Colleges and Schools

The Certificate in Operations Management has been discontinued and is no longer accepting new students.

Program Requirements

Upon completion of the certificate in operations management, you will be prepared to use simple models and spreadsheets to turn data into useable information that can inform strategic decisions, and be able to develop powerful tools to implement decision models in functional areas throughout your organization.

Required Semester Hours: 10

Required Courses:

Click on a course title to read its description.

These three classes are required for the certificate in operations management.

In this course, students explore how the economic fundamentals, such as scarcity, supply and demand, business cycles, elasticity and productivity, influence the planning and behaviors of both businesses and nonprofit organizations. Real world examples are used to apply content in professional context. Additionally, attention is paid to the ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities that accompany managing a firm.


The objective of this course is to develop quantitative and statistical thinking and problem solving skills. The topics include General Problem Solving, Elementary Probability Models, Linear Regression, Forecasting, Linear Programming, and Inventory Management Models. For each topic, there are analytical and managerial components of the weekly course activities. On the analytic side, quantitative problems must be solved using Excel. From the managerial perspective, online discussions and papers are assigned with the intent to explore and consider how these quantitative tools are used in business as well as understanding both their benefits and limitations. An online test of competency in statistics and quantitative foundations will be required as a part of the course.


This course introduces the principles of Operations and Supply Chain Management from a global perspective. The course follows the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model that is built on six distinct business processes: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return, and Enable. The focus is both managerial and analytical from a strategic perspective. There will be weekly discussions and problems to be done in Excel. Papers and case studies will also be used to support learning. The context will be as "real world" as possible with participants sharing and challenging their experiences. Each week one of these business processes is covered. The course finishes with managing the overall process.

Electives (Select two courses from this list):

This course introduces the systematic process, management, and analysis of program and project management. Project Management is the key method for organizing, planning, and controlling complex projects such as new product development, implementing a new company wide computer (ERP) system, to building a state of the art plant or warehouse. Topics include: project selection and definition, work breakdown structures, risk management and statistics, project life cycle, resource planning, charts and diagrams, scheduling, critical path determination, project monitoring, and management reporting. Project management software is used as a tool in developing real life mini-cases. Discussions and papers will be used to develop the managerial and organizational perspectives of Project Management.


Quality and productivity management and improvement is a critical part of long term business performance. This course addresses the history of quality, explores the differences between quality and productivity from both managerial and ethical perspectives. Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, and Business Process Reengineering used in conjunction with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation are the best practices introduced, reviewed, and discussed. Particular attention is paid to the role of these and other quality and productivity methods in today's business environment.


This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the science of information technology. Managers use information technology not only to present and deliver information but also to solve their organizational problems. There have been many changes in this field in the past and more changes will occur in the future. Trends like increased competition, performance improvements, expanded capacity, increased capabilities of software, and the expansion of the internet, all affect managers. Modern managers need to apply their knowledge of information technology tools to solve problems and find new opportunities to improve their organization. The students will be exposed to how information technology affects the strategy, e-business, organizational structure, business processes, and resource allocation of the organization as a whole. The course will address these topics in the context of Enterprise Resource Planning systems, data management and integrity, cyber security, big data, and the people/IT interface.

For full course descriptions view our academic catalog.

Academic Catalog

Review our semester schedules to see current offerings, including online and on-campus classes.

Course Schedules