Like most students in the McDonough School of Business, my first encounter with operations and information management came from the one-credit class we are required to take our freshman fall in which we learn the basics of Microsoft Excel. After finding that I had a geeky fascination with this class that others often have bemoaned taking, I decided to look more into OPIM and what it offers.

OPIM is one of the fastest growing majors in the MSB. Although only a handful of students declared the major when it was first introduced in 2003, it has gained traction and popularity throughout the years. With a growing demand for graduates with the analytical skills needed to make informed decisions, many business students look to OPIM to hone their demonstrated quantitative and technological skills, often pairing it with a more traditional business major such as finance, marketing or accounting.

The university offers two tracks for students looking to graduate as an OPIM major. One of these tracks focuses on analytics, while the other focuses on a stronger computer science foundation. Through the numerous course offerings listed in promotional materials, students — at least in theory — have the appealing ability to pick and choose from a variety of options to best craft the curriculum that fits the technological skill set needed to progress into their respective fields.

However, this system that the university advertises differs from reality. According to the 2014-2015 course catalog, only two electives within the OPIM department beyond those required for the major will be offered next year, as opposed to the seven described on the major’s webpage and information flyer distributed in the MSB Undergraduate Dean’s Office.

Because an OPIM major must take three additional electives, someone in the major risks being pigeonholed into taking these classes in order to accomodate potential schedule limitations in future semesters. And as interesting as these alternatives may be, it is misleading of the MSB deans to continue to promote courses like “Business Forecasting,” which has not been offered to undergraduates since the 2011-2012 academic year.

With the number of offered electives beyond those required for the major dropping from six to four from the 2011-2012 to the 2012-2013 academic years, and now dropping again to two for the upcoming 2014-2015 year, I have to be cautious about how I want to spend my next two years as a student in the MSB.

This leaves me and other students in a bind: Do we wait, hoping the MSB again offers the courses we want to take before we graduate, or do we simply take what is offered now to satisfy our requirements, even if those courses might be less desirable?

I don’t doubt that the MSB has its students’ best interests at heart, and I realize that the lack of course offerings is probably because of lack of funding or interest, especially because OPIM is a relatively young major. Nevertheless, I am not alone in feeling frustrated with the lack of information regarding the future of the major and the knowledge that I might lose what could have been a personal exploration of my interests. As a student, it feels like a missed opportunity.

While I still plan to declare as an OPIM major in the coming weeks, the MSB should reconsider publicizing a program with a variety of options and paths to choose from when in reality these courses do not exist. My hope is that the MSB will become clearer and more transparent in its offerings, allowing for the customization that was once promised and is still desired.

Brian Carden is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business. He is director of sales for The Hoya.