Individual Occupational Requirements for
GS-1515: Operations Research Series
The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards
for General Schedule Positions (p.IV-B-206), but contains minor edits
to conform to web-page requirements.
Use these individual occupational requirements in conjunction with
the "Group Coverage Qualification Standard for
Professional and Scientific Positions."
Degree: in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of
operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter
courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics. At least 3 of the 24
semester hours must have been in calculus.
The primary requirement of operations research work is competence in the
rigorous methods of scientific inquiry and analysis rather than in the subject matter of the problem.
Therefore, applicants should have sufficient knowledge of applied mathematics to understand and use the
fundamental concepts and techniques of operations research methods of analysis. In addition, some
positions may require knowledge of a specific subject area.
Courses acceptable for qualifying for operations research positions may have been taken in departments
other than Operations Research, e.g., Engineering (usually Industrial Engineering), Science, Economics,
Mathematics, Statistics, or Management Science.
The following are illustrative of acceptable courses: optimization; mathematical modeling; queueing
theory; engineering; physics (except descriptive or survey courses); econometrics; psychometrics;
biometrics; experimental psychology; physical chemistry; industrial process analysis; managerial
economics; computer science; measurement for management; mathematical models in social phenomena;
and courses that involved application of operations research techniques and methodologies to problems of
management, marketing, systems design, and other specialized fields; or other comparable quantitative
analysis courses for which college-level mathematics or statistics is a prerequisite. Courses in theory of
probability and statistics are highly desirable, but are not specified as minimum educational requirements
because to do so would possibly exclude some applicants who would otherwise be well qualified.
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