What Background Do You Need to Apply to UT’s Online MS in Supply Chain Management?

Supply chain management requires coordination among different contributors to ensure the smooth and efficient transport of deliverables. When operating effectively, supply chain management minimizes waste, boosts customer satisfaction and offers a competitive edge, all critical for a company’s success. 

Success stories demonstrate the importance of the discipline. Amazon is the most conspicuous: the company revolutionized e-commerce by optimizing supply chain management. The Amazon effect changed consumer expectations and pushed companies to streamline their supply chains to remain competitive and meet customer demands. 

Consumers also see the impact of poor supply chain management when they can’t purchase a desired product (remember the toilet paper shortage during the pandemic?), experience a shipping delay or have to pay more for an item due to low inventory. Supply chain issues drive consumer choices with increasing frequency, elevating the importance of supply chain managers.

Supply chain management offers varied career paths and advancement opportunities in a range of settings; it can be an enriching lifelong career. The University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville’s Master of Science in Supply Chain Management Online helps professionals further their supply chain management careers or transition into the field. Delivered through the Haslam College of Business, the flexible 30-credit program enables students to finish in 18–24 months. Students benefit from access to corporate industry leaders, top faculty and researchers through the Global Supply Chain Institute (GSCI), a supply chain thought leadership and talent development hub. 

This article explores the background prospective students need to thrive in the MS SCM Online program and, ultimately, the supply chain management field.

Supply Chain Students’ Academic Experience 

To qualify for the MS in Supply Chain Management Online, prospective students need a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.7, or 3.0 during their senior year of undergraduate study. No specific undergraduate major is required; however, most candidates have undergraduate degrees in a business-related field or supply chain management. The program requires a working knowledge of college algebra; calculus and statistics proficiency is a plus.

Where do Supply Chain Management Master’s Students Work?

The MS in Supply Chain Management Online attracts candidates from diverse backgrounds. The program offers a pathway for students to advance or transition into supply chain management and operations. It caters to professionals with three to ten years of experience in supply chain management or a related field. Its emphasis on applied learning provides the most value to students who can directly employ classroom knowledge in their current jobs.

MS SCM Online students have an average of seven years of professional experience and work at companies such as Amazon, Tractor Supply, DHL, J.B. Hunt, Cummins, Lockheed Martin, Google, and SAP. Their job titles typically reflect mid-level management roles:

• Business Continuity and Recovery Lead
• Category Owner (Sr. SC Planner)
• Director
• Fleet Manager
• Inventory Manager
• Logistics Broker
• Logistics Officer
• Sr. Buyer, Global Sourcing
• Sr. Operational Excellence Engineer
• Sr. Tax Accountant

The UT admissions committee values diverse perspectives in the classroom, so don’t rule yourself out if your background doesn’t match the admissions criteria.

Who Is the MS in Supply Chain Management For?

Whether students want to advance to senior supply chain management and operations positions or transition into the field, program graduates can pursue many career paths. Many alumni choose to pursue these roles:

• Supply chain manager: Supply chain managers oversee the supply chain process, optimizing value, infrastructure, logistics, demand synchronization and performance to maximize profits. Their median salary range is $89,000–$106,800. More than half of all professionals in this field hold a master’s degree.
• Logistics manager: Logistics managers oversee the incoming and outgoing inventory flow, create transportation and distribution routes, supervise fleets, manage budgets, handle shipment processing and oversee warehouse operations. Logistics managers make a median salary of $86,500–$99,000. One-third of all professionals in this field hold a master’s degree.
• Materials manager: Materials managers support the material flow cycle, ensuring products meet customer demand, reducing waste, managing inventory, and aligning output with the company’s financial goals. The median salary for materials managers is between $94,067–$119,465. About a quarter of all professionals in this field hold a graduate degree.
• Buyer/planner: Buyer/planner responsibilities include purchasing, planning, forecasting, customer and vendor management, and ensuring the timely delivery of materials. Buyer/planners earn a median salary of $70,000–$88,900. Most professionals in this role hold a bachelor’s degree; 14 percent have a master’s.

Regardless of their background, students in the program develop strategic insights and the practical expertise needed to thrive in the global marketplace. After working in public education for almost two decades, Ron Wallace (MS SCM Online ’22) began looking for a new, more flexible career. He enjoyed logistics and data, so he decided to pursue a graduate degree in supply chain management to help him transition into the field. 

With an undergraduate degree in history, Wallace knew the importance of finding a program that welcomed nontraditional students. He also wanted to attend a reputable school to ensure he would acquire the skills sought by employers. Wallace chose UT’s MS SCM Online because it checked all the boxes. 

Wallace developed new skills and knowledge of supply chain management concepts throughout the program. Two months before graduation and only two years after starting his journey, Wallace secured a position as a sourcing and procurement manager at American Health Network. Wallace shares this advice with prospective students: “You bring value to the table. Even if you’re making a career change late, there is still value there… I realized a lot of my skills transferred. It was a matter of returning to school to add new skills I’d need to succeed.”

Do You Have the Right Background for a Career in Supply Chain Management?

UT’s MS in Supply Chain Management Online candidates typically have seven years of relevant professional experience and an undergraduate degree in a business field or supply chain management. The program welcomes candidates from other backgrounds. 

The flexible program format combines asynchronous and synchronous coursework with in-person immersions; students can choose to study at a part-time or full-time pace. MS SCM Online students enjoy the unique benefit of joining a global network of supply chain experts through the GSCI, helping them develop professional connections that can propel their careers. 

If the MS SCM Online sounds like a good match for your career goals, contact an enrollment advisor for one-on-one support. They can help you determine whether the degree program fits your background and goals, confirm your program eligibility, review the application and admissions requirements, and answer your questions.