Top 10 MBA Programs for a Career in Operations Management

In seventh place is the MBA program at Alliance Manchester Business School. The school achieved high scores for career placements and research strength. Around 21 percent of students went into careers in operations management post-graduation.

Located in Manchester, UK, students have the option of completing the program in either 18, 15 or 12 months with a flexible approach. Tuition fees for the MBA are £44,000 (approx. US$57,565). The Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) Research Group at Alliance Manchester are a world leading research group for operations management, working with companies such as Rolls Royce and Unilever. Many members of the group are lecturers on the MBA program. 

Placing in sixth position is the MBA program at York University’s Schulich School of Business. The school achieved a high score for research strength and a perfect score for career placements, the only school in the operations management ranking to do so. Post-graduation, around 18 percent of students went into operations management careers.

Tuition fees for the Toronto, Ontario based full-time program are around C$79,800 (approx. US$59,604) for Canadian residents and C$101,900 (approx. US$76,110) for non-residents. Students who choose the Operations Management & Information Systems specialization at Schulich will undertake electives including Service Operations Management and Supply Chain Management.

In fifth place is the MBA program at The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management (Michigan State University). The school achieved very high scores in the ranking indicators for career placements and research strength. Eli Broad has the highest proportion in the rankings of students going into the operations management field – over half the cohort, at 58 percent.

Based in East Lansing, Michigan, the 21-month program has tuition fees of US$31,867 for Michigan residents, US$50,483 for out-of-state US residents and US$50,633 for international students. Eli Broad MBA graduates going into operations management can expect impressive starting salaries of US$104,324 according to the university’s employment report.

Narrowly missing out on a spot in the top three is SDA Bocconi, which achieved high scores in career placements and research strength. Around 16 percent of SDA Bocconi students went into careers in the operations management field post-graduation.

Located in Milan, Italy, the one-year program has tuition fees of €57,000 (approx. US$64,604). Their Industry & Operations club is open to all students with an interest in pursuing a career in operations management, committed to expanding knowledge and providing exposure to the industry for students.

In the bronze medal position is the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. The school scored particularly highly for research strength and career placements, with around 19 percent of graduates going into the field of operations management.

The program is based in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and has tuition fees of €52,000 (approx. US$58,819). Previous employers related to operations management at RSM include 3M, APM Terminals, Eli Lilly & Co and Volkswagen.

Taking second place is the HEC Paris MBA program which achieved a perfect score for employer reputation as well as high scores in other ranking indicators. Around 14 percent of HEC graduates go into the operations management field.

Located in Jouy-en-Josas in the suburbs of Paris, the 16-month MBA program has tuition fees of €69,500 (approx. US$78,524). Operations management is a core module on the MBA program, and HEC’s Information Systems & Operations Management faculty teaches topics including purchasing, procurement and logistics, sustainable operations and the green supply chain.

The top ranked program for operations management MBAs is at MIT Sloan School of Management. It achieved high scores for all indicators, including a perfect score for employer reputation. Around 13 percent of students go into careers in operations management post-graduation.

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the 24-month program has tuition fees of US$148,400. Sloan graduates who go into operations management can enjoy median starting salaries of US$130,000, with some salaries reaching up to US$175,000. MIT is home to four research centers associated with operations management: The Operations Research Center, the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence, The MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and the MIT Sloan Initiative for Health Systems Innovation.