As networks have continued to expand, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has become one of the most critical areas for companies with a need to move products around the globe. Several hundred thousand new jobs in Supply Chain and Logistics have been created since 2018, and this growth is likely to continue as more and more companies recognize the importance of optimizing their supply chain.
Because the importance of this role has grown so rapidly in recent years, the labor market is currently experiencing a dearth of Supply Chain professionals, and most of the people working in this area do not have a formal education in Supply Chain Management. Companies are correspondingly desperate to find talented college graduates in Supply Chain Management, and are willing to pay for their services. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, logisticians in SCM earn a median salary of $76,270. Research from Universal Logistics highlights that for Supply Chain Specialists with 3-5 years of experience, average salary jumps to $97,000. Furthermore, students who secure jobs in this field will be able to have a real impact, as global supply chains continue to proliferate and impact economies and environments throughout the world.
When conducting meetings with large-scale employers throughout the country, we learned a very simple truth: companies want well-rounded graduates that have received a diverse education but can also perform a specific skill at a high level. Employers are well aware that the best employees are those who can think critically, learn quickly, problem solve, strategize, and operate with degrees of freedom within the business. However, their hiring needs at the entry-level are increasingly specialized - they need employees who can perform specific tasks reliably from day one.
Our Supply Chain Management major is correspondingly designed to provide students with a comprehensive skill set in Supply Chain Management while also leaving ample room in their schedules for foundational courses imperative for their long-term success. The ultimate goal of this major is to help students learn the skills necessary to secure an entry-level position in SCM, while also providing them with the educational background necessary for them to grow in their careers in the years to come. This major is therefore built on top of existing business curricula, where students will acquire a well-rounded knowledge base of business and business concepts. In tandem with this learning, students will also enroll in SCM-specific courses, where they will learn the skills necessary to work in Supply Chain management roles in today’s economy. Finally, students will culminate their majors with a capstone course created in partnership with corporations, allowing them to gain hands-on experience in the type of work they will be required to perform in a professional setting and create a portfolio of work that can be shared with potential employers.
This curriculum was designed by Dr. Rudi Leuschner of Rutgers University in collaboration with various Fortune 500 companies and our Curriculum Development Team. Professor Leuschner is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management and the Program Director for the online MS in Supply Chain Management at Rutgers Business School. He is at the forefront of online education as the Faculty Coordinator for Distance and Online Learning, and the creator of the world's most popular Supply Chain Management MOOC specialization.
Dr. Leuschner’s status as one of the foremost academics in Supply Chain Management, as well as his experience in developing online education, made him the best possible choice for developing this curriculum. Furthermore, our continued collaboration with employers ensures that this curriculum will be consistently relevant to the modern workforce.
Dr. Rudolph Leuschner, Rutgers University - Dr. Leuschner is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management and the Program Director for the online MS in Supply Chain Management at Rutgers Business School. His primary research focuses on the end-to-end supply chain and the integration of its three primary flows: product, information, and financial. Specifically, in the new field of Supply Chain Finance, he has been active in developing relevant insights for academic and practitioner audiences. His work has appeared in (among others) the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Journal of Business Logistics, Decision Sciences, the Journal of Business Ethics, Harvard Business Review, and Rutgers Business Review.
Dr. Leuschner has been a frequent speaker at academic as well as practitioner conferences. His teaching interests at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive education level on the topics of Supply Chain Strategy, Innovation, Supply Chain Finance, and Demand Management. He received his Ph.D. in Logistics and a minor in Marketing from The Ohio State University.
This curriculum was inspired by meetings with 20+ employers throughout the country, the vast majority of whom indicated that they had significant interest in hiring college graduates with Supply Chain Management degrees. These same employers were then consulted about our finalized curriculum to ensure that the intended learning outcomes matched their hiring needs. Finally, we worked at length with two Fortune 500 companies with extensive supply chain departments (one fashion company and one furniture company) to verify that the final curriculum covered all learning outcomes and did not include any unnecessary courses.
The course now places a stronger emphasis on real-world scenarios and case studies. Assignments now require students to analyze and devise logistics networks and contingency plans for actual products, ensuring they gain practical, hands-on experience. The curriculum has been updated to reflect the latest trends and challenges in the supply chain industry, such as the integration of AI and the importance of sustainability. The course now covers a wider range of topics, offering a comprehensive overview of supply chain management. This broadened scope ensures that students receive a well-rounded education covering essential aspects of supply chain and logistics.
| Member | Organization | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rudi Leuschner | Rutgers Business School | Academic representative |
| Joshua Eaton | American Military University | Academic representative |
| John Hrabar | Defense Commissary Agency | Academic representative |
| Cathy Weiss | Lasell University | Academic representative |
| Mike Stevens | Supply Chain Victories | Industry representative |
| Matt Gornstein | Harry’s | Industry representative |