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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Operations Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2 Colleges in the United States
57 Operations Research Degrees Awarded
$65,960 Avg Early-Career Salary

Operations Research degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual analyzed 8 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best operations research schools.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for Operations Research in the Great Lakes Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the operations research degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Operations Research

1

University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in operations research. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public institution. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign graduates 85% of students within six years. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign awarded about 28 operations research degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their operations research degree from University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn around $57,461 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $20,778 to complete this degree. See the full operations research program report for University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

2

Case Western Reserve University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in operations research, ranking #2. Set in the city of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 87% of students complete a degree within six years here. Case Western Reserve University awarded about 29 operations research degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the operations research program make about $74,459 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,106 to complete this degree. See the full operations research program report for Case Western Reserve University

Narrow Operations Research Schools by State

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Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 8 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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