Top 10 Supply Chain Management Schools
Click here to read this article in the magazine edition!
10.) University of South Australia
Located in the City of Adelaide, the University of South Australia’s supply chain management program’s course structure organization is matched only by the City’s rigid design. Opened relatively recently in 1991, you could do worse than studying in Adelaide, affectionately known by locals as the “City of Parks and Churches.”
9.) University of Pennsylvania
As the world’s first collegiate business school, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School has a long history of success. Established in 1881, the Wharton school focuses primarily on accounting and business, making it a prime location to learn the procurement industry. The world-renowned staff doesn’t hurt, either, as the school’s faculty is the world’s most published.
8.) Arizona State University
Supply chain enthusiasts who hate the rain flock to Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. Located in Tempe, Ariz., the Carey School of Business is one of the largest in the United States with close to 10,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and offers Masters degrees in specialty fields like supply chain financial management.
7.) Carnegie Mellon University
Another Pennsylvania school makes it on the list, as Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business is widely recognized as a top supply chain management school. The private institution offers a wide variety of supply chain-related courses, and teaches its courses based primarily on the management science theories, which are in contrast to the more widely used case method approach.
6.) International Institute for Management Development
Located in the French-speaking City of Lausanne on Lake Geneva, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) offers more than just pleasing views of the Swiss Alps. Formed from the merger of two highly regarded business centers, IMD’s supply chain management aptitude draws several upper-level executives each year, and is one of the more exclusive supply chain events in the world.
5.) Michigan State University
Perennially ranked near the top when it comes to business schools within the United States, Michigan State’s Eli Broad College of Business houses some of the brightest minds when it comes to the world of logistics. The school’s supply chain management undergraduate degree was ranked No. 2 in 2011 by the U.S. News & World Report.
4.) HEC Paris
This French school’s supply chain management department is small, but don’t be fooled by the numbers. HEC Paris’ Operations Management & Information Technology program is diverse, as seen by the seven nationalities represented on staff. That diversity has paid dividends when it comes to higher education, as the team has written seven books and close to 40 journal essays.
3.) London Business School
The world has historically been connected through the British Empire, so it makes sense that one of the world’s top supply chain management schools resides in London. The City’s Management Science and Operations school offers students the chance to learn logistics based on decision modeling and analysis and optimization.
2.) Rotterdam School of Management
This one may surprise some people, but the Rotterdam School of Management’s Erasmus University is arguably the top supply chain management institution in all of Europe. It’s hard to argue with facts, however, and the port at Rotterdam is the largest commercial port in Europe and home to many of the world’s brightest supply chain minds.
1.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Arguably the world’s most prestigious university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology leaves no stone unturned when it comes to education. With an endowment that touched $10 billion last year alone, funding is not exactly at a premium for MIT, which houses perhaps the best staff and best facilities in the world. Supply chain management may not be the main focus of the academic institution, but that’s like saying Michelangelo’s David was not his best work. It’s still somewhere between ‘spectacular’ and ‘breathtaking,’ just like MIT’s supply chain management program. The MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation is one of the best forward-thinking groups in the business, and holds seminars around the world (and even on Videocast), educating supply chain managers on the latest logistics trends.
