The Master of Science in Operations Management program offers current students two opportunities to receive scholarships for both fall and spring semesters. The award is based on academic achievement and financial need. The scholarship recipients were announced for the 2024-25 academic year.

M.S.O.M. Scholarship Fund

Pablo Pineda was chosen to receive the M.S.O.M. Scholarship Award for fall 2024. Pineda is originally from Bogota, Columbia, and attended the University of Texas at Dallas, earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He is employed as a project engineering manager for Darigold in Sunnyside, Washington. Pineda made the decision to attend the U of A to pursue the Master of Science in Operations Management because of its flexibility, affordability, courses offered and reputation. Starting his professional career as an application engineer for an HVAC manufacturer in Dallas, he was quickly promoted to project engineer, then to senior project engineer. This past year, after accepting his current position, he saw the need to pursue a graduate education.

Pineda said he was considering going to part time with his studies due to financial challenges, but he said the scholarship will allow him to continue full time. 

"I hope to continue strengthening my professional and personal skills in the field of operations management through this program. There were times when my dream of pursuing higher education seemed impossible, but the financial assistance provided with this scholarship has helped me tremendously and kept me going. I am deeply appreciative of the support," Pineda said.

Pineda plans to graduate in 2026 and feels confident the degree will help him in the next steps of his career. Outside of work, one of Pineda's passions is soccer.

The M.S.O.M. Scholarship was first offered in 2018 and is awarded each fall and spring semester. It is funded by generous donations from alumni, staff and friends.

Amass Family Master of Science in Operations Management Award

The Amass Family Master of Science in Operations Management Award was awarded to Kristian Balli. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Balli had to pause his college education for personal and financial reasons while pursuing his associate's degree in business administration from Georgia State University in 2016. With the support of his family, he was able to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Central Arkansas in 2021, graduating magna cum laude.

Kristian Balli, M.S.O.M. student

This accomplishment gave him the motivation to seek out graduate programs that best fit his interests. After researching programs nationwide, he came across the M.S.O.M. program at the U of A, and it immediately piqued his interest.

"I viewed this program as my ticket to excelling in my professional career and saw that the return on investment was unarguable," Balli said.

In his professional career, he has had great mentors who exposed him to business operations from a young age. This led him to opportunities to work for start-ups and regional and international corporations that allowed him to work alongside people from across the world with diverse professional backgrounds.

Balli said that although much of his professional career has been in the accounting and finance industry, he has held roles in operations and customer service, making the M.S.O.M. program very appealing.

"These operations and customer service-based roles have helped mold my mindset and appreciation for all that goes into managing a business and constantly looking for ways to improve processes," Balli said.

After graduation, Balli plans to first see how he can improve his current organization with the knowledge he has gained of operations management and share it with others.

"I want to share it with other management personnel to show the importance of good management and the influence it can have on the culture of the business and worker attitudes. In modern times, there needs to be a more progressive approach to how we form a strategy based on our workforce as much as we base it on the end goal of increased customer satisfaction and business growth," he said.

Balli said the scholarship will help alleviate financial strain and leave him with more energy to focus on his studies and achieving his goals.

"I would like to once again extend my gratitude to the donors of the Amass Family M.S.O.M. Scholarship and the M.S.O.M. program staff for giving me this opportunity. This award will certainly go a long way in developing my operations management knowledge and pushing me closer to my career aspirations," Balli said.

The Amass Family Master of Science in Operations Management Award was first offered in fall 2022. It is funded by a generous donation from the Ed Amass family.

Become a Donor

If you are interested in donating to either fund, please click here.

The Master of Science in Operations Management program began in 1974 and is designed for professionals from a broad range of backgrounds, including business and government operations. Students learn how to create value to the production of goods and services while working with worldwide suppliers and customers. Learn more about the Master of Science in Operations Management.