by our College Data Analytics Team
[Operations Management](/majors/business-management-marketing-sales/business-administration-and-management/operations-management/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value operations management schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in operations management, balancing cost against outcomes.
Our analysis ranked Ashford University the best value for a degree in operations management in California. Ashford University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego. In-state tuition and fees average $11,960. Students borrow a median of $35,861 to complete the operations management program here. Operations Management graduates of Ashford University earn a median of $67,902 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $35,861 median debt.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.