Algorithms, Combinatorics & Optimization (Industrial & Systems Engineering): Doctoral | Atlanta

Areas of Research

Research areas being investigated by faculty of the ACO Program include such topics as:

Structural and topological graph theory
Coloring problems (including the Four Color Theorem)
Paths, cycles and flows in graphs
Probabilistic methods in combinatorics
Probability on graphs
Algebraic combinatorics
Computational algebra and geometry
Distributed computing
Algorithm complexity
Design and analysis of algorithms
Approximation algorithms
Algorithmic problems in coding theory
Fault-tolerant computing
Voting theory
Airline crew and fleet scheduling
Parallel computation
Interior point methods in mathematical optimization
Geometry of convex bodies
Machine learning theory
Other related areas

For more information, you may look at the personal Web pages of ACO affiliated faculty members.

Prerequisites

Award of a U.S. Bachelor's degree or equivalent
Satisfaction of the English Proficiency requirement

Application Requirements

Admission to the ACO Program

Standardized Tests

Test Type	Score Requirements	Submitting Scores
TOEFL iBT Prior to January 2026	100 or higher Total score 19 or higher Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking subsections	Institute Code: 5248 Department Code: Any MyBest score is not accepted
TOEFL iBT After January 2026	4.5 or higher Total score 4 or higher Listening, Reading, Writing sections 3.5 or higher Speaking section	Institute Code: 5248 Department Code: Any MyBest score is not accepted
IELTS Academic	7 or higher Overall band score 6.5 or higher Listening, Reading, and Speaking 5.5 or higher Writing	IELTS electronic score delivery service: Georgia Institute of Technology, "Graduate"
GRE General Test		Institute Code: R5248 Department Code: Any
GMAT		Not Required
To be considered official, test scores must be sent electronically directly from the testing agency.

Interdisciplinary Programs

Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization (ACO) is offered by the Colleges of Computing, Engineering and Sciences. To be considered for admission to ACO, a student must be admitted to the doctoral program in one of these units. Students must select a home school from one of the following disciplines:

For additional information about applying to the ACO program through one of these schools, please select from the list above.

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Application Deadlines

Start term	Deadline date
Fall 2026	December 15, 2025

All deadlines are 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Program Contact

School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0205
gradstudies@isye.gatech.edu

Algorithms, Combinatorics and Optimization program website

Program Costs

FAQ - Program Costs