May 09, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

Supply Chain Management Major, MS


The purpose of this degree program is to prepare students with an undergraduate degree in business or engineering for a career in supply chain management. Integrated supply chain management has emerged as a critical strategic priority for many firms over the past decade, but the talent pool that can properly conceptualize and drive supply chain from this new strategic perspective is currently lacking. This program will provide the strategic, integrative, and analytical skills that businesses desire in new talent and prepare students for the day-to-day problems they will face on the job. The structure of the Supply Chain Management major, MS, approaches the subject with a truly integrative approach that encompasses sales, procurement, operations, logistics, customer service, and other functions of the overall process, in order to develop talent that can effect change across an integrated supply chain and, ultimately, the entire organization. This integrative approach is innovative, global in outlook, and will be prized by both students and the business community.

Campus Code


Knoxville Campus — Tri-Continent Supply Chain

Distance Education — Integrated Supply Chain

Admissions Standards/Procedures


  • The Graduate and Executive Education department at Haslam College of Business, along with the faculty director from the Department of Supply Chain Management, will review student application files. The following admission standards will guide the process for admission to the program and concentration.
    • Meet UTK Graduate School requirements for admission.
    • Applicants who hold an undergraduate degree in business, engineering, or related fields will be given preference for admission, as will those with supply chain management work experience.
    • Applicants from international programs will be reviewed on an individual basis.
    • For non-UTK undergraduate students, additional evaluation material may be required.
    • Students must adhere to all UTK ethical and professional standards (see Hilltopics).
  • Procedure for Application to the Program and concentration
    • Complete online application through UTK Office of Graduate Admissions.
    • Adhere to application deadlines and other requirements as posted on the Haslam College of Business website.
    • Students will be admitted for start in a particular semester. However, students can defer admission by up to one calendar year before needing to reapply through the UTK Office of Graduate Admissions.

Academic Standards


  • Retention Standards
    • Academic standing is defined as designated by the Graduate School.
    • Students must adhere to ethical and professional standards.
  • Graduation Standards
    • To be eligible for graduation, students must:
      • Complete the entire curriculum plan per UTK Graduate School policies as specified by the University of Tennessee.
      • A cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.00 is required for graduation

Integrated Supply Chain Concentration — Coursework Only Without Comprehensive Exam


The Haslam College of Business (HCB) at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) offers the Master of Science degree with a major in Supply Chain Management (MSSCM) to prepare students for careers in supply chain management. Integrated supply chain management has emerged as a critical strategic priority for many firms over the past decade, but the talent pool that can properly conceptualize and drive supply chain from this new strategic perspective is currently lacking. This Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) concentration provides the strategic, integrative, and analytical skills that businesses desire. The concentration takes a truly integrative approach that encompasses sales, procurement, operations, logistics, customer service, and other functions of the overall process. This approach develops talent that can effect change across an integrated supply chain and, ultimately, the entire organization.

Completion of SCM 580 may require students to participate in a short residence period, typically one week, on the University of Tennessee campus or at another announced location. The location will be noted with each offered section of SCM 580.

Credit Hours Required


30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses


  • Core and sub-core requirements for the Integrated Supply Chain concentration total 30 graduate credit hours as shown below. This is a coursework only option without a comprehensive exam but with a culminating capstone experience in SCM 580. All courses are 3 credit hours each.

Tri-Continent Supply Chain Concentration — Coursework Only Without Comprehensive Exam


The Haslam College of Business (HCB) at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) offers the Master of Science degree with a major in Supply Chain Management (MSSCM) to prepare students for careers in supply chain management. This Tri-Continent Supply Chain concentration offers the opportunity to study for one semester at Kühne Logistics University (KLU), Hamburg, Germany, along with two terms of study at UTK. For students who choose to pursue a second degree from KLU, a second semester of study abroad is required at a school of the student’s choice. This concentration is a cohort group where students from two universities study together on each of the two campuses. A majority of graduate credit hours for UTK students will be earned at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the degree will be solely from the University of Tennessee. A double degree option is available from KLU and requires completion of an additional semester of coursework and a thesis as a KLU student.

The purpose of this concentration is to prepare students with an undergraduate degree in business, engineering or related fields for a career in supply chain management. Supply chain management has emerged as a critical strategic priority for many firms over the past decade, but the talent pool that can properly conceptualize and drive supply chain from this new strategic perspective is currently lacking. This concentration will provide the strategic, integrative, and analytical skills that businesses desire in new talent and prepare students for the day-to-day problems they will face on the job.

Credit Hours Required


30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses


  • Core and sub-core requirements for the Tri-Continent concentration total 30 graduate credit hours. The concentration requires completion of 30 graduate credit hours distributed as follows (for semester-by-semester schedule see Additional Information below). This concentration is a coursework only option without a comprehensive exam but with a culminating capstone experience in SCM 575.

Non-Course Requirements


  • In lieu of comprehensive exams, students must complete and pass a 1-semester project as part of the degree requirement.

Additional Information


Fall 1 Term


Courses Delivered at Kuhne Logistics University, Hamburg, Germany

  • (KLU Faculty) (9 credit hours)
  • Includes Business Strategy, Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Business Logistics, Demand Planning and Inventory Management or Strategic SCM Issues

Summer 1 Term


UT, Knoxville