PlotFuture PlotFuture
PlotFuture / Majors / 14.37

What can you do with a
Operations Research degree?

Operations Research is modest-paying, AI barely touches it, but escape routes are thin.

Is this major worth the money?

Real graduate earnings vs. the debt you'd carry — and how long it takes to pay off.
4.9 yrs
to pay back the degree
+$67k
earnings premium vs no degree
Median earnings
$112,134
Typical debt
$15,998
4-yr net cost
$70,256
Monthly loan payment
$182/mo
If you earn:

Where this major actually leads

3 careers it opens — bar color = AI risk, tag = how hard the path is.
Operations Research Analystsstretch
AI risk 43 → 63 future · +21.5% demand
$120,900
Natural Sciences Managerscommon
AI risk 6 → 57 future · +3.7% demand
$120,380
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondarystretch
AI risk 36 → 50 future · +8.1% demand
$96,000
● green = AI-safe · red = AI-exposed · click any career for the full breakdown
How this is built. We take every career this major leads to (CIP→SOC official crosswalk), then join each one's real salary (BLS/DOL), AI exposure (O*NET + model), demand growth, and skill-based escape routes. ROI from College Scorecard. Every figure here is joined from official sources, not estimated.