MBA Emphasis in Decision Sciences/Operations Research

Professor Susan Cholette in a classroom setting

Students in the Decision Sciences/Operations Research emphasis learn to apply analytical methods and computer-based tools to problems in a wide variety of settings.

Five courses are recommended for the emphasis:

Three 800-level DS courses, plus
Two adviser-approved 800-level electives

Core Courses

DS 852: Managerial Decision-Making (offered both fall & spring in the Quantitative Track) –Business decision-making through data driven analysis in the spreadsheet environment.

DS 816: Seminar in Business Forecasting (Spring only) - Quantitative and qualitative methods for short, medium, and long range forecasting.

DS 853: Seminar in Data Analysis (Fall only) - Sampling techniques and exploratory methods of data analysis; methods of multivariate data analysis applied to business problems.

DS 855: Supply Chain Management (Fall only) - Concepts of competitive strategy and sustainability; aggregate planning and managing the marketing/operations interface; inventory management and procurement strategy; design of supply chain networks; and the role of IT.

DS 856: Seminar in Project Management (Spring only) – The full range of issues faced by project managers including the project life cycle; technical, human, and organizational issues; planning, scheduling, and controlling the timing, resources, and costs of a project.

Suggested Electives

ECON 825: Applied Time Series Econometrics
FIN 820: Seminar in Financial Risk Management
FIN 825: Seminar in Investments
HTM 831: Service Operations Management
HTM 858: Principles of Yield & Revenue Management
ISYS 850: Seminar in Business Intelligence
ISYS 869: Business Process Management
MKTG 864: Seminar in Marketing Research

Faculty Advisers

Ramesh Bollapragada
Susan Cholette
Sada Soorapanth
Julia Miyaoka
Robert Saltzman

AACSB Accredited

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International since 1964, the Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State University provides a high quality business education to a diverse learning community through innovative teaching, research, and support. We are one of just five percent of all business schools worldwide that meet the rigorous standards for this accreditation.

COVID-19 and Our Campus Comeback

Health & Safety Commitments

Your health and safety are our paramount concern at San Francisco State University. We ask every member of our campus community to join a pledge to make and follow plans to keep fellow students, faculty, and staff safe and well. Feeling confident, safe and well will help you focus on your academic success. To participate in in-person classes, all students are asked and expected to:

stay informed on the most up-to-date information related to SF State’s COVID-19 response and Campus Comeback plan.
plan ahead for possible class disruptions due to COVID-19 or other unexpected events, such as unhealthy air quality caused by smoke.
take care of yourself and others by staying home when you aren’t feeling well or believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, and
follow all required health and safety guidelines, including verifying your proof of vaccination or exemption status before coming to class; and wearing a multilayered mask over your nose and mouth at all times when indoors on campus; and wash your hands as often as possible (i.e. soap and water, hand sanitizer).

Campus Comeback

For the fall 2021 semester, classes will be offered in a variety of learning modes. There will be in-person courses, hybrid courses (some meetings in person on campus and some online), and fully online.

For up-to-date information about SF State’s response to COVID-19 and how you can keep yourself and others safe and well, visit the Campus Comeback website. For students to plan how you will maintain your academic success when unexpected events disrupt regular teaching and learning activities, follow the information on the course syllabus and consult the Keep Learning Student Planning Guide.

For our faculty: to help our faculty adapt and respond to a variety of unexpected events so that you can keep teaching, a curated list of resources is available at the Keep Teaching: Instructor Planning Guide | Instructional Continuity website.

Stronger Together: