SCM Degree Information
The supply chain management major is designed to prepare students to become leaders in supply chain management, a total systems approach taken by companies, suppliers, and partners to deliver manufactured products and services to the end customer.
Classroom students
SCM at a Glance

Information technology is used to coordinate all elements of the supply chain from sourcing parts to coordination of retailers to achieve a level of integration that results in a competitive advantage that is not available in traditional logistics systems.

Entry-level positions in supply chain management include buyer, materials manager, risk management analyst, logistics planner, and staff consultant. Supply chain managers tend to be individuals with good communication and negotiation skills who are systems oriented (analytical people who see the “big” picture).

Coursework

Core Courses

OM 235: Operations Management

Restricted to students in the McCombs School of Business. The operations or production function and the skills required for analyzing and solving related problems.

Prerequisite: Credit or registration for Statistics 301, 301H, 309 or 309H.

OM 337.3: Procurement and Supplier Management

Evaluation and negotiation skills to ensure effective procurement while maintaining supplier relationships: methods to evaluate and source materials and services; development of negotiation skills for effective and ethical results.

Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

OM 338: Supply Chain Modeling and Optimization

Tools for business planning and decision-making: basic cost and financial modeling in supply chains. Optimization models, discrete event simulation and real options modeling provide methods of simulation and prediction to improve supply chain decisions.

Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

OM 367: Strategic Supply Chain Management

Understanding how to develop assets and configure processes in a firm’s supply chain that enable it to develop operational competencies that are aligned with its competitive strategy. Frameworks of analysis will be developed with an emphasis placed on application to case studies.

Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

OM 368: Logistics and Inventory Management

Planning, implementing and controlling the production and distribution of goods and services: focus on production planning and scheduling; inventory management; the design and management of supply and distribution networks.

Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

Elective Courses

MAN 337.21: The Art and Science of Negotiation

Designed to help students develop a broad array of negotiation skills and to understand negotiations in useful analytical frameworks. Emphasis is placed on simulations, role-playing, and cases.

Prerequisite: MAN 336 or 336H.

OM 337.7: Product Development

The focus of this course is the integration of supply chain management into the product design and development process.

OM 337: Supply Chain Analytics

Understanding advance business analytics to help create value throughout the supply chain: concepts include Dynamic Demand Forecasting, Local and Aggregate Demand Models, and From Supply Chain to Demand Chain Management.

OM 337.1: Total Quality Management

Strategies for proactive management of processes, practices and systems to maximize product and process quality in line with corporate objectives: fundamental concepts of continuous improvement, statistical process control, acceptance sampling and process capability, including best practices in industry.

Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

OM 337.4: IT for Supply Chains

Different planning systems used in an integrated supply chain, such as manufacturing resource planning, distribution planning, and sales and operations planning. Includes the latest trends in SCM, such as demand management, sustainable supply chains, and the information technology systems used to support an integrated business network.
Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

OM 337.5: Project Management

Large-scale projects are characterized by a significant commitment of organizational and economic resources coupled with a high degree of uncertainty. this course covers 3 main topics in the life-cycle of projects: (i) project evaluation, (ii) project planning, execution and control, and (iii) managing portfolios of projects.

Prerequisite: OM 335 or 335H.

Practical Courses

OM 353: SCM Internship

Focuses on student career goals through academic discussion and evaluations, while placing students in professional internships with public or private enterprises. Internship and discussion hours to be arranged. Offered as pass/fail only.

Prerequisite: Completion of 45 semester hours of college coursework and consent of the departmental internship coordinator.

OM 366P: Operations Management Practicum

The Operations Management Practicum provides a hands-on experience in tackling real-world consulting projects in operations. Working in a group of 4-6 students, students will manage a substantial project with an established firm in order to enhance their knowledge of operational strategy, process analysis and design, supply-chain management and total quality management.