Supply Chain Management

(Administered by the Department of Logistics, Operations and Management Information Systems)

The Department of Logistics, Operations, and Management Information Systems participates in three graduate degree programs: the M.S. in Business, the M.B.A. full-time and part-time programs and the Ph.D. program in Business and Technology. The M.S. degree in Business is a 30-credit curriculum culminating in a thesis. The M.B.A. program is a 48-credit, nonthesis, noncreative component curriculum. Twenty-four of the 48 credits are core courses and the remaining 24 are graduate electives. The Ph.D. program is a 56-credit curriculum that culminates in a dissertation. The department also participates in the interdepartmental transportation major.

Students can obtain a Specialization in Supply Chain Management in the MBA program by taking 12 credits of graduate courses from a selected set of courses.

Students can also obtain a Ph.D. in Business and Technology with Supply Chain Management as the major area of specialization. They need to take 9 credits of the Ph.D. core curriculum 12 credits of doctoral seminars in the area of specialization, 9 credits in a minor area of the student's choice, and 12 credits from a recommended list of research methods courses.

Supply chain management is a program of study concerned with the efficient and timely flow of materials, products, and information within and among organizations. It involves the integration of business processes across organizations, from material sources and suppliers through manufacturing and processing to the final customer. Supply chain management encompasses a wide variety of activities that have a significant influence on customer service, including the planning, control, and implementation of the processes used to transform inputs into finished goods and services, transportation, warehousing, facility location analysis, packaging, materials handling, parts and service support, and product returns.

The study of Supply Chain Management prepares students for professional careers with manufacturers, distributors, logistics service providers, transportation carriers, and consulting firms. The curriculum provides the required theoretical/conceptual base and analytical methods for making sound operational and strategic supply chain management decisions.

Courses primarily for graduate students, open to qualified undergraduate students

SCM 502. Supply Chain Management. (2-0) Cr. 2.Prereq: Graduate classification. Introduction to the fields of operations and logistics. The managerial issues and challenges of developing and implementing a firm's supply chain strategy. Inbound and outbound logistics, inventory, warehousing, manufacturing, materials handling, transportation and sourcing.

SCM 520. Decision Models for Supply Chain Management. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. The application of decision models for supply chain management. Topics include business applications of decision theory, inventory theory, business forecasting, optimization models, transportation and network models, routing problems, and project management.

SCM 522. Supply Chain Planning and Control Systems. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. An integrated analysis of planning and control systems for supply chains. Master production scheduling, material requirements planning, enterprise resource planning, capacity planning, shop floor control, competitive analyses of modern supply chain systems, and implementation of information technologies related to these topics.

SCM 524. Strategic Process Analysis and Improvement. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. Analysis, management, and improvement of the business processes used to produce and deliver products and services that satisfy customer needs. Process attributes that managers can control to influence the key operational performance measures of throughput time, inventory, cost, quality, and flexibility are discussed. Topics such as theory of constraints, lean production, and six sigma are included.

SCM 560. Strategic Logistics Management. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. Positions logistics vis-a-vis supply chain management (SCM). Presents different perspectives on SCM vs. logistics. Describes primary logistics functions: transportation, warehousing, facility location, customer service, order processing, inventory management and packaging. Benefits of and obstacles to the integration of these functions.

SCM 561. Transportation Management and Policy. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. Analysis of contemporary issues and strategies in transportation management and policy. Emphasis on evaluation of the impacts of transportation policies, new technologies, and strategic carrier and shipper management practices on the freight transportation industry and logistics systems.

SCM 563. Purchasing and Supply Management. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. Mechanics, procedures and tools used in purchasing. Recruiting, selecting, developing and managing supply chain partners in order to achieve competitive advantage via superior supply chain management. Factors and information needs for making supply management decisions.

SCM 585. Strategic Demand Planning. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 502 or permission of instructor. Synchronizes demand with manufacturing and distribution. Emphasis on the strategic advantages of linking business plans and demand forecasts, both vertically within the organization and collaboratively among supply chain partners.

SCM 590. Special Topics. Cr. 1-3. Repeatable.Prereq: Graduate classification and permission of instructor. For students who wish to do individual research in a particular area of supply chain management.

Courses for graduate students

SCM 601. Theoretical Foundations of Supply Chain Management. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: MGMT 601 or permission of instructor. An overview of the development of supply chain management (SCM) theory, including review of seminal articles in logistics, operations, and purchasing management and theories from allied disciplines (e.g., economics, marketing, sociology, strategic management). Analysis of trends in SCM research topics and methodologies. Identification of emerging and future areas for research and theory development.

SCM 602. Seminar in Supply Chain Strategy. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 601 or concurrent enrollment. Review of research literature on supply chain strategy, including the impact of technology, global economic and social factors, and intra- and inter-organizational integration on supply chain strategy formation. The role of SCM in overall corporate strategy and the impact of SCM on firm performance will also be addressed.

SCM 603. Seminar in Purchasing. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 601 or concurrent enrollment. Review of classic purchasing theories. Discussion of contemporary supply management strategy; the role of supply management and its relationship with other functional areas; its impact on logistics and transportation issues; management of supply uncertainties.

SCM 604. Seminar in Logistics Management. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 601 or concurrent enrollment. Integration of network, economic, and systems theory in the design, management, and control of logistics systems in the context of integrated supply chain management. Functional areas addressed include transportation, inventory order fulfillment, distribution, and warehousing. Facility location analysis will also be covered.

SCM 605. Seminar in Operations Management. (3-0) Cr. 3.Prereq: SCM 601 or concurrent enrollment. Review of the research literature on methods of organizing, planning, controlling, and improving manufacturing systems to achieve the desired performance objectives related to cost, quality, speed, and flexibility. The relationship between the performance of the manufacturing system and the performance of the supply chain system will also be discussed.

SCM 650. Research Practicum I. (1-0) Cr. 1.Prereq: enrollment in the PhD program. Preparation of a research manuscript to be submitted to a peer-reviewed academic journal. Students will work with a faculty mentor on a research project.

SCM 651. Research Practicum II. (1-0) Cr. 1.Prereq: enrollment in the PhD program. Preparation of a second research manuscript to be submitted to a peer-reviewed academic journal. Although students work under the supervision of a faculty mentor, the students will take independent responsibility for the research project.

SCM 699. Dissertation. Cr. 12.Prereq: Graduate classification, permission of dissertation supervisor. Research.