Supply Chain Schools — Training A New Generation
By Melissa Lind, contributing writer
As Baby Boomers will soon begin exiting the workforce, food and beverage manufacturers’ need for a new generation of supply chain managers is bigger than ever
A few years ago, no one would have considered the need for specific degree and training programs to address supply chain needs. Fortunately, a number of well-known universities did recognize the need and have addressed it with programs teaching students the ins and outs of the supply chain. SCM World, a supply chain research organization, recently compiled a list of the top university-level supply chain programs based on a survey of supply chain practitioners who selected programs with particular stand-out features.
Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business is in the fundraising and planning stage for new research institute to focus on supply chain management and will be working with undergraduate through postdoctoral level students along with industry collaborators furthering its program. Harvard has conducted and published research in multiple supply chain management areas including regulatory and risk management as well as the study of social and environmental factors such as climate change and adherence to good standards in developing countries. Purdue’s Krannert School of Management also has ongoing research regarding consumer demand influencing the supply chain.
Institute programs were recognized at MIT, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. MIT boasts two programs, The Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), based on the Cambridge campus and the MIT Global SCALE (Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence) network which has expanded MIT’s influence to an international audience with centers in Europe, South America, and Asia. Georgia Tech’s H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering houses the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL), focusing on the engineering of supply chain systems. They, along with Broward College, were joint recipients of a U.S. Department of Labor Grant of $25 million to develop eight certification programs across all areas of supply chain management and logistics.
Penn State University and Stanford University have curriculum specifically focusing on Supply Chain Management, while Arizona State University will offer a degree program beginning in the fall of 2014. Penn State’s Smeal College of Business offers programs at all levels of collegiate education from Bachelor’s through Doctoral level and executive programs through the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems and has recently launched new programs focusing on analytics and Big Data along with transportation and sourcing. Stanford’s Graduate School of Business brings university students, faculty members, and industry leaders together in the Value Chain Innovation Initiative and is also known for its research in supply chain management and other areas of logistics concern. Arizona State University will offer a Master of Science degree in Supply Chain Management and Engineering, beginning in the fall of 2014. The 21-month program will conclude with an internship-type project with work in the business environment.
Twice-yearly forums are held at the University of Tennessee and the Ohio State University. Both bring executives and academics together to meet on supply chain issues. UT has also conducted a number of recognized research projects regarding the trucking industry and integration of purchasing and logistics and conducts auditing services for corporations to compare performance levels to best-in-class benchmarks. Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business also has faculty members experienced in various areas of supply chain and logistics management in both the Marketing & Logistics department as well as the Management Science department.
As the food supply chain continues to grow longer through global expansion, manufacturers will continue to need better qualified supply chain managers in greater numbers, particularly as senior management, largely composed of Baby Boomers inches closer to retirement. These programs are likely just the beginning of cascade of universities recognizing an expanding need for multi-functional managers.