Supply Chain Management Degree Programs

What a Supply Chain Manager Does

Every business must have supplies and materials in order to run a successful operation. Supply chain managers are employed to ensure that needed suppliers are always available to employees. The job entails dealing with suppliers, meeting with business executives in order to make important contractual decisions, as well as predicting what the company’s needs shall be in the future. Indeed, a good supply chain manager is also a good negotiator in that he or she should be able to get quality materials for their company at a low price.

Other names for supply chain managers include contract managers, buyers, purchasers, and inventory managers. All sorts of businesses, industries, stores, and restaurants employ supply chain managers in order to take care of their inventory and needed supplies.

Taking a degree in supply chain management helps one get a strong foothold in the fields of finance and business. You can expect to take courses in computer systems, contract analysis, marketing, and finance in order to complete these qualifications.

Supply chain management can be quite a rewarding and lucrative field. In the year 2004, the average income of purchasing managers was around $78,020 a year, while buyers made around $48,450. It is expected that a 4.8% growth will take place in the field in the coming years. Financial managers earn around $91,610 a year.

Studying Supply Chain Management Online

As online education becomes increasingly popular in today’s technologically advanced and “on the go” world, students frequently prefer to pursue their studies in the virtual classroom. Below, we will review some of the more reputable supply chain management programs. The vast majority of these programs terminate in some sort of degree or certificate.

Strayer University: Strayer University offers an Associate of Arts degree in Acquisition and Contract Management. The school is appreciated by students for its flexible schedules and online courses, which allow students to study on their own time.

The university’s contract management program provides students with up to date knowledge of contemporary contract management policies and regulations. Students eager to pursue careers in the world of government or in corporations will find this program highly useful. Students who wish to continue their studies beyond the Associate of Arts level may apply their credits towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

Strayer, which is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, also offers diplomas and undergraduate certificates in Contract Management and Acquisition.

University of Maryland University College: The University of Maryland University College’s program is perfect for students who wish to pursue an advanced degree to further their career in supply chain management. The University offers an online Master of Science in Management or in Procurement and Contract Management. This program is intended for people who already have experience in the field of procurement or contract administration. The aim of the course is to provide a background for understanding all aspects of procurement, from strategy to operation. Integrated in to the regular course work are both general and specialized fields of knowledge.

Villanova University: Villanova University offers a variety of online programs for the ambitious supply chain management student. The vast majority of programs can be completed in anywhere from eight to sixteen weeks, depending on the program. Contract management certificate programs include Mastering Contract Management, Advanced Contract Management, Essentials of Commercial Contract Management, and Essentials of Government Contract Management.

Villanova also offers several Master Certificate programs. Students who are committed to knowing more about supply chain management and furthering their careers might wish to pursue such a certificate. Master Certificates are available in both Commercial Contract Management and Government Contract Management.

George Brown College: Situated in Ontario, Canada, George Brown College instructs students from all over the world in its online supply chain management certificate program. It offers a certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. The courses it offers that lead to the certificate take in to consideration today’s industry needs. The course has been designed with help from supply chain leaders who work for companies such as Tompkins Associates, Wheels International, Intellitrade, MSR, Organic, Celestica, Tibbet & Britten, and more.

Northeastern University: Northeastern offers two online supply chain management programs. One is an Associate’s Degree, while the other is a Certificate option. The university is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Lehigh University: Lehigh offers a Supply Chain Management Certificate online program to highly self motivated students. The program utilizes practical applications in order to focus on the proactive management of supply chain operations such as overseeing the movements of goods and services. Lehigh offers the online program as either a for credit or no credit basis. The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accredits Lehigh University.

Michigan State University Eli Broad School of Business: Widely regarded as one of the nation’s best schools for supply chain management studies, Michigan State University’s Eli Broad School of Business offers two higher degrees through their online service. The first is a Master of Science in Logistics, while the second is a Master of Science in Manufacturing and Innovation Program.

The Best Supply Chain Management Programs

According to a recent study by the Supply Chain Management Review, the following sampling of schools has been ranked as having some of the best supply chain management programs in the United States of America.

Northwestern: In addition to their prestigious Executive MBA program via the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern also offers short, three to four day seminars on Supply Chain Management that provide students with resources on how to upgrade their operations via better efficiencies in the management and design of supply chains. The program offers a multidisciplinary approach, featuring speakers from both academia and various industries, in order to provide participants with the latest state of the art information as well as tools for supply chain management optimization.

Each session focuses on different logistics strategies for navigating complex systems and on integrating supply chain sections in to a coordinated system so as to reduce excessive spending and increase the levels of service.

Each student receives a copy of the book Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operation, and learns how to manage inventories, transportation, the flow of information, outsourcing, facilities, and strategic methods of partnership.

Harvard: Harvard is known for having one of the best business schools in the world. For students who are serious about rising to the top of the supply chain management field, a Doctorate in Business Administration in Technology and Operations Management will help them succeed. In addition to exploring the traditional fields of supply chain management and logistics, this Doctorate also gives students a firm grounding in operations strategies and management, as well as the management of new product development and technological innovation.

The Harvard Business School faculty comes from a wealth of different backgrounds – this enables students to get a firm grounding in related fields such as psychology, sociology, physics, engineering, economics, operations research, and materials science. In addition to the traditional discipline based approaches, the training offered to students at Harvard also provides field based experience. The many research themes involved in supply chain management research at the Doctoral level at Harvard include the potency of improvement and learning; how to create competitive advantage via capabilities; process control and understanding; as well as integration in high performance operating systems.

Recent studies by Doctoral students have included research in to product development and performance in cars, semiconductors, and high performance work stations; the Toyota Production System’s diffusion; the economic side of manufacturing in the apparel industry; and the impact of computer integrated systems on quality and flexibility performance.

Harvard’s program ensures that students will come to a firm understanding of how theory and research can illuminate significant problems in the realm of business.

Stanford: The Management Science & Engineering Department at Stanford University offers a variety of degrees to ambitious students interested in the field of Supply Chain Management. These include a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, and a Doctor of Philosophy.

Stanford’s Management Science & Engineering program prides itself on preparing students with the necessary tools to make informed decisions and help form policies, while also configuring business structures, designing engineering systems, and solving problems related to information technology.

Students at Stanford get significant training in analytical and conceptual foundations of the supply chain management field, as well as comprehensive coverage of the applications’ functional areas. What’s more, Stanford students have the unique opportunity to interact with many leading businesses in Silicon Valley, as well as state and federal government departments. Students become well versed in the latest developments in dynamic systems, optimization, economics, risk analysis, organizational science, and stochastic systems.

Stanford students go on to productive careers in business, universities, non profit organizations, and governmental agencies.