In response to growing industry needs, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, business schools across the country are expanding their offerings in supply chain management.
In Connecticut, several colleges — including UConn, Quinnipiac University and the University of Hartford — are falling in line to help support numerous industries by turning out skilled workers in the supply chain field.
Quinnipiac five years ago launched a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, as well as a concentration option within its MBA program.
The university recognized increasing demand for supply chain expertise and added those focus areas as part of a 2019 curriculum revision, according to Richard McCarthy, a business analytics and information systems professor in the Quinnipiac School of Business.
Richard McCarthy
The state’s focus on boosting workforces in key industries, such as manufacturing and health care, has further fueled demand for supply chain managers, McCarthy said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of logisticians — those who analyze and coordinate an organization’s supply chain — will grow by 18% between 2022 and 2032. That’s a much faster pace than the average growth rate for all occupations.
In Connecticut, the number of logisticians has increased 52% since the pandemic year of 2020, with 1,720 residents now employed in the field, BLS data shows.
“We’ve seen a significant uptick in employer interest for graduates with supply chain skills, particularly in Connecticut’s manufacturing sector,” McCarthy said.
Thirty-one students are enrolled in Quinnipiac’s undergraduate supply chain management program, he added.
The University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business in 2024 announced its new supply chain and logistics management program as an undergraduate major, minor and post-baccalaureate certificate.
UHart leaders said the program — developed in conjunction with major local employers — comes at a critical time, following the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused supply chain logistics failures that impacted the global economy in a variety of ways.
“As we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies need to build resilient and sustainable supply chain processes to ensure that the economy can keep moving forward, even in the face of unpredictable events,” said Aarti Ivanic, dean of UHart’s Barney School of Business.
Aarti Ivanic
There are six students majoring in the program, and three students who have it as their minor, Ivanic said. Skills taught include analytics, risk management and sustainability, as well as design, planning, analysis, execution and control of the sourcing, production, storage and delivery activities of products from point of origin to point of consumption.
Supply chain degree graduates can expect to find work as procurement, operations, logistics and supply chain managers and analysts, as well as demand planners in various industries including manufacturing, retail, health care, food, transportation and technology.
Many of Connecticut’s largest employers — including Sikorsky, Pratt & Whitney, Electric Boat and Hartford HealthCare — are all in need of supply chain professionals, the schools said.
About two years ago, UConn created a supply chain management concentration within its MBA program as well as a focus in supply chain analytics within its business analytics and project management master’s degree.
The UConn School of Business is also planning to launch a master’s degree in supply chain management in 2025. That offering still needs to gain approval from UConn’s Board of Trustees, said Cuihong Li, department head for the UConn School of Business’ operations and information management program.
Cuihong Li
UConn also offers certification in supply chain analytics for professionals who are not enrolled in the school, but are interested in the field.
Li said the driver for the new program is the knowledge that supply chain systems are critical for businesses to make and deliver goods and provide services.
“The advancement of technology, evolution of customer expectations, and ever-changing business landscapes, including global supply chain disruptions and sustainability issues, bring new challenges and opportunities in supply chain management that create needs for professionals who can manage such dynamic environments to drive business success,” Li said.
If the new master’s degree program gains approval, it would start in the fall 2025 term, and include courses that cover the essential functions of a supply chain, including sourcing, production/operations and distribution, as well as the integration of analytics, sustainability and risk management, Li said.
In developing the proposed curriculum, Li said university officials “used the strengths and expertise of our own faculty and existing programs,” in addition to soliciting input from professionals in industries like manufacturing, logistics and health care.
There will also be elective courses to build technical and managerial skills as well as business acumen, Li said.
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