FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The College of Engineering’s operations management graduate program is celebrating its 35^th year of educating students in Arkansas and around the world. 

The curriculum emphasizes practical knowledge in areas such as project planning, quality management, economic decision-making, supply chain management, human behavior analysis, operations research and many other subjects for managers and professionals.

The program serves adults living in all areas of Arkansas, as well as in multiple locations around the United States. Military personnel serving abroad can work toward a master’s degree even while stationed in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Program coordinators work with students to ensure that textbooks and class sessions are available via the Internet or DVD.

Founded inAugust of 1974, the program was developed by John Imhoff, who served as chair of the industrial engineering department at the time. Originally offered on three military bases in Arkansas and Tennessee, program sites are now supported at the Fayetteville campus; Blytheville and Camden Ark.; Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Ark.; Naval Support Activity/Mid-South in Millington, Tenn.; and Hurlburt Field, Fla. This graduate program has grown to be the largest offered by the University of Arkansas.

 “The removal of geographic barriers has proven to be an advantage for our students, but also for the state of Arkansas,” said Alex Lasareff-Mironoff, assistant director of the program. “Our program provides access to an advanced degree for Arkansans who live in rural areas with limited opportunities for graduate study.”

The operations management program is truly a visionary inspiration. Even in 1974, the program was geared toward working and remote students — something that didn’t become a popular trend in higher educationuntil the 1990s.

While the program continues to be offered in a traditional classroom format, 17 of the 23 courses in the curriculum are available in distance-education formats, allowing students to complete the entire degree without the expense and time required to travel to one of the graduate resident centers.

For more information about this program, contact Nancy Sloan at 479-575-7426.