Another option is to pursue a graduate supply chain certificate through a university. In this option, participants take the same courses as a student pursuing a formal degree but focus their efforts on the supply chain content. At the University of Missouri, St. Louis (UMSL), participants complete six semester-long courses for the certificate. This allows qualified professionals to obtain graduate school knowledge without committing to a 15 or 20-course Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
“The program allows you to focus on the supply chain issues that are important to your employer,” notes Ray Mundy, Barringer Professor for Transportation Studies at UMSL. “You can complete the supply chain graduate certificate in a year versus three years in a part-time MBA program. If you later decide to pursue the MBA degree, the SCM courses count toward it.”
The final alternative is to participate in formal certification programs offered by professional associations. Often, university faculty assist with SCM certification program design, training material development, test content creation, and prep course delivery.
Supply chain professionals can pursue discipline-centric certification through the Institute of Supply Management, the American Society of Transportation & Logistics, and the American Production and Inventory Control Society.
The newest offering in certification is “SCPro,” a three-level certification program offered by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals Association (cscmpcertification.org). The SCPro program was developed by leading faculty from Auburn University, the University of Tennessee, Ohio University, and
Miami University of Ohio. Certification includes case study exams and a company project to ensure supply chain professionals develop a broad array of essential skills and demonstrate mastery of the complete range of end-to-end global supply chain functions.
“Supply chain certification plays an important role in ensuring that you’re attuned to new supply chain trends, techniques, and technologies,” explains Chris Moberg, Professor of Marketing at Ohio University and SCPro Steering Committee chairman. “Running a supply chain is getting more difficult. Certification is a great way to demonstrate you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to make a difference for your organization.”
Graduate Education
The traditional approach to advanced supply chain education remains a valuable option for produce industry professionals. Graduate degree programs help individuals develop a mastery of the supply chain strategies, analytical skills, and cross-enterprise tradeoffs that drive customer retention and profitable growth—though these formal degree programs can be expensive and time intensive. Thus, they are best suited to an individual who wishes to shift his/her career trajectory towards a more strategic role within an organization.
Supply chain professionals must evaluate a number of graduate education options when choosing a university, including program type and structure. The first decision is whether to pursue an MBA degree with a concentration in SCM or a Master of Science in SCM degree. The MBA degree covers a broad array of business functions in addition to four or five SCM specific courses. The MS degree takes a deeper analytical dive into SCM.
