The Haslam College of Business at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) offers the Master of Science degree with a major in Supply Chain Management (MSSCM) to prepare students to careers in supply chain management. This degree offers the opportunity to study for one semester at both Kühne Logistics University (KLU), Hamburg, Germany, and Tongji University (Tongji), Shanghai, China. This is a cohort program where students from all three universities study together on each of the three campuses for one semester before returning to their home institutions for the final semester and graduation at their respective universities. A majority of 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.
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 proposed Supply Chain Management major, MS would approach 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.
Admission Requirements
The admissions group at the HCB will perform reviews of student files along with the faculty program leader from the department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management. This group will review all applications and recommend prospective students for admission to the program. The following admission standards will guide the process for admission to the program.
- Meet UTK Graduate School requirements for admission.
- Hold an undergraduate’s degree in business (or equivalent) from an accredited program. Applicants from international programs will be reviewed on an individual basis.
- For UTK undergraduate students, grade point average and recommendation letters from faculty are required.
- For non-UTK undergraduate students, minimum grade point average and recommendation letters from faculty are required, additional evaluation material may be required.
- All students must adhere to all UTK ethical and professional standards (see Hilltopics).
Retention Standards
- A minimum grade of B in all HCB courses and a 3.00 cumulative GPA is required for continuation in the program; and
- 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.
Procedure for Application to Program
- Complete Haslam College of Business Application Form.
- Adhere to application deadlines and other requirements as posted on the Haslam College of Business website; and
- Students will be admitted in cohorts. Should a student be unable to continue the sequence of courses with their admitted cohort, they will be able to continue their course work with the next available course of studies for the subsequent cohort.
Course Requirements
Core and sub-core requirements total 39 credit hours. The proposed program requires completion of 39 semester credit hours (SCH) distributed as follows (for semester by semester schedule see Curriculum for One Program Cycle below):
Required Courses |
Credit Hours |
SCM 551 Master’s Program Core I (KLU) |
9 |
SCM 552 Supply Chain Simulation (UT) |
3 |
SCM 561 Master’s Program Core II (Tongji) |
9 |
SCM 571 Strategic Supply and Cost Management (UT) |
3 |
SCM 572 Innovation & Risk Management (UT) |
3 |
SCM 573 Distribution, Logistics and Network Mgmt (UT) |
3 |
SCM 574 Integrated Global Supply Chain Mgmt (UT) |
3 |
SCM 575 Capstone Integrative (UT) |
6 |
Total Credit Hours |
39 |
Sub-major requirements
There are no sub-major requirements.
Electives
No formal course electives are offered as this is a cohort-based program. During the first semester of the program, students can choose to direct their focus in SCM 551 toward either Strategic Issues in Supply Chain Management or Demand Planning and Inventory Management. Further, optional exercises and visits focused on conducting business in that particular part of the world, e.g. Europe, China and the US will be offered at key points throughout the program.
Curriculum for One Program Cycle
The proposed program requires completion of 39 semester credit hours (SCH) distributed as follows:
Pre-requisites*
SCM 553 Applied Research Methods (KLU Faculty), 3 credit hours
(pre-requisite for SCM 575 .
SCM 554 Transportation and Distribution (KLU Faculty), 3 credit hours
(pre-requisite for SCM 573 )
*SCM 553 and SCM 554 are pre-requisite requirements for coursework taken in the second year of the program. As most students (particularly UT students) will not have taken these courses, KLU will offer them in a shortened session between semesters 1 and 2 of the program to ensure that all students have the opportunity to complete the coursework.
Fall I Term – Courses Delivered at Kuhne Logistics University, Hamburg, Germany
SCM 551 Master’s Program Core I (KLU Faculty), 9 credit hours
Includes Business Strategy, Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Business Logistics, Demand Planning and Inventory Management or Strategic SCM Issues, European SCM
SCM 552 Supply Chain Simulation (UT Faculty**), 3 credit hours
**UT Faculty will teach the majority of this course in a compressed format at KLU at the beginning of the first semester. Some aspects of the web-based simulation activity will utilize distance education delivery. Faculty will ensure ample opportunity for student access during both face-to-face and distance portions of the course.
Spring I Term - Tongji University, Shanghai, China
SCM 561 Master’s Program Core II (Tongji Faculty), 9 credit hours
Includes Operations Research, Operations Management, Information Systems, Statistics, Chinese SCM
Fall II Term - UTK, Knoxville
SCM 571 Strategic Supply and Cost Management (UTK), 3 credit hours
SCM 572 Innovation and Risk Management (UTK), 3 credit hours
SCM 573 Distribution, Logistics and Network Management, 3 credit hours
SCM 574 Integrated Global Supply Chain Management, 3 credit hours
Spring II Term - UTK, Knoxville
SCM 575 Capstone Integrative, 6 credit hours
Total program credit hours = 39