Operations Management

Operations Management

A smiling Western professor with grey hair sits at a table outside next to a smiling student with light brown hair while looking at papers on the table in front of them.

Program Updates

Due to capacity constraints not all students are accepted to the concentration as full majors. Admission is competitive and academic performance is the primary decision factor. The average GPAs for admitted students are listed below. The GPAs are updated after each quarterly admission cycle. More information on the admission process can be found in the 'Admission and Declaration Process' section of this page. 

During the fall 2018 application process the average GPAs were:

  • 2.97 in business courses completed at WWU 

  • 2.98 WWU cumulative  

Why Operations Management?

It is critical for organizations to be effective and efficient with their operations. Operations managers are concerned with each step in providing a service or product from acquisition of the raw materials and component parts to delivery to the customer. They determine what equipment, labor, tools, facilities, materials, energy, and information are required, how these can best be obtained, and how they are used to satisfy the requirements of the market place. 

Career Outlook

With an Operations Management major, numerous career options are available such as:

You can find recent graduates' employment information on the Career Services Center webpage. 

Career Services Center

Admission and Declaration Process

Application Deadlines

The College of Business & Economics has quarterly application deadlines for all majors and concentrations excluding Economics and Manufacturing Supply Chain Management. To view the current deadlines please click on the link below. 

Application Deadlines

Application Process

  • Apply to be a pre-major* by following the steps on the Prospective Students page
  • When you are eligible for full major status you will be contacted via email and asked to complete an additional application which includes a proposed plan of study
  • The requirements for becoming a full major can be found on the Moving From Pre-Major to Full Major page
 

*Students who are eligible for full major status at the time they apply will be contacted via email after their application has been processed and asked to complete the additional application. No priority is given to students who apply as full majors instead of pre-majors.

Admission Criteria

A Decision Sciences faculty admission committee will review all applications submitted by the deadline. Admission is based on:

  • Space available in the concentration
  • Past academic performance
    • GPA in business courses completed at Western 
    • Western GPA
  • Admission priority will be given to students with the best academic performance relative to the rest of the applicant pool.
  • Academic performance will be the primary decision factor, but other factors may be considered (rationale for pursuing field of study, related work experience, student leadership, etc.).

Admission Notification

Students who apply for admission will be notified of their status via email prior to the first day of registration for the next quarter. For example, if you apply for spring quarter admission, you will be notified of your admission status prior to the start of spring quarter registration.