Top 10: Supply Chain Schools

Institutions around the world are educating the next generation of supply chain talent, while also helping established executives to enhance their already-extensive knowledge.

Here, Supply Chain Digital takes a look at the top 10 supply chain schools. 

10. McCombs School of Business

Based at the University of Texas, the McCombs School of Business is highly-regarded for its focus on technology and analytics in the supply chain industry. 

Its Supply Chain Management major is designed to prepare students for leadership in this field, examining the total systems approach taken by companies, suppliers and partners to deliver manufactured products and services to the end customer.

McCombs became a standalone school more than a century ago, in 1922, and opened its newest learning facility, the Robert B. Rowling Hall, in 2018. 

9. Stanford Graduate School of Business

Founded way back in 1925, the Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of seven schools at Stanford University, California, one of the most prestigious universities in the US and the world. 

The high-ranking business school is widely known for its operations and supply chain management curriculum, with a focus on innovation.

Topics vary from the basics, such as defining supply chains, through to inventory, supplier management, performance measurement, industrial applications and tools for analysis.

8. Rotterdam School of Management 

As a neighbour of Europe's busiest port, Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University is a leader in supply chain management research. 

In a nutshell, its year-long Supply Chain Management master’s course offers:

• An integrated approach to supply chain design
• Cutting-edge insights into the application of IT in supply chains
• Intensive contact with the logistics and supply chain management business community
• Wealth of knowledge and expertise in supply chain management

Ultimately, the programme offers a sound basis for careers in logistics improvement project management, consultancy and design.

7. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

The first of two Pennsylvania-based entries on our list, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1881 – making it one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the world. 

Its online Global Supply Chain Management Program lasts for six weeks and is offered by the executive education division of the school, providing a comprehensive understanding of modern-day global supply chain challenges.

Participants are given the opportunity to learn how supply chains have reacted to global stresses and develop an action plan to reimagine the current global supply chain based on identified opportunities for improvement.

6. Cardiff University 

Cardiff University’s offering of supply chain courses is among the very best in Europe and around the world. 

Its MSc in Sustainable Supply Chain Management, for example, has a unique focus on sustainability and ethical trading. Participants are assisted in their efforts to become professionals capable of making decisions that consider the full range of economic, social and environmental impacts of supply chains.

Experts draw on academic and consultancy expertise to prepare students for global career opportunities, introducing them to all aspects of procurement, supply and distribution of products. 

5. Smeal College of Business

Smeal College of Business at Penn State offers one of the first and largest supply chain programmes in the US. 

At the heart of the digital revolution in supply chain management is the college’s Supply Chain & Information Systems (SCIS) department, which stands at the intersection of academia and industry and boasts a team of leading experts in the field.

Scholars adopt a holistic systems approach to the entire supply chain, integrating information, data, and technology for informed decision-making.

However, what truly sets the SCIS department apart is its unique ability to prepare graduates for seamless integration into the industry.

4. Cranfield School of Management

Cranfield School of Management is one of the oldest business schools in Europe and a world leader in management education and research.

Based in the UK about an hour from the outskirts of Greater London, the institution’s Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc is a top-ranked supply chain master's course.

It has been co-designed alongside senior logistics and supply chain professionals, and is delivered by one of the continent’s largest specialist logistics and supply chain management faculty. 

The course is designed to provide postgraduate students with the knowledge and skills required to help them make a significant difference in the global marketplace.

3. Michigan Ross

The Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan offers undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and PhD programmes in business and management. 

Courses include Global Supply Chain Management, which is aimed at helping students to understand—among numerous learnings—the following:

• Effective management of end-to-end supply chain
• Key drivers of supply chain performance and their inter-relationships with business strategy and other functions
• The importance of risk management in the extended global supply chain

Masters of Supply Chain Management from Michigan Ross have gone on to land jobs at some of the biggest organisations in the world including Amazon, Deloitte and Microsoft. 

2. INSEAD

With campuses in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America, INSEAD bills itself as the ‘business school for the world’.

It offers MBA, executive education and PhD programmes with a focus on global supply chain management.

The five-day Supply Chain Management course teaches executives how to evaluate trade-offs between lean and resilient supply chains in turbulent global environments, integrate sustainability and ESG in supply chain design, and lead successful digital transformations. Participants should either be responsible for, or contribute to, the supply chain decision-making process in their company.

1. MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

Launched in 1973, the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL)  is a dynamic, solutions-oriented environment where students, faculty and industry leaders pool their knowledge and experience to advance supply chain education and research. 

Its integrated Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network includes more than 80 researchers and faculty members from multiple disciplines, six centres of excellence and around 1,000 alumni worldwide. 

Over the years, MIT CTL has made significant contributions to supply chain and logistics, and has helped numerous companies gain a competitive advantage thanks to its cutting-edge research.

Its master’s and doctoral programs are consistently ranked among the very best in the US.

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