Operations Management

Professional education in Business Administration serves to develop the capabilities of students so that they may assume positions of leadership and responsibility at all levels of management in our society. Through its emphasis on undergraduate and graduate education as well as faculty research, the Department of Business Administration at the University of Delaware seeks to be a leader in the discovery, dissemination, and application of business related knowledge.

The faculty of the Department of Business Administration develop each student through a variety of teaching techniques: lectures, case studies, role playing, seminars, and directed study. No single teaching technique is emphasized to the exclusion of others. To enhance the instructional process, the department faculty is actively involved with business and governmental leaders through research, seminars, and consulting activities.

The business curriculum is designed to give students both a broad liberal arts background a strong professional education. Within the Bachelor of Science (BS) program, students can major in marketing, management or operations. Students may also pursue a minor in international business and/or apply to the minors in management information/decision support systems, economics or a variety of other fields. The business program is accredited at both the graduate and undergraduate levels by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the sole agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting body of business schools.

The Operations major deals with the operation of both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing enterprises. Areas of concern to the operations manager include purchasing, plant organization, maximizing production efficiency and inventory management.

Although some careers in business demand the expertise developed by graduate education, there are numerous opportunities for those seeking employment after college. Most graduates find positions in private business, although there are jobs for business administration graduates in the media, in government, and with nonprofit organizations such as hospitals. employment opportunities for graduate of this degree program include sales, marketing research, account management, insurance, advertising, merchandising, purchasing, production control and supervision. For additional information, students should visit the departmental office, 236 Alfred Lerner Hall, 831-2554, the departmental website at www.lerner.udel.edu/Business, or the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Office of Undergraduate Advising, 102 Purnell Hall, 831-4369.

Sample Job Titles

Check the Dictionary of Occupational Titles under section 18 for additional related careers.

Enhancing Employability

Some Employers of Operations Management Majors

AstraZeneca
www.astrazeneca.com

Cintas
www.cintas.com

Citigroup Corporation
www.citigroup.com

Deloitte and Touche
www.deloitte.com/us

Ernst and Young
www.ey.com

Ferguson Enterprises (Wolseley)
www.wolseleyna.com

JPMorgan Chase
www.jpmorgan.com

LaFrance Corporation
www.lafrancecorp.com

Lockheed Martin
www.lockheedmartin.com

Metlife Securities
www.metlife.com

Northrop Grumman
www.northropgrumman.com

Pepsi Bottling Company
www.pbg.com

Perdue Farms
www.perdue.com

Target
www.target.com

U.S. Department of Defense
www.defenselink.mil

Vanguard
www.vanguard.com

W.L. Gore and Associates
www.gore.com

Wachovia
www.wachovia.com

Other Sources of Information

Vault Online Career Library
(provides extensive information about careers and companies/organizations; log in via Blue Hen Jobs)

Academy of Management - Operations Management Division 
http://om.aomonline.org/

American Management Association
www.amanet.org

Institute for Operations Research & the Management Sciences 
www.informs.org

Manufacturing and Service Operations Management Journal
http://msom.journal.informs.org/

National Consortium for Black Professional Development
2210 Goldsmith Office Center,  Ste. 228-A
Louisville, KY  40218
(502) 451-8199

Operations Management (news weekly for securities processing and technology professionals)
www.operationsmanagement.com

Production and Operations Management Society
http://www.poms.org/

State of Delaware (list of agencies)
www.delaware.gov/agencies/egovernment/agencyindex

The Riley Guide
www.rileyguide.com

The Student Union (from the Institute for Operations Research & the Management Sciences)
www.isr.umd.edu/~jwh2/iol/

Resources for Finding Employment

University of Delaware Career Resource Center Materials Available

• Blue Hen Jobs -- Internships, Part-time, Summer, and Full-time Jobs -- All in one place
• Job Opportunities in Business (CSD 129)
• Corporate Yellow Book (CSD 134)
• Vault Guide to the Top 50 Consulting Firms (CSD 137)
• Top Careers for Business Graduates (CSE 83)
• Great Jobs for Business Majors (CSE 84)
• Careers in Focus - Business (CSE 85)
• What Can You Do with a Major in Business? (CSE 97)
• Careers in Business (CSE 99)
• Careers in International Business (CSE 100)
• Management Consulting (CSE 111)
• Opportunities in Insurance Careers (CSE 145)
• Opportunities in Banking Careers (CSE 150)
• Geographic Directories to Major Employers (GD 1-205)
• Graduate Programs in Business, Education, Health, Information Studies, Law & Social Work (GS 40)
• Best 143 Business Schools (GS 87)
• The Business School Buzz Book (GS 88)
• Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies (ID 12)
• Hoover's Handbook of Emerging Companies (ID 13)
• Directory of Corporate Affiliations (ID 21-28)
• National Association of Colleges & Employers Annual, Vol. 2
• www.udel.edu/CSC/netresources.html CSC's Internet Resources

Further information including: Skills to Develop, Strategies for Contacting Employers, Grad School Information, and where to get assistance is available in the CAREER RESOURCE CENTER located at 401 Academy Street.

Last updated: October 22, 2009 (CH)