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.
Concentrations (Required) and Options Available
Integrated Supply Chain — Course Only without Comprehensive Exam
Tri-Continent Supply Chain — Course Only without Comprehensive Exam
Campus Code
Distance Education — Integrated Supply Chain
Knoxville Campus — Tri-Continent Supply Chain
Admissions Standards/Procedures
- The Graduate and Executive Education department at the HCB, 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 UT 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 GPA of at least 3.0 is required for graduation.
Integrated Supply Chain Concentration — Course 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 credit hours as shown below. This is a course-only option without a comprehensive exam but with a culminating capstone experience in SCM 580 . All courses are 3 credit hours each.
- *SCM 545 must be taken in the first semester of study.
- **SCM 580 must be taken in the final semester of study.
- The introductory course and capstone course add some order to program progression. However, students otherwise can take coursework in a manner that best fits their schedule. No formal course electives are offered in this concentration. This concentration does not strictly use a cohort system, so students can complete the concentration as their schedule and finances allow. This flexibility would allow students to complete the concentration in as little as 18 months or more slowly based upon individual situations.
Tri-Continent Supply Chain Concentration — Course 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 both Kühne Logistics University (KLU), Hamburg, Germany, and Tongji University (Tongji), Shanghai, China. This concentration is a cohort group 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 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. The structure of this concentration would approach the subject with a truly integrative approach that encompasses sales, procurement, operations, logistics, customer service, and other functions of the overall process, all of which develop talent that can effect change across an integrated supply chain and, ultimately, the entire organization. This approach is innovative, global in outlook, and will be prized by both students and the business community.
Credit Hours Required
39 graduate credit hours
Required Courses
- Core and sub-core requirements for the Tri-Continent concentration total 39 credit hours. The concentration requires completion of 39 credit hours distributed as follows (for semester-by-semester schedule see Additional Information below). This concentration is a course-only option without a comprehensive exam but with a culminating capstone experience in SCM 575 .
- 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.
Additional Course Requirements
- Pre-Requisites
- SCM 553 (KLU Faculty) (3 credit hours) (pre-requisite for SCM 575 )
- SCM 554 (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.
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 I Term – Courses Delivered at Kuhne Logistics University, Hamburg, Germany
- SCM 551 (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 (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 (Tongji Faculty) (9 credit hours)
- Includes Operations Research, Operations Management, Information Systems, Statistics, Chinese SCM
- Fall II Term - UT, Knoxville
- Spring II Term - UT, Knoxville
