Georgia·Computer and Mathematical Occupations·SOC 15-2031

Best Operations Research Analyst programs in Georgia, ranked by enrollment

Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decisionmaking, policy formulation, or other managerial functions.

6 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,433 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,220 in Georgia across about 4,600 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledResearcherAnalytical StrategistOperations Research Analyst (Ops Research Analyst)Operations Research Scientist (Ops Research Scientist)Risk AnalystForms AnalystPolicy AdvisorPolicy Officer
Graduates / yr
1,433
in Georgia
Median pay · Georgia
$76,220
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
4,600
people employed
Schools
6
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
75%
across those schools
Median net price
$22,641
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Georgia that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in Georgia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Georgia (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Georgia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.1301In Georgia
1,343
93.7%
6$62,069$23,500
2
CIP 14.3701In Georgia
90
6.3%
2$92,531$15,000

Top 6 schools in Georgia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 6 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Emory University
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
870Management Science91%$20,58611%
2Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
269Management Science94%14%
3Mercer University
Macon, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
130Management Science70%$22,64169%
4University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
116Management Science$62,95190%38%
5Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
45Operations Research53%55%
6Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
3Management Science52%69%

All 6 schools in Georgia

Every school in Georgia with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Georgia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Emory UniversityAtlantaPrivate not-for-profit8701
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main CampusAtlantaPublic2692
Mercer UniversityMaconPrivate not-for-profit1301
University of GeorgiaAthensPublic1161
Georgia State UniversityAtlantaPublic452
Kennesaw State UniversityKennesawPublic31

What operations research analysts earn in Georgia

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Georgia
$76,220
Mean annual
$85,530
Jobs in state
4,600
What the range looks like
10th pct$52,000Median$76,22090th pct$132,610
Versus the national median
-14.3%

U.S. median $88,940. Georgia pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.35×

Concentrated here: Georgia employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Georgia

Warner Robins, GA
$97,970median
130 jobs
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
$88,910median
120 jobs
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$77,510median
3,250 jobs
Savannah, GA
$75,340median
70 jobs
Columbus, GA-AL
$74,210median
80 jobs
Athens-Clarke County, GA
$66,000median
30 jobs
Macon-Bibb County, GA
$56,390median
90 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+21.5%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
9,600
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
24,100
112,100 → 136,200
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Operations Research Analysts page.

How to become a Operations Research Analyst

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

MathematicsReading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Georgia

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 2 majors mapped to Operations Research Analysts2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 14.3701Operations Research
  • 52.1301Management Science

Common questions

Answers for people weighing operations research analysts programs in Georgia.

What degree do you need to become an Operations Research Analyst?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Management Science, which awarded 1,343 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 93.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Operations Research Analyst?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Operations Research. Together they graduate about 1,433 people a year in Georgia.

How much do operations research analysts earn in Georgia?+

The median is $76,220 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.3% below the U.S. median of $88,940. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for operations research analysts growing?+

BLS projects a +21.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 9,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Georgia?+

6 institutions in Georgia reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do operations research analysts work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Researcher, Analytical Strategist, Operations Research Analyst (Ops Research Analyst), Operations Research Scientist (Ops Research Scientist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-2031.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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