Graduate Study at Penn State
Graduate Study at Penn State
Graduate Study in Operations Research
Graduate Student Life and Housing
The Pennsylvania State University, land-grant university of the Commonwealth, was founded in 1855. The University Park Campus is located in central Pennsylvania in the community of State College. With tree-lined walkways and spacious malls, it is one of the nation's most beautiful campuses.
The State College area has a population of about 40,000. Situated in low, rolling mountain country, the region offers a variety of recreational activities. A comprehensive array of cultural and athletic events is presented year-round by the University and the community.
The University Libraries include a central collection and six subject libraries at University Park. One branch library serves the College of Engineering and another, the Department of Mathematics. LlAS, the Penn State Libraries' computer information system, gives users direct access to the library catalog from terminals at University Park and from remote-access terminals off campus.
The University academic calendar is divided into two fifteen-week semesters and two six-week summer sessions. The University admits graduate students for the fall and spring semesters, as well as summer session.
Graduate Study in Operations Research
Operations Research is the use of scientific methodology in the formulation, analysis, and solution of problems in decision making. The term Operations Research originated in World War II to describe studies of military operations involving man-machine systems. Since its origin, operations researchers have addressed a wide variety of problems, including production and inventory control, transportation and distribution system design, capital investment marketing strategies, health maintenance, pollution control, personnel staffing, military deployment, resource management and other regional planning problems, just to name a few. The applications of operations research are numerous, and more importantly, new applications are continually arising. The strength and versatility of operations research lie in its ability to model the behavior of complex systems in quantitative mathematical terms, as well as its prescriptive power through analysis and synthesis.
The graduate programs in Operations Research at Penn State are administered by an Operations Research Committee appointed by and responsible to the Dean of the Graduate School. These programs are offered as dual-title degrees in conjunction with the graduate major programs in eight different colleges of the University. Students electing these options through participating graduate programs will earn a dual-title degree at either the Ph.D., the M.S., M.Eng., or M A. levels--i e., Ph D. in (graduate program name) and Operations Research, or M.S. in (graduate program name) and Operations Research.
Operations Research is interdisciplinary by nature and draws on the techniques from many fields, including the mathematical sciences, engineering, economics, and the physical sciences. The unique structure of the program enables students from rather diverse backgrounds to attain and be identified with the tools, techniques, and methodology of Operations Research and at the same time maintain a close association with their field of major interest. The opportunity to study and work with others from such diverse backgrounds provides an enriching experience not usually available in graduate work. By a judicious selection of courses, a student can tailor a plan of graduate study to meet career objectives in both of the chosen fields.
Graduate Student Life and Housing
The Kern Graduate Commons, center of graduate social activity on campus, provides programs, services, and facilities for the graduate community and serves as a common meeting area for faculty and students. Food service is available in the Kern cafeteria. Invited speakers and displays of artwork in the Commons Gallery are regularly scheduled, and a study and listening lounge is provided for private listening of recorded music and the reading of periodicals and daily newspapers. The Commons also serves as the focus of Graduate Student Association activities, including a coffeehouse, films, cabarets, and concerts. The University Theatre presents professional theatre throughout the year. The Artist Series brings a variety of nationally renowned artists in music, dance, and drama to the University Park Campus. The excellent recreational and athletic facilities include six modern gymnasiums, sixty-five outdoor and four indoor tennis courts, six platform tennis courts, one outdoor and four indoor swimming pools, two eighteen-hole golf courses, an ice skating rink, twenty-six handball and racquetball courts, twenty-six bowling lanes, sixteen squash courts, indoor and outdoor running tracks, a baseball field, lighted intramural fields for football, soccer, rugby, and lacrosse, thirty-two acres of practice fields, and a four-mile jogging course. Rooms for weight training, fencing, archery, golf, body mechanics, dance gymnastics, adaptive exercise, and wrestling are also available.
The Stone Valley Recreation Area (located fourteen miles from University Park) provides sailing, boating, and picnic facilities. The wooded mountain country surrounding the campus offers outdoor recreation - swimming, boating, camping, climbing, hiking, skiing, caving, and fishing.
On-campus and off-campus housing is available. More information about residence hall, apartment, and married student accommodations on campus may be obtained from:
The Assignment Office for Campus Residences
101 Shields Building
University Park PA 16802
assignmentoffice@psu.edu
814-865-7501 phone
814-863-8364 faxOff-campus housing information may be obtained from:
Organization of Town Independent Students
The Pennsylvania State University
101B HUB
University Park, PA 16802-6600
814-865-6851
