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Operations, Information, and Technology

Requirements 2007-2008

I. Preparation in Quantitative Methods and Economics

Students admitted to the OIT program typically have had substantial preparation in various aspects of mathematics. The faculty assumes that students are familiar with calculus (to the level of an undergraduate course in "advanced calculus''), linear algebra, real analysis, and probability.

Admitted students may not have encountered linear programming, constrained optimization, microeconomics, or statistics. Students without background in any of these areas will find it useful to do some reading prior to entering the program. Textbooks that are prescribed for junior/senior-level undergraduate courses in these areas are appropriate reading material.

II. General Program Requirement (GPR)¹

All students are encouraged to fulfill the general program requirement during their first year of study. Each course must be passed with a grade of P or B- or better. Interpretation of the LP grade will be determined on a case by case basis.

Note: Any changes to the General Program Requirement (GPR) or Field Course Requirement (FCR) will be "grandfathered" Students are responsible for fulfilling the requirements in place at the time they entered the Program.

¹ In rare cases, the director of the PhD Program may waive a general program requirement for a student based on similar PhD-level coursework completed elsewhere. 

² Substitutions as shown can be arranged through the doctoral liaison, in some cases.

³ This course can be substituted by some courses in the Statistics Department.

III. Field Course Requirement and Field Exams

During the pre-candidacy period, students in the operations, information and technology program complete their general program requirement, their summer research paper requirement, and a two-part field examination.

The first part of the field examination (1st year exam), administered at the end of a student's first year, is an exam on mathematical models and methods from the four foundational areas listed below. To prepare students for this exam, the faculty each year specifies a set of six to eight courses in the GSB and other Stanford departments, plus supplementary readings on some occasions. The designated courses vary according to what is offered.  Each course must be passed with a grade of P or B- or better. Interpretation of the LP grade will be determined on a case by case basis.

Applied Probability and Stochastic Processes. Models of stochastic phenomena and their applications. Included are axiomatic probability, stochastic processes in discrete and continuous time, and specially structured models of queuing and inventory systems.

Decision Theory and Economic Analysis. The study of decision making by individuals and groups. Included are aspects of game theory and information economics.

Mathematical Programming. Deterministic optimization models including linear programming, convex analysis, and nonlinear programming.

Sequential Decision and Control. Dynamic optimization, especially in stochastic environments. Included are dynamic programming models and adaptive stochastic control.

The second half of the field examination (2nd year exam) is administered at the end of a student's second year with its emphasis on the functional field of operations, information and technology, with recognition given to differing courses of study.

Training and research in OIT center around technological systems from operational and informational perspectives. Research topics of OIT include the design, production and delivery of goods and services, as well as the management of computing and information resources. Examples are: production scheduling and control, systems design, inventory theory, capacity planning and performance modeling, multi-functional coordination, contractual relations with vendors and customers, performance measures and incentive systems to support production of goods and services, design and performance of information and decision support systems, pricing and capacity planning, the demand and supply of information services, economics of software, and the role of information in managerial decision making in organizations and in markets.

The student and an advisor from the operations, information and technology faculty jointly select appropriate advanced courses to prepare the candidate to demonstrate sufficient preparation for related independent research. For students with adequate prior training, the pre-candidacy period is expected to be two years.

IV. Breadth Requirement

Each student is required to pass a course in two of the following three subject areas:

Accounting: Bus A61x
Finance: Bus F62x
Marketing: Bus M64x

V. Summer Research Paper Requirement

Each student is expected to sign up with a faculty advisor by the end of the second year and will fulfill the summer paper requirement by completing a paper under the supervision of this faculty advisor during the summer after the second year. The faculty advisor will provide a "pass/fail" grade for the paper before the student can be considered for candidacy. If the advisor grades the paper as "fail," the student will not be allowed to advance to candidacy until s/he has rewritten the summer paper to the satisfaction of the advisor. If the student changes faculty advisors after the summer of the second year, the current advisor will provide the grade.

VI. Requirements for Candidacy

Admission to candidacy includes satisfactory completion of the general program, major field, breadth, and summer paper requirements. At this stage in the Doctoral Program, students generally are prepared to embark on research that will lay the groundwork for a dissertation. A member of the GSB faculty who agrees to act as a research advisor for the student must certify that the student is so prepared. Therefore, prior to filing for candidacy, it is important that students begin to develop "research advisory" relationships with faculty members. To conduct research on a particular subject, it will almost always be necessary to complete coursework beyond the area requirements.

VII. Post-candidacy Requirements

The requirements for the University oral examination and the dissertation are discussed in the Program Overview section.

VIII. Example of a Course Schedule

The following programs are examples of possible course schedules; university scheduling of these courses may fluctuate across quarters. All students fulfill the general program and breadth requirements, as well as attending all operations, information and technology workshops. The elective courses may differ from these examples depending on the student's background and interests, and course availability.

Examples of possible first-year courses.

Please note that scheduling of courses may vary each academic year. In some cases the courses may not be offered in the same quarter as the example listed below:

Examples of possible second-year courses:

^(a) Covers topics required on first-year exam
^(b) General program requirement
^(c) Breadth requirement

Note: The doctoral workshops will vary in content, but over a two-year period will cover fundamental tools and applied aspects of operations and information systems.

There are many other courses taken by PhD Students that are offered in departments outside the GSB, such as Computer Science, Economics, Management Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Statistics. Descriptions of these course offerings can be found in the Stanford Bulletin, published by the Registrar's Office (650-725-1879).

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