OR/MS Education

For most business administration students the required course provides their only contact with Management Science. For a small number of students the course is the first in a sequence that comprises a Management Science major. Since many of the students make their decision to major (or not to major) in Management Science while taking this first course, it is not feasible to set up different introductory courses for the two groups. Under the leadership of Fred Siff, the Decision Sciences Faculty at George Mason University adopted the philosophy that neither group of students is well served by the “model a week” approach taken in most introductory courses. Rather, it was felt that the three or so most useful techniques should be taught in depth. The students who will never take another Management Science course would at least have a greater appreciation of those techniques which have demonstrated their utility in practice and these students might be inclined to attempt to use them. Students who are majoring in Management Science will receive similar in-depth exposure to the topics not covered in the introductory course in the subsequent courses in their major.