A successful business is no accident. In order to run a profitable company, you need to work intelligently and efficiently through challenges over time. Operations managers make it their goal to solve problems stemming from hiring practices to supply chain issues to employee performance, designing a business strategy that can evolve over time.
Operations management is itself a specialty of business management occupations. Campus-based and online operations management degrees may offer further specialization, such as management of service operations, operations strategy or project management.
Operations management: education and training
You can find campus-based or online operations management degrees ranging from certificates to MBAs to doctorates. The Department of Labor estimates that 32 percent of general and operations managers hold an associate degree while 27 percent have a bachelor's degree. At the executive level, a bachelor's or master's degree is typical.
Coursework in online operations management degree programs should prepare students to conduct meaningful research in the field, design advanced systems, and apply managerial operational concepts and philosophy to real-world problems. Operations managers need technical as well as business skills, since these pros often use accounting tools, customer relationship management programs and enterprise resource planning software.
Operations management: career outlook and salary
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the following mean annual wages from 2010 for general and operations managers in the five industry sectors where they are the most numerous:
- Management of companies and enterprises: $137,450
- Local government: $91,270
- Computer systems design and related services: $150,230
- Management, scientific, and technical consulting services: $144,410
- Building equipment contractors: $114,000
The BLS does not expect job growth in general and operations management, but opportunities could vary by industry. Growth is projected in the health care industry in the 2008-2018 decade, according to the BLS, while manufacturing management careers are expected to decline. In the case of corporate mergers, management teams could be cut back, while other companies might take on more operations managers in order to streamline production and cut costs.
Given the competitive outlook for operations managers, knowledge of a specialty such as information systems could also expand your opportunities. Work experience is important in this career, and online operations management degree programs offer a way to expand your qualifications while you continue to gain on-the-job skills.
A successful business is no accident. In order to run a profitable company, you need to work intelligently and efficiently through challenges over time. Operations managers make it their goal to solve problems stemming from hiring practices to supply chain issues to employee performance, designing a business strategy that can …
