<p>Any opinions on this school? Has anyone attended or know anyone that has attended? I could go there with pretty much no debt upon graduation, but I'm not sure what the quality and quantity of job opportunities will be, especially compared to the other higher ranked schools I have on my list. </p>
<p>Also, the school has a fast-track program where you get a BS in Operations Management and then a MS in Supply Chain in a shorter amount of time. My question there is would an MS in supply chain make me overqualified, or would it make me more competitive for supply chain jobs? Anyone know how employers view the MS in supply chain, because so far I've only looked into the BS in supply chain as an option.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply bigred. Yea, I actually just read on the website last night about the number of companies recruiting there and it definitely intrigued me. I firgured the fact that it is located in the Dallas-FW metroplex with all the multinational corporations located there would be a big plus.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on the MS in supply chain? Should I go straight into it from undergrad or get work experience first?</p>
<p>im not too sure about the supply chain track. try emailing one of the career advisers or a professor that teaches one of the classes. they’ll have better answers for you</p>
<p>A MS in supply chain won’t make you overqualified, but I’ve had friends working at companies doing the same thing (and getting paid the same) as people with masters degrees.</p>
<p>Thanks again bigred for the response. Have you actually gone to UTDallas? I just talked to a friend who has two friends going there and they both say they hate it because it’s boring and a commuter school, but honestly, at 24 with a wife and daughter, I’m not looking for good parties or anything and I’d rather be surrounded by more serious, mature, career-minded people.</p>
<p>Thanol, there do seem to be a couple of pros to it though. For one, graduate level coursework and expertise seems like it should set that candidate apart from mere bachelor’s degree holders. Number two, the business graduate school at UT Dallas is ranked 50th in the nation, while the business undergrad school is only ranked around 90. I have noticed while looking at the student career surveys that the graduate students have a much higher placement rate than the undergrad students, but of course those statistics include UT Dallas’ highly respected MBA program.</p>
<p>Also, it seems that although there won’t be a difference at the start of one’s career, simply having a master’s degree could open up more opportunities at the management level after a few years of working. And another big plus is that the fast-track option allows a student to complete the master’s degree in only one year, saving time and money. If I wanted to go back for a master’s degree later, the cost would be higher (especially considering that tuition is rising much greater than inflation is), and it would take more time.</p>
<p>As long as cost isn’t an issue, going for a masters wouldn’t be a bad idea. The only impression that I have of UT Dallas is from one of my professors (Operations Management) who said that I should look into going there for graduate studies, because I’m relocating to Dallas this summer. In my experience, companies will rank prior experience higher than degree or grades, so if the bachelors-masters program would allow you enough flexibility to take on SCM related internship that would be pretty beneficial. </p>
<p>If you can find a list of companies that recruit at UT-Dallas (u-grad vs masters) that could help you decide what to do. One indicator that you could use to judge the strength of UT Dallas is to see how many of the major companies that are based in Dallas-Ft Worth recruit there, especially companies that are known for their operations/supply chains like Frito-Lay or Southwest. On other thing to keep in mind at Ohio State, if you’re majoring in operations or logistics, most of the companies that recruit are for out-of-state positions. So with your family, I’m not sure how that might factor in.</p>
<p>In hindsight, if I were looking for a school to go to, I would completely base it on the companies that recruit there. The vast majority of my friends who have jobs lined up after school got them from on-campus recruiting.</p>
<p>The supply chain website for the school of management claims that over 30 multinational companies have recruited specifically for supply chain related jobs at their campus over the last 5 years. I haven’t found the exact statistics, but I estimate that there are about 30-75 operations management/supply chain graduates each year, so that’s a pretty good supply/demand ratio for jobs. </p>
<p>The website also claims that “The School of Management has close relationships with many supply chain companies for job placement and internships.” And they point out that “The Dallas Metroplex is home to the world-leading supply chain companies such as i2 Technologies, Sabre Holdings, JC Penney, Blockbuster, Frito-Lay, PepsiCo, Lockheed and Raytheon. All run complex supply chains and are constantly looking for well-qualified professionals.”</p>
<p>Pretty enticing, and the one thing I love about supply chain is that it seems like an interesting field that is in high demand, and unlike accounting and finance, not a lot of people talk about it. There may be a catch I’m not seeing, but it sounds gravy to me.</p>
<p>I am a senior at UT-Dallas and the push to get in the Fast Track program is strong. What I have noticed is that students that are a little older (I’m 24 and had to leave school for a couple of years) would rather work and then come back for their MBA, MS in Finance etc. The younger students that plan on having their bachelor’s at 21 or 22, they almost blindly sign up for the Fast Track or the PPA program (for accounting majors) without giving thought to whether or not it is what they want to do.</p>
<p>The young students may have had an internship but none have worked 60,70 or 80 hours a week as an accountant etc. Before you invest the time to get a master’s in anything, it helps to find work with a bachelor’s and see if it is what you really want to do. You may enjoy finance as an undergrad but then discover you have a knack for marketing. An undergrad in accounting or finance and an MS in marketing or even an MBA is a strong combo.</p>
<p>A lot of these kids (I say kids but am about the same age…I just feel older) don’t realize that a university is a business. Their aim is to keep you in school…giving them money…while simultaneously moving toward the goal of getting a degree. Also, many business-related jobs want certifications (CFE, CFA, FINRA etc.) and so, while getting your masters is important…you have to figure out if having both that and various certifications is necessary.</p>
<p>Typically with an MBA, it is expected that you have some amount of experience. A 23-year old with an MBA that has gone to school the whole time, doesn’t add much value to a firm…other than the fact that they will demand a higher salary.</p>
<p>I’m ranting…but seriously the push to funnel everyone into grad school straight from the undergrad program is much stronger than I ever remember it being.</p>