Operations Research and Financial Engineering
Overview
Foundations
The Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE) program places a strong emphasis on mathematical and computational tools. Students in ORFE develop a unique set of skills that build upon a solid foundation in probability, statistics, and optimization.
Applications
The theoretical foundations of ORFE are of central importance in many complex problems in engineering and science. Students and faculty in ORFE work in a broad range of application areas, such as finance, energy, health, risk analysis, biostatistics, genomics, machine learning, operations research, stochastic networks, signal and image processing, automated vehicle control systems, optimal design of engineered systems, robotics, astrophysics, and homeland security.
Impact
Graduates of the Ph.D. program work in academia, research organizations, and industry. Many ORFE graduates hold faculty positions at top universities.
The department ordinarily offers two degree programs: The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Operations Research and Financial Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.). These programs provide a great deal of flexibility for students in designing individual plans of study and research according to their needs and interests. The department is also a major participant in the Master of Finance (M.Fin.) program offered through the Bendheim Center for Finance.
Applying
- M.S.E. applicants are required to have the endorsement of a faculty member who is willing to supervise them prior to submitting an application.
- M.S.E. applicants are required to submit a Statement of Financial Resources.
Ph.D.
In consultation with the director of graduate studies, students develop a specific course plan. During the first year, students complete six courses that emphasize the foundations of the program, probability, statistics, and optimization. Students take at least ten courses while enrolled: the six core courses during the first year, two directed research courses, and two additional advanced-level courses in the second year.
The following six core courses are required:
- ORF 522 Linear and Nonlinear Optimization
- ORF 523 Convex and Conic Optimization
- ORF 524 Statistical Theory and Methods
- ORF 525 Statistical Foundations of Data Science
- ORF 526 Probability Theory
- ORF 527 Stochastic Calculus
In addition, at least two advanced courses and two semesters of directed research (ORF 509 and ORF 510) are completed under the direction of a faculty adviser in the student's area of interest by the end of the second year in preparation for the general examination.
Research Adviser
Students ordinarily match with an adviser by the end of the first year of study to begin research in preparation for the general examination. No student may enter the second year without a research adviser of record. Students are expected to identify a faculty adviser in the ORFE department. If a student receives permission to work with a faculty adviser who is not a member of the ORFE department, the student must also have a co-adviser who is on the ORFE faculty and is seriously involved in co-advising the student.
Qualifying Examination
Each student must satisfy qualifying requirements. Qualifying exams are offered in September of the student’s second year.
A student who obtained a grade of A- or better in four of the six required core classes will be exempt from the September qualifying exams. If this is not the case, the student will meet with the DGS to determine which exams need to be taken in September to satisfy the requirements. The optimization exams are based on ORF 522 and ORF 523. The probability exams are based on ORF 526 and ORF 527. The statistics exams are based on ORF 524 and ORF 525.
A vote of the faculty determines the results of the qualifying exam. Students who fail must transfer out of the Ph.D. program. There is no option to retake the exam. The examination is roughly 90 minutes/course. Students will be provided the questions a few hours before the examination. Two faculty examiners will evaluate the student’s performance on the examination. Additional information related to the preliminary examination is outlined in the graduate student handbook.
ORFE students take the general exam in April or May of their second year. To be eligible to stand for the general examination, students must have completed the required core courses, met the qualifying examination requirements, have taken and passed ORF 509, have taken or are currently enrolled in ORF 510, and have received a B+ or higher in two additional advanced courses at the 500 level. The student must also show adequate progress on research and an acceptable level of understanding of their area of specialization.
The general examination consists of two parts, a written and oral component, both covering the student's area of specialty. The written component is completed by submitting a written report on the research conducted in ORF 509-510. It is due one week before the exam takes place. The report serves as the basis for the student’s presentation. The oral component is completed by giving a presentation on the research presented in the comprehensive written report. The oral exam may be up to 3 hours in length.
As part of the oral examination, the general examination committee may ask questions related to the research and the student’s area of specialization.
For each student, an examining committee is selected by the student and adviser. In addition to the adviser, the committee consists of two ORFE faculty or affiliated faculty and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. The committee will administer the oral exam, evaluate the student’s performance in research and overall knowledge of the student's field, and make a recommendation to the department faculty. A departmental faculty vote determines the final outcome.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully passes the general examination. It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.
Please note, students admitted to the Ph.D. program who do not wish to complete the program may be considered for an M.S.E. degree with approval from the department and the Graduate School. Ph.D. students who have already been awarded the incidental M.A. are not eligible to earn an M.S.E.
Upon completion and acceptance of the dissertation by the department, the candidate will be admitted to the final public oral (FPO) examination.
The committee of examiners for the FPO must consist of no fewer than two current ORFE faculty members, and the 2nd thesis reader should also be a current ORFE faculty member.
The Ph.D. is awarded after the candidate’s doctoral dissertation has been accepted and the final public oral examination sustained.
M.S.E.
The ORFE department is primarily geared towards educating students pursuing a Ph.D. in the field. As such, the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) program in ORFE also has a strong research focus, as reflected in the requirement of a thesis and full-time study for two academic years. Students enrolled in this program are eligible for financial support in the form of research or teaching assistantships if such funds are available.
The admission rate for the M.S.E. degree is very low. Admission is based on the applicant's qualifications and requires the support of at least one faculty member who expresses an interest in supervising the applicant. Applicants interested in an M.S.E. degree from ORFE are urged to identify and contact a faculty member who researches in an area the applicant would like to work.
Applicants primarily interested in a master's degree in finance should apply for the Master in Finance Program at the Bendheim Center for Finance. The School of Engineering website provides more information regarding the Master of Science in Engineering program.
The course requirements are fulfilled by successfully completing ten one-semester courses approved by the department, two of which are required research courses (ORF 509 and 510).
The M.S.E. program has a strong research focus reflected in the requirement of a thesis. Upon completion and acceptance of the thesis by the department, the candidate will be admitted to the final defense, administered by at least two faculty members.
M.Eng.
The Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) is a coursework-based master's degree offered, in 2021-22, to current ORFE Seniors. Candidates for the M.Eng. degree will be enrolled full-time throughout the 10-month academic year. No research or thesis is required. Any class (or its graduate equivalent) counted towards the Princeton undergraduate degree cannot be counted for the M.Eng. degree.
Candidates for the M.Eng. degree must successfully complete at least eight approved courses. A minimum of six of these eight courses must be technical, having their primary listing in a department or a program within the natural sciences or engineering. A minimum of four of these six courses must be chosen from graduate offerings in the Department of Operations Research & Financial Engineering; options include any of the following six core courses for the Ph.D. degree. Students must have a “B” (3.0) average or better when they complete the program requirements to receive the degree.
ORF 522- Linear & Nonlinear Optimization
ORF 523- Convex and Conic Optimization
ORF 524- Statistical Theory and Methods
ORF 525- Statistical Foundations of Data Science
ORF 526- Probability Theory
ORF 527- Stochastic Calculus
As well as several graduate-level ORFE electives
ORF 504- Financial Econometrics
ORF 505- Statistical Analysis of Financial Data
ORF 515- Asset Pricing II: Stochastic Calculus and Advanced Derivatives
ORF 531- Computational Finance in C++
ORF 535- Financial Risk Management
ORF 538- PDE Methods in Financial Mathematics
ORF 542- Stochastic Control and Stochastic Differential Games
ORF 545- High-Frequency Markets
ORF 569- Special Topics in Statistics, Operations Research and Financial Engineering
ORF 570- Special Topics in Statistics, Operations Research and Financial Engineering
Other approved classes include:
ORF 401- Electronic Commerce
ORF 407- Fundamentals of Queueing Theory
ORF 409- Introduction to Monte Carlo Simulation
ORF 418- Sequential Decision Analytics and Modeling
ORF 435- Financial Risk and Wealth Management
ORF 455- Energy & Commodities Markets
ORF 473- Special Topics in Operations Research and Financial Engineering
ORF 474- Special Topics in Operations Research and Financial Engineering
Courses of potential interest in other departments:
APC 503- Analytical Techniques in Differential Equations
COS 402- Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
COS 423- Theory of Algorithms
COS 485- Neural Networks: Theory and Application
COS 511- Theoretical Machine Learning
COS 521- Advanced Algorithm Design
COS 528- Data Structures and Graph Algorithms
COS 534- Fairness in Machine Learning
ECO 418- Strategy and Information
ECO 462- Portfolio Theory and Asset Management
ECO 464- Corporate Restructuring
ECO 466- Fixed Income: Models and Applications
ECO 467- Institutional Finance
ECO 517- Econometric Theory I
ECO 518- Econometric Theory II
ECO 525- Financial Economics I
ECO 526- Financial Economics II
ELE 525- Random Processes in Information Systems
ELE 535- Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition
ELE 538B- Information Sciences and Systems Large Scale Optimization for Data Science
MAE 546- Optimal Control and Estimation
MAT 522/APC 522- Introduction to PDE
MAT 527- Topics in Differential Equations: Global Solutions of Nonlinear Evolutions
MAT 572/APC 572- Introduction to Combinatorial Optimization
MAT 587- Topics in Ergodic Theory: Introduction to Ergodic Theory
MAT 589- Topics in Probability, Statistics, and Dynamics: Modern Discrete Probability Theory
PHY 521/MAT 597- Introduction to Mathematical Physics
SPI 509- Generalized Linear Statistical Models
Faculty
Chair
- Ronnie Sircar
Director of Graduate Studies
- Mykhaylo Shkolnikov
Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Alain L. Kornhauser
Professor
- Amir Ali Ahmadi
- René A. Carmona
- Matias D. Cattaneo
- Jianqing Fan
- Alain L. Kornhauser
- Sanjeev R. Kulkarni
- William A. Massey
- John M. Mulvey
- Ronnie Sircar
- Mete Soner
- Robert J. Vanderbei
Associate Professor
- Mykhaylo Shkolnikov
- Ramon van Handel
Assistant Professor
- Boris Hanin
- Emma Hubert
- Jason Matthew Klusowski
- Miklos Z. Racz
- Elizaveta Rebrova
- Bartolomeo Stellato
- Ludovic Tangpi
Associated Faculty
- Yacine Aït-Sahalia, Economics
- Markus K. Brunnermeier, Economics
- Maria Chudnovsky, Mathematics
- Sanjeev R. Kulkarni, Dean of the Faculty
- H. Vincent Poor, Electrical & Comp Engineering
- Paul Seymour, Mathematics
- John D. Storey, Integrative Genomics
Lecturer
- Quentin Cormier
- Miguel Angel Garrido
- Margaret Holen
Visiting Lecturer
- Robert Almgren
- Michael Sotiropoulos
Courses
Permanent Courses
Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.