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Operations Research Honours
This program prepares students for careers in industry or a variety of graduate and professional programs.
Prerequisite Grade Requirement
To enrol in a course offered by the Department of Mathematics, a student must obtain a grade of C- or better in each prerequisite course. Some courses may require higher prerequisite grades. Check the for details.
Students will not normally be permitted to enrol in any course for which a D grade or lower was obtained in any prerequisite. No student may complete, for further credit, any course offered by the Department of Mathematics which is a prerequisite for a course the student has already completed with a grade of C- or higher, without permission of the department.
Program Requirements
The program requires the completion of 132 units. The Faculty of Science stipulates that a minimum of 48 units must be in upper division, and that additional upper division units will be required to total a minimum of 60 (excluding EDUC 401, 407).
The specific requirements for this particular program are divided into three parts: required lower division courses, required upper division courses, and completion of an interdisciplinary requirement.
In addition to the program requirements set out below, general university regulations must be met.
Computing science courses that are completed in the operations research honours program will count towards the requirement that 12 units must be completed from outside of the Faculty of Science.
A minimum program 3.00 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) must be obtained on the overall major program requirements, as well as a minimum program 3.00 grade point average in the upper division major courses.
Lower Division Requirements
Students complete a minimum total of 33 units, including either one of
A rigorous introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students who already have substantial programming background. This course provides a condensed version of the two-course sequence of CMPT 120/125, with the primary focus on computing science and object oriented programming. Topics include: fundamental algorithms and problem solving; abstract data types and elementary data structures; basic object-oriented programming and software design; elements of empirical and theoretical algorithmics; computation and computability; specification and program correctness; and history of computing science. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 (or equivalent, or any of MATH 100, 150, 151, 154, or 157). Students with credit for CMPT 120, 125, 128, 130, 135 or higher may not take CMPT 126 for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
An introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students wishing to major in Engineering Science or a related program. This course introduces basic computing science concepts, and fundamentals of object oriented programming. Topics include: fundamental algorithms and problem solving; abstract data types and elementary data structures; basic object-oriented programming and software design; elements of empirical and theoretical algorithmics; computation and computability; specification and program correctness; and history of computing science. The course will use a programming language commonly used in Engineering Science. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 (or equivalent, or any of MATH 100, 150, 151, 154, or 157). Students with credit for CMPT 125, 126, 130 or CMPT 200 or higher may not take for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
or both of
An elementary introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students with little or no programming background. Students will learn fundamental concepts and terminology of computing science, acquire elementary skills for programming in a high-level language and be exposed to diverse fields within, and applications of computing science. Topics will include: pseudocode, data types and control structures, fundamental algorithms, computability and complexity, computer architecture, and history of computing science. Treatment is informal and programming is presented as a problem-solving tool. Students should consult with the self-evaluation on the School of Computing Science website to decide whether they should follow the CMPT 120/125 course sequence or enrol in CMPT 126. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 or equivalent is recommended. Students with credit for CMPT 102, 125, 126, 128 or CMPT 200 or higher may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
A rigorous introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students who already have some backgrounds in computing science and programming. Intended for students who will major in computing science or a related program. Topics include: fundamental algorithms; elements of empirical and theoretical algorithmics; abstract data types and elementary data structures; basic object-oriented programming and software design; computation and computability; specification and program correctness; and history of computing science. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 (or equivalent, or any of MATH 100, 150, 151, 154, or 157) and CMPT 120. Students with credit for CMPT 126, 128, 135 or CMPT 200 or higher may not take for further credit. Quantitative.
and all of
Introduction to a variety of practical and important data structures and methods for implementation and for experimental and analytical evaluation. Topics include: stacks, queues and lists; search trees; hash tables and algorithms; efficient sorting; object-oriented programming; time and space efficiency analysis; and experimental evaluation. Prerequisite: MACM 101 and one of CMPT 125, 126 or 128; or CMPT 128 and approval as a Biomedical Engineering Major. Students with credit for CMPT 201 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Introduction to counting, induction, automata theory, formal reasoning, modular arithmetic. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 (or equivalent), or any of MATH 100, 150, 151, 154, 157. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
A continuation of MACM 101. Topics covered include graph theory, trees, inclusion-exclusion, generating functions, recurrence relations, and optimization and matching. Prerequisite: MACM 101. Quantitative.
Introduction to methods of operations research: linear and nonlinear programming, simulation, and heuristic methods. Applications to transportation, assignment, scheduling, and game theory. Exposure to mathematical models of industry and technology. Emphasis on computation for analysis and simulation. Prerequisite: MATH 150 or 151 or 154 or 157. Students with credit for MATH 208 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Quantitative.
Rectangular, cylindrical and spherical coordinates. Vectors, lines, planes, cylinders, quadric surfaces. Vector functions, curves, motion in space. Differential and integral calculus of several variables. Vector fields, line integrals, fundamental theorem for line integrals, Green's theorem. Prerequisite: MATH 152; or MATH 155 or MATH 158 with a grade of at least B. Recommended: It is recommended that MATH 240 or 232 be taken before or concurrently with MATH 251. Quantitative.
Basic laws of probability, sample distributions. Introduction to statistical inference and applications. Corequisite: MATH 152 or 155 or 158. Students wishing an intuitive appreciation of a broad range of statistical strategies may wish to take STAT 100 first. Quantitative. Prerequisite: COREQ-MATH 152 or 155 or 158. Students wishing an intuitive appreciation of a broad range of statistical strategies may wish to take STAT 100 first. Equivalent Courses: STAT102 STAT103 STAT201 STAT203 STAT301. Quantitative.
This course is a continuation of STAT 270. Review of probability models, procedures for statistical inference from survey results and experimental data. Statistical model building. Elementary design of experiments and regression methods. Introduction to categorical data analysis. Prerequisite: STAT 270. Prerequisite or corequisite MATH 232 or MATH 240. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have credit for STAT 330 prior to Fall 2003. Quantitative.
and one of
Designed for students specializing in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computing science and engineering. Topics as for Math 151 with a more extensive review of functions, their properties and their graphs. Recommended for students with no previous knowledge of Calculus. In addition to regularly scheduled lectures, students enrolled in this course are encouraged to come for assistance to the Calculus Workshop (Burnaby), or Math Open Lab (Surrey). Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus 12 (or equivalent) with a grade of at least B+, or MATH 100 with a grade of at least B-, or achieving a satisfactory grade on the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calculus Readiness Test. Students with credit for either MATH 151, 154 or 157 may not take MATH 150 for further credit. Quantitative.
Designed for students specializing in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computing science and engineering. Logarithmic and exponential functions, trigonometric functions, inverse functions. Limits, continuity, and derivatives. Techniques of differentiation, including logarithmic and implicit differentiation. The Mean Value Theorem. Applications of Differentiation including extrema, curve sketching, related rates, Newton's method. Antiderivatives and applications. Conic sections, polar coordinates, parametric curves. Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus 12 (or equivalent) with a grade of at least A, or MATH 100 with a grade of at least B, or achieving a satisfactory grade on the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calculus Readiness Test. Students with credit for either MATH 150, 154 or 157 may not take MATH 151 for further credit. Quantitative.
Designed for students specializing in the biological and medical sciences. Topics include: limits, growth rate and the derivative; elementary functions, optimization and approximation methods, and their applications; mathematical models of biological processes. Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus 12 (or equivalent) with a grade of at least B, or MATH 100 with a grade of at least C, or achieving a satisfactory grade on the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calculus Readiness Test. Students with credit for either MATH 150, 151 or 157 may not take MATH 154 for further credit. Quantitative.
Designed for students specializing in business or the social sciences. Topics include: limits, growth rate and the derivative; logarithmic exponential and trigonometric functions and their application to business, economics, optimization and approximation methods; functions of several variables. Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus 12 (or equivalent) with a grade of at least B, or MATH 100 with a grade of at least C, or achieving a satisfactory grade on the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calculus Readiness Test. Students with credit for either MATH 150, 151 or 154 may not take MATH 157 for further credit. Quantitative.
and one of
Riemann sum, Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, definite, indefinite and improper integrals, approximate integration, integration techniques, applications of integration. First-order separable differential equations. Sequences and series, series tests, power series, convergence and applications of power series. Prerequisite: MATH 150 or 151; or MATH 154 or 157 with a grade of at least B. Students with credit for MATH 155 or 158 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Designed for students specializing in the biological and medical sciences. Topics include: the integral, partial derivatives, differential equations, linear systems, and their applications; mathematical models of biological processes. Prerequisite: MATH 150, 151 or 154; or MATH 157 with a grade of at least B. Students with credit for MATH 152 or 158 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Theory of integration and its applications; introduction to multivariable calculus with emphasis on partial derivatives and their applications; introduction to differential equations with emphasis on some special first-order equations and their applications to economics and social sciences; continuous probability models; sequences and series. Prerequisite: MATH 150 or 151 or 154 or 157. Students with credit for MATH 152 or 155 may not take MATH 158 for further credit. Quantitative.
and one of
Linear equations, matrices, determinants. Introduction to vector spaces and linear transformations and bases. Complex numbers. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors; diagonalization. Inner products and orthogonality; least squares problems. An emphasis on applications involving matrix and vector calculations. Prerequisite: MATH 150 or 151; or MACM 101; or MATH 154 or 157, both with a grade of at least B. Students with credit for MATH 240 make not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Linear equations, matrices, determinants. Real and abstract vector spaces, subspaces and linear transformations; basis and change of basis. Complex numbers. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors; diagonalization. Inner products and orthogonality; least squares problems. Applications. Subject is presented with an abstract emphais and includes proofs of the basic theorems. Prerequisite: MATH 150 or 151; or MACM 101; or MATH 154 or 157, both with a grade of at least B. Students with credit for MATH 232 cannot take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
* with a B grade or better
Upper Division Requirements
Students complete a total of 48 units, including all of
Linear programming modelling. The simplex method and its variants. Duality theory. Post-optimality analysis. Applications and software. Additional topics may include: game theory, network simplex algorithm, and convex sets. Prerequisite: MATH 150, 151, 154, or 157 and MATH 240 or 232. Quantitative.
Inventory theory, Markov decision process and applications, queuing theory, forecasting models, decision Analysis and games, probabilistic dynamic programming, simulation modeling, project planning using PERT/CPM, sequencing and scheduling. Prerequisite: STAT 270. Pre-/Co-requisite: MATH 308. Quantitative.
Problems from operations research will be presented and discussed in class. Students will also work on a problem of their choice and present their solution in report form as well as a presentation. Prerequisite: MATH 308 and STAT 285. Writing/Quantitative.
and five of
Theoretical and computational methods for investigating the minimum of a function of several real variables with and without inequality constraints. Applications to operations research, model fitting, and economic theory. Prerequisite: MATH 232 or 240, and 251. Quantitative.
Sequences and series of functions, topology of sets in Euclidean space, introduction to metric spaces, functions of several variables. Prerequisite: MATH 242 and 251. Quantitative.
Model building using integer variables, computer solution, relaxations and lower bounds, heuristics and upper bounds, branch and bound algorithms, cutting plane algorithms, valid inequalities and facets, branch and cut algorithms, Lagrangian duality, column generation of algorithms, heuristics algorithms and analysis. Prerequisite: MATH 308. Quantitative.
Applications of network flow models; flow decomposition; polynomial algorithms for shortest paths, maximum flows and minimum costs flows; convex cost flows; generalized flows, multi-commodity flows. Prerequisite: MATH 308. Recommended: MATH 345. Quantitative.
Theory and application of linear regression. Normal distribution theory. Hypothesis tests and confidence intervals. Model selection. Model diagnostics. Introduction to weighted least squares and generalized linear models. Prerequisite: STAT 285 and MATH 251. Quantitative.
Review of discrete and continuous probability models and relationships between them. Exploration of conditioning and conditional expectation. Markov chains. Random walks. Continuous time processes. Poisson process. Markov processes. Gaussian processes. Prerequisite: STAT 330. Quantitative.
and at least two additional courses from Table I below
Quality of an estimator: unbiasedness, asymptotic unbiasedness, consistency, means squared error, uniform minimum variance. Confidence interval. Tests of hypotheses. Estimation for complete data. Estimation for grouped data. Estimation for modified data: Kaplan-Meier estimator, variances and confidence intervals of the empirical estimator, kernel density estimator. Parameter estimation. Variance of the estimators and confidence intervals. Model selection: graphical procedures, goodness-of-fit test, likelihood ratio test. Interpolation and smoothing. Covers part of the syllabus for Exam C of the Society of Actuaries and Exam 4 of the Casualty Actuarial Society. Prerequisite: ACMA 320. Quantitative.
The application of econometric techniques to the empirical investigation of economic issues. Prerequisite: ECON 201 or 301 and BUEC 333. Entry into this course requires a minimum CGPA of 3.0 or permission of the department. Quantitative.
Topics in areas of probability and statistics not covered in the regular undergraduate curriculum of the department. Prerequisite: dependent on the topic covered.
An introduction to the major sample survey designs and their mathematical justification. Associated statistical analyses. Prerequisite: STAT 350. Quantitative.
An extension of the designs discussed in STAT 350 to include more than one blocking variable, incomplete block designs, fractional factorial designs, and response surface methods. Prerequisite: STAT 350 (or MATH 372). Equivalent Courses: MATH404. Quantitative.
The Bayesian approach to statistics is an alternative and increasingly popular way of quantifying uncertainty in the presence of data. This course considers comparative statistical inference, prior distributions, Bayesian computation, and applications. Prerequisite: STAT 330 and 350. Quantitative.
Introduction to standard methodology for analyzing categorical data including chi-squared tests for two- and multi-way contingency tables, logistic regression, and loglinear (Poisson) regression. Prerequisite: STAT 285 or STAT 302 or STAT 305 or equivalent. Students with credit for the former STAT 402 or 602 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Introduction to linear time series analysis including moving average, autoregressive and ARIMA models, estimation, data analysis, forecasting errors and confidence intervals, conditional and unconditional models, and seasonal models. Prerequisite: STAT 285 or STAT 302 or STAT 305 or equivalent. This course may not be taken for further credit by students who have credit for ECON 484. Quantitative.
Topics in areas of probability and statistics not covered in the regular undergraduate curriculum of the department. Prerequisite: Dependent on the topic covered.
and at least one from Table II below
This course is an introduction to the modelling, analysis, and computer simulation of complex systems. Topics include analytic modelling, discrete event simulation, experimental design, random number generation, and statistical analysis. Prerequisite: CMPT 225, MACM 101, STAT 270.
Analysis and design of data structures for lists, sets, trees, dictionaries, and priority queues. A selection of topics chosen from sorting, memory management, graphs and graph algorithms. Prerequisite: CMPT 225, MACM 201, MATH 151 (or MATH 150), and MATH 232 or 240.
A presentation of the problems commonly arising in numerical analysis and scientific computing and the basic methods for their solutions. Prerequisite: MATH 152 or 155 or 158, and MATH 232 or 240, and computing experience. Quantitative.
Structures and algorithms, generating elementary combinatorial objects, counting (integer partitions, set partitions, Catalan families), backtracking algorithms, branch and bound, heuristic search algorithms. Prerequisite: MACM 201 (with a grade of at least B-). Recommended: knowledge of a programming language. Quantitative.
Fundamental concepts, trees and distances, matchings and factors, connectivity and paths, network flows, integral flows. Prerequisite: MACM 201 (with a grade of at least B-). Quantitative.
Graph coloring, Hamiltonian graphs, planar graphs, random graphs, Ramsey theory, extremal problems, additional topics. Prerequisite: MATH 345. Quantitative.
To complete the required 48 upper division units, students complete additional coursework, of which at least two courses must be 400-level MATH or MACM courses with the possibility of substituting a 400-level course from another department subject to advisor approval. Courses used to fulfil this upper division requirement cannot be used to satisfy the interdisciplinary requirement. All courses pertaining to the required 48 upper division units must be approved by the program advisor in the Department of Mathematics.
* students must meet the entry requirements for the actuarial science program to enrol in this course
†see ECON courses for prerequisites
Interdisciplinary Requirement
With advisor approval, students also complete at least 15 units from application areas. Application courses are chosen from ACMA, BUEC, BUS, ECON, MACM, MATH, REM and STAT courses. Courses used to fulfil upper division requirements cannot be used to fulfil this requirement. If the operations research honours is completed as part of a second bachelor's degree, then the interdisciplinary requirement may be waived if the previous degree contains an approved major. Approvals are given individually. Those majors that are approved will not be limited to the disciplines listed above.
Faculty of Science Honours Requirements
In addition to the above requirements, students must also satisfy Faculty of Science honours program requirements as follows.
- students are required to complete additional upper division units to total a minimum of 60 upper division units (excluding EDUC 401 to 406)
- students who were enrolled at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV between fall 1991 and summer 2006 are required to complete a minimum of 12 units in subjects outside the Faculty of Science (excluding EDUC 401 to 406) including six units minimum to be completed in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV within the student’s major subject | |
Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division | |
B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth | Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division 6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc 6 units Humanities: B-Hum 6 units Sciences: B-Sci |
6 |
Additional Breadth | 6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements) |
Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit
The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 as upper division work.
Elective Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.
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