significantly lower your chance of acceptance. Applications for admission can be made using the UT Dallas Graduate Application website.

* UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management prefers the GMAT admission test, however, we gladly accept the GRE test as well.

Degree Requirements

Calculus, matrix algebra, computer programming and statistics are prerequisites for the doctoral program – every admitted student is responsible for ensuring he/she has satisfied these prerequisite requirements before joining the program.

Doctoral students in Management Science benefit from an exposure to multiple functional areas in management. To ensure this benefit, students who enter the program without an MBA (or equivalent degree) are required to complete a combined minimum of four courses (at the master’s or doctoral level) in at least three functional areas. This cross-functional exposure is particularly useful for students engaging in cross-functional research, in positioning their research for wider appeal, and for effectively teaching business school students with diverse specializations.

The Management Science PhD core curriculum consists of a minimum of 9 courses.

Please visit the Management Science Degree Plan page for core and secondary core course requirements.

Nine hours in any approved field

Students are required to take a sequence of specific Operations Management courses. Students should consult with faculty members in their respective areas to decide on the sequence of courses.

Twelve hours of special topics and seminars in the operations management area.

Students are required to write original research papers in both their first and second summers. The second year paper is presented in a seminar attended by faculty and other students, and must be judged to be passing by the faculty before the student can advance to candidacy.

Operations Management PhD students take a written preliminary exam at the end of their first year in the program over a set of core methodology courses (OPRE 7310 Probability & Stochastic Processes, OPRE 7311 Stochastic Models in Operations Research, OPRE 7320 Optimal Control Theory, OPRE 7353 Optimization). Students will take a qualifying exam (consisting of a completed research paper) at the end of their second year in the program (effective for students entering the program in Fall 2020 and beyond).

PhD students must successfully complete the preliminary and qualifying examinations, respectively, to enter PhD candidacy. The area faculty will determine whether a student has successfully completed the exam requirements based on the student’s performance. Criteria to evaluate students may include results from the in-class written portion of the exams, quality of research papers and/or presentations, performance in special courses (e.g. seminar courses), satisfactory GPA as determined by area faculty, and other forms of assessment as required by the student’s area. An unsatisfactory performance in any one criteria for either the preliminary examination or the qualifying examination may result in dismissal from the program.

Once the student has passed qualifying exam and paper requirements, work on the dissertation can commence. The dissertation is written under the direction of the dissertation committee. Twelve to 24 semester hours may be granted for the dissertation toward the minimum 75-hour requirement for the degree. At a time mutually agreeable to the candidate and the dissertation committee, the candidate must orally defend the dissertation to the committee.

The Dissertation Proposal must be successfully defended at least one semester prior to the term of graduation. The requirements for the proposal defense should be discussed with the dissertation committee prior to scheduling the defense. Dissertation Proposal Defenses will be open to all faculty and PhD students of the Jindal School of Management.

student working on her UT Dallas application for Jindal School graduate admission on her laptop

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Before you apply, get familiar with the admission requirements and application process for Jindal School PhD programs at UT Dallas.

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