Operations Research

OPRE 3310 Supply Chain and Operations Management (3 semester credit hours) This course explores concepts related to the efficient management of the transformation of materials, labor, and capital into products or services in process operations and supply chains. Topics include the role of supply chain and operations management in the firm's overall competitive strategy, key performance measures of operational performance, and tools for improving them. The level of discussion varies from long-term strategic planning to daily control of business processes. Students must take this course in the first two semesters of their academic program. Prerequisite: MATH 1325 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2417. (3-0) S

OPRE 3311 Introduction to Programming (3 semester credit hours) This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of programming. Students will also be introduced to the object-oriented paradigm. Topics include data types, control structures, objects, classes, iterations, functions, and arrays as they relate to developing business applications. In this course students will learn the mechanics of running, testing, and debugging programs. (Same as ITSS 3311) (3-0) Y

OPRE 3312 Object-Oriented Programming (3 semester credit hours) This course focuses on business application development using an object-oriented programming language. Topics include the fundamentals of programming for web-based systems, and object-oriented programming concepts. Prerequisites: ITSS 3311 and (MATH 1326 or MATH 2414 or MATH 2419 or OPRE 3340) and (CS 2305 or MATH 2333 or MATH 2418 or OPRE 3333). (Same as ITSS 3312) (3-0) Y

OPRE 3320 Integrated Supply Chain Management (3 semester credit hours) This course examines key players and challenges within a supply chain firm in terms of facility types, inventory and transportation options and the role of information in managing supply chains effectively and efficiently. Students will examine and learn the objectives of different players in supply chains, integration/coordination of the players, and the operations and tradeoffs in service supply chains (i.e., air/sea lines, healthcare, hotels and restaurants). Prerequisite or Corequisite: OPRE 3310. (3-0) S

OPRE 3330 Project Management (3 semester credit hours) This course introduces students to project management tools and techniques needed to initiate and manage a project effectively. The course will enhance the ability of students to respond to the challenges of large-scale projects so that they can be more effective as project managers. The course also examines the modern project management concepts, and models, and reviews case studies to develop practical skills necessary to be successful in the field. (3-0) S

OPRE 3333 Quantitative Business Analysis (3 semester credit hours) This course provides students with the analytical tools necessary for making better management decisions. Students are introduced to mathematical techniques used to make different types of business decisions. Credit cannot be received for both courses, OPRE 3333 and MATH 2333. Prerequisite: MATH 1325 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2417. (3-0) S

OPRE 3340 Advanced Business Quantitative Methods (3 semester credit hours) This course is designed for students in business majors and focuses on strengthening analytical skills needed for addressing business problems. Mathematical concepts covered include differentiation, partial differentiation, integration, and optimization. Applications topics include model building, market equilibrium fundamentals, annuities, and the use of techniques such as Lagrange multipliers, L'Hospital's Rule, and Euler's method, in analyzing business-oriented problems. Prerequisite: MATH 1325 or MATH 2413 or MATH 2417. (3-0) S

OPRE 3360 Managerial Methods in Decision Making Under Uncertainty (3 semester credit hours) This course focuses on the concept of probability and statistics for managerial decision making. Concepts will be developed in lecture and exercises using software packages and topics including: summarizing and presenting data, probability theory, sampling, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression, and ANOVA. Credit cannot be received for both courses, OPRE 3360 and STAT 3360. (3-0) Y

OPRE 3370 Managing Sustainable Operations (3 semester credit hours) Sustainable Operations involves proper management of related environmental, social, and economic impacts in constructing and maintaining effective and efficient global operations or supply chains. Sustainable Operations encourages governance practices of lifecycles of goods and services that reduce waste and ensures long-term maintainability and economic value of environmental and social well-being of all stakeholders' interest in creating and delivering products and services. This course aims to provide students with an understanding of present-day issues and policies related to establishing a sustainable, competitive advantage through efficient use of resources and collaboration with external business partners. The course uses a product lifecycle approach to understand sustainable issues in supply chains and potential solutions. Prerequisite: At least Sophomore level standing. (Same as ITSS 3370) (3-0) S

OPRE 4090 Supply Chain Management Internship (0 semester credit hours) This course is designed to further develop a student's business knowledge through appropriate developmental work experiences in a real business environment. Students are required to identify and submit specific business learning objectives (goals) at the beginning of the semester. Student performance is evaluated by the work supervisor. Credit/No Credit only. May be repeated if internships differ. Department consent required. (0-0) S

OPRE 4310 Lean and Six Sigma Processes (3 semester credit hours) This course introduces the concepts and techniques in Lean and Six Sigma. Lean manufacturing/service focuses on improving the speed of a process and the elimination of waste, primarily by reducing non-value-added steps. Six Sigma deals with the effectiveness with which a process meets customer requirements and is free of defects. The course covers these topics with a particular emphasis on quantitative methods. Prerequisite: OPRE 3310. (3-0) S

OPRE 4320 Integrated SCM Information Systems (3 semester credit hours) This course focuses on the concept of an integrated supply chain management system and digital supply chain using SAP's S/4 HANA Enterprise Resource Planning System and the new user interface SAP Fiori using case studies and hands-on experience with SAP modules. Students will: 1) learn the elements of an ERP application, 2) understand the concepts of end-to-end supply chain management, 3) define the basic master data needed to create a supply chain plan, 4) forecast demand using several statistical methods, 5) plan inventories using MRP and re-order point techniques, 6) execute the supply chain plan through the production process, and 7) view the completed inventories after production. The emerging trends including Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Solutions in supply chain systems will also be discussed. Prerequisite: ITSS 3300. (Same as ITSS 4343) (3-0) Y

OPRE 4330 Global Logistics and Inventory Management (3 semester credit hours) This course explains the concepts and systems of global logistics, the related components, and inventory management in supply chain systems. The course also incorporates various applications of optimization and data analytics for managing the worldwide distribution of products and services, as well as the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in global logistics. Prerequisites: OPRE 3310 and (OPRE 3333 or CS 2305 or MATH 2418 or MATH 2333). Prerequisite or Corequisite: OPRE 3340 or MATH 1326 or MATH 2414 or MATH 2419. (3-0) S

OPRE 4337 Marketing Analytics (3 semester credit hours) This course is designed for those interested in an entry-level marketing analytics position. Students will analyze data to make key marketing decisions such as which customers to target to increase profitability or which new products to introduce to build incremental business. Students will also be introduced to software products used in the analysis of sales, marketing, and distribution data. Prerequisite: MKT 3300. (Same as BUAN 4337 and MKT 4337) (3-0) Y

OPRE 4340 Purchasing and Sourcing Management (3 semester credit hours) Costs associated with purchasing may account for as much as 80% of the cost of goods sold, so a small decrease in purchasing costs can significantly impact the bottom line. To support the corporate strategy, the management aims to reduce immediate costs and manage hidden elements such as quality, risks, and supplier relationships. This course explores topics in purchasing and sourcing and necessary analytical tools, such as quality and quantity control and spreadsheet cost modeling, to prepare students for purchasing, sourcing, and supply chain management careers. Prerequisite: OPRE 3310. (3-0) P

OPRE 4345 Retail Operations (3 semester credit hours) This course provides students with a comprehensive view of retailing and applications of operations management/marketing concepts in a practical retail environment. Topics include omnichannel operations, merchandising and promotions, demand forecasting, product availability, assortment planning, customer value and satisfaction, pricing and revenue management, technology and innovation, and impact on financial performance and sustainability. It follows industry trends to focus on how companies design and manage retail environments. Prerequisite: MKT 3300. (Same as MKT 4333) (3-0) S

OPRE 4350 Spreadsheet Modeling and Analytics (3 semester credit hours) This course develops the ability to use quantitative methods and software (particularly spreadsheets) to build effective models with analytical views for decision making in areas such as finance and operations. This helps students to gain knowledge about specific techniques for building models to analyze data effectively. Prerequisite or Corequisite: OPRE 3360 or STAT 3360. (Same as BUAN 4350) (3-0) S

OPRE 4353 Business Analytics (3 semester credit hours) This course examines various data mining analytical techniques to extract business intelligence from firms' business data for various applications, including supervised and unsupervised learning analytic techniques, association, customer segmentation, classification, customer relationship management (CRM), personalization, online recommendation systems, and web mining. Students will also be exposed to various business intelligence software such as Python, R, XLMiner, SAS EnterpriseMiner, or SQL Server (depending on availability). Prerequisites: (ITSS 3312 or OPRE 3312 or BUAN 4381 or ITSS 4381) and (MATH 1326 or MATH 2414 or MATH 2419 or OPRE 3340) and (CS 2305 or MATH 2418 or MATH 2333 or OPRE 3333) and OPRE 3360. (Same as BUAN 4353 and ITSS 4353) (3-0) T

OPRE 4355 Operations Management in the Healthcare Sector (3 semester credit hours) This course explores the Healthcare Supply Chain and discusses its operations, challenges, and overall costs. Topics include the importance of healthcare delivery and related supply chain processes, sourcing and negotiations, and inventory, while analyzing how priorities are established, how services are organized and delivered, and the factors that influence their cost and quality. Prerequisite: OPRE 3310. (3-0) Y

OPRE 4357 Supply Chain Analytics, AI, and Advanced Solutions (3 semester credit hours) This hands-on course equips students with the knowledge and skills to leverage analytical tools and programming languages such as Excel and Python for the practical application of analytical techniques within the realm of supply chain management. Topics covered include demand planning, forecasting, inventory and production optimization, transportation, and sales analysis. Students gain proficiency in using these analytical tools to address real-world challenges within complex supply chain systems. The course also delves into various AI use cases within supply chain operations, highlighting the role of AI-Led Analytics in optimizing supply chain management flows. Prerequisites: (OPRE 3360 or STAT 3360) and OPRE 3310. (Same as BUAN 4357) (3-0) Y

OPRE 4362 Supply Chain Strategy (3 semester credit hours) In this course, students will evaluate and select appropriate supply chain strategies for different business situations. The course will discuss improvements in the plan, source, make, delivery, customer service, and new product development capabilities to meet strategic and financial goals in demand-driven value networks. Case studies will cover recent trends in supply chain strategy and key competencies required to be successful in a global marketplace. Prerequisite: OPRE 3310 or OPRE 3320. (3-0) Y

OPRE 4373 Data Science for Business Applications (3 semester credit hours) This course builds on the foundations of Probability and Statistics from OPRE 3360. It further develops knowledge and skills for applying statistical and management science models to business decision-making. Topics include hypothesis testing for several populations, intermediate multiple linear regression, variable transformation, model selection procedures, chi-square tests and contingency tables, design of experiments and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), logistic regression, and non-parametric methods. The course uses statistical software. Prerequisite: OPRE 3360. (Same as BUAN 4373) (3-0) S

OPRE 4395 Capstone Senior Project - Supply Chain Management (3 semester credit hours) This course is intended to complement theory and to provide an in-depth, hands-on experience in all aspects of a real business project. Students will work in teams as consultants on projects of interest to industry and will be involved in specifying the problem and its solution, designing and analyzing the solution, and developing recommended solutions. The deliverables will include reports that document these steps as well as a final project report, including the challenges faced by the team. The course provides students with a unique opportunity to work in a team environment, interact with industry leaders and gain industry specific knowledge Capstone projects are sponsored by local supply chain companies. Students will learn how to work on a consulting engagement, how to collect the necessary data for analysis and assessment and how to use the skills and knowledge gained to solve real world problems in the area of supply chain management. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing and (OPRE 4330 or OPRE 4340). Prerequisite or Corequisite: BCOM 4300. (3-0) P

OPRE 4V81 Individual Study in Supply Chain Management (1-3 semester credit hours) Credit/No Credit only. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-3]-0) R

OPRE 4V90 Supply Chain Management Internship (1-3 semester credit hours) This course is designed to further develop a student's business knowledge through appropriate developmental work experiences in a real business environment. Students are required to identify and submit specific business learning objectives (goals) at the beginning of the semester. At the end of the semester students must prepare an oral presentation, reflecting on the knowledge gained in the work experience. Student performance is evaluated by the work supervisor. Credit/No Credit only. May be repeated for credit (3 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-3]-0) S

OPRE 4V91 Seminar Series in Supply Chain Management (1-3 semester credit hours) Discussion of selected topics and theories in the decision sciences. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. ([1-3]-0) R