Master's in Supply Chain Management, which school?

Graduate School
1

Hey guys! Long time lurker, first time poster. I completed a biology degree in December, but decided I no longer wanted to pursue any further degrees in the field. After much research, I have decided Logistics and Supply Chain Management is probably the best fit going forward. I’ve received a lot of advice to do a Master’s in SCM, instead of doing a second Bachelor’s. Coming from a non business degree background, my options were limited to what schools would accept me. I decided to go the online route and apply to the Master’s in SCM programs at Florida Institute of Technology and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide. I will be receiving admissions decisions at the end of the week to both. If I receive admission into both programs, I’m not sure which program would be the best choice. I have made a list of some of the aspects of each school/degree, and was hoping if you guys could give me some advice.

Florida Tech Online MS in Supply Chain Management:

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide MS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

  • Brick and mortar school is ranked 9th in regional universities in the south by US News.
  • ERAU Worldwide is ranked 1st in best online bachelor’s programs by US News.
  • $600 per credit hour.
  • Diploma indicates degree was done @ worldwide (online) campus.
  • Degree is 36 credit hours, with 24 being in supply chain, and 12 being electives in their MBA and Management courses.
  • Course breakdown @ http://catalog.erau.edu/worldwide/business/masters/logistics-supply-chain-management/

Now some of my thoughts. The cost of the degree is probably the least important aspect. I’m more worried about which degree will best prepare me for a career in SCM. Florida Tech seems to be the more renowned school. The thing with Florida Tech is that it seems like they just ported over 75% of one of their MBA degrees and added 4 supply chain courses to it. ERAU has double the coursework in supply chain than Florida Tech. Given that I don’t have a bachelor’s in SCM, wouldn’t the extra courses in supply chain be more valuable than the general business classes offered by Florida Tech?

Your thoughts? I appreciate it!

2

My understanding is that Michigan State, Arizona State, Ohio State and Penn State are among the top programs (MIT too). If there is a way to attend a top ranked program, it would probably serve you well.

Penn State appears to offer a masters in supply chain (non MBA) through their world campus. Looks like they even offer a certificate program which can be applied to the masters.

Good luck!

3

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I’m curious if you are working on in a related field and if that is why are seeking an online masters program.

These online masters supply chain programs seem to be targeted to people who are already engaged in a profession and are looking to advance or make a lateral or higher move, and that is why they don’t seem to have a strong internship component. People who are already gainfully employed in a business profession wouldn’t need internships, but a program offering internships would be very important to someone who wasn’t already engaged in a productive professional position.

If you are not already in engaged in a business career, I would choose a masters program that offers career placement services and internships. The difference in courses between those two programs seems less important.

4

^Above. Online programs are really targeted towards working professionals already in a field, or in a closely related one, who are looking to move up. In addition, it sounds like you just graduated last month. You might try to see if you can get some work experience first - for at least 2-3 years - before pursuing a master’s degree. (What made you decide an online format was best for you?)

You don’t want your options to be limited “to what schools will accept me.” Instead of accepting that, you should do things to improve your profile, and then apply. This is a $20-30K investment; you want to make sure you are spending that money wisely, and that your degree will actually help you get a job.

Given that you have little work experience in general I don’t think online is the best format for you, but if you are determined to do one of the two I would speak with some people who are engaged in the field and ask them which school is better-regarded overall and in the geographical area in which you wish to work. You might also poke around on LinkedIn and see where some of those folks in your field have graduated from.

5

I’m a supply chain VP in a large multi-national US based corporation and have been for 15 years. arc918 has identifiied some of the schools with strong supply chain programs. I’d add Northwestern, U.Tennessee Knoxville, and Michigan State. Supply chain is a pretty broad field - procurement, logistics, trade compliance, material planning, operations. You can be successful in supply chain (very successful) with a degree like biology. I’m not sure that you really need an advanced degree for an entry level professional supply chain position

6

I appreciate all four of your replies! :smiley: First of all , I do not have any work experience. I was hell bent on going to medical school till my junior year. I only have volunteer hours at various hospitals and clinics. The reason I am settling for an online degree is due to various logistical (no pun intended) and health issues. As you guys have said, a lot of these online masters are catered to working professionals. Without any experience, programs like MSU and PSU seem like a long shot. My GPA in my biology degree was only a 3.0. With a so so GPA and no business degree, it seems like landing an entry level supply chain position would be a long shot. As Wje stated, there are many different careers under the umbrella of supply chain management. But it seems like every job I have viewed requires a bachelor’s in finance or scm and experience. That’s why I was thinking I could just go straight after the Master’s and do an internship a semester into the degree. ERAU and Florida Tech’s degrees seem to cater to career changers like myself. Thanks again for your input!

Edit: MSU has a certificate available. MIT will also have a mini-masters which will be the equivalent to a certificate starting next month. Is a certificate enough to land an entry level job? I’m guessing having a bachelor’s already will show that I am capable.

7

For how many months have you been actively seeking employment? Why not spend a few months looking for work in the supply chain? Of course you are not going to start as a manager if you have no experience.

8

I have not been actively seeking employment. I also know I won’t be a manager right away. My plan was to head straight into a Master’s program and knock out an internship during my first few semesters too.

9

I spoke to the career services people at both universities. Florida Tech offers no help in finding internships or jobs after graduation. Embry Riddle offers internship help after 9 credits are taken, and also has there own search engine of jobs that are pre-approved for their degree. So given this information and that of my initial post, what would be the best option of these two universities?

Thanks!