They tackle issues that can vary from planning a new car assembly line, to the introduction of a new product range, to the question of whether to reorganise bus services. Sometimes mathematics and statistics are used to analyse problems, usually with the help of a computer. Other forms of support can include, for example, helping a decision-making team agree a set of objectives and decide on priorities. Management Science appeals particularly to those who enjoy the challenge of tackling real-life problems, as well as feeling reasonably at home with mathematical ideas. Careers in this area are varied and involve working with people at many different levels in organisations.
Students learn to think creatively, to exercise initiative, and to communicate effectively.
Students taking Management Science as a Principal Subject often combine it with another business-oriented Principal Subject such as Accounting, Economics or Marketing, or with Mathematics. They must normally also take a class in Statistics. Other students find that the basic first-year class and some of the subsequent options provide a useful perspective on management decisions. Basic Class - the first semester of this class, Analysing Decisions, introduces Management Science and the types of problems which are tackled. You look at the use of mathematical models to represent problems and how this can help decision-making.