OR/MS Content and Visibility in AACSB-Accredited US Business Programs

Abstract

In 1997, an INFORMS task force published the results of a study measuring the damage done to operations research/management science (OR/MS) content in business schools after the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) removed OR/MS from its requirements in 1991. Their results were not encouraging. To investigate the current status of OR/MS, we conducted two related analyses to profile both the overall visibility of OR/MS in AACSB-accredited business schools and the content and delivery of existing MBA courses. Our results show small visibility (less than 10 percent) in terms of departments, programs, and concentrations. Approximately 40 percent of the schools studied, however, show one or more courses devoted to OR/MS. We found evidence of widespread use of computer modeling in MBA courses by both instructors and students. MBA students, however, appear to have low levels of involvement in constructing OR/MS applications and presenting their results. Finally, we found instructors' attitudinal responses regarding their MBA teaching experiences to be remarkably positive.