Ohio State University: Fisher College of Business launches online master’s in supply chain management
With supply chain management in the spotlight in recent months and its importance projected to continue to grow rapidly in the coming years, The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business is launching a new online Master of Supply Chain Management (MSCM) program.
The MSCM program, which will begin in summer 2023, is a collaboration between two departments at Fisher with strong global reputations: Operations and Business Analytics and Marketing and Logistics. The program is designed to help professionals build the in-demand skills necessary for long-term success, said Anil Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher.
“The program is in line with Fisher’s new strategic plan, which identifies the importance of developing timely and relevant educational programming that aligns with the needs of today’s workforce and is accessible beyond the physical boundaries of our campus,” Makhija said. “The program builds on a key strength at Fisher — two departments that are nationally ranked in the top 10 in the areas of supply chain management and operations management.”
“The new online Master of Supply Chain Management program will deliver an innovative and flexible education that meets a growing need for supply chain education in Ohio,” said Ohio State Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa Gilliam. “This program will equip our workforce with new skills and enable our learners to become leaders in manufacturing, logistics, operations, and other fields.”
The MSCM program has been created to build supply chain competencies in the workforce for:
· Working professionals with some experience in the supply chain field who are seeking to advance their careers.
· Individuals who have professional experience in other fields but are looking to change career paths and move into the field of supply chain.
The program will offer a two-year curriculum, intended to be done part-time, with a 15-month fast-track option. Classes will be offered online, with approximately 50% delivered in the form of asynchronous content that students can access when schedules permit, said Aravind Chandrasekaran, Fisher’s associate dean for Graduate Programs and Executive Education.
“This will take multiple forms, such as short video lectures and carefully selected public content to offer rich diversity in learning styles,” Chandrasekaran said.
The remaining 50% of the curriculum content will be delivered synchronously in the form of class discussions held after hours. The synchronous live lectures will typically be recorded and made available to students. Exams and learning assessments will be offered on a flexible basis so that students are able to complete them despite their busy schedules, Chandrasekaran said.
“All of these will allow our working professional students to balance work, family and school and complete the degree on time,” he said.
In addition to the online content, students in the MSCM program will spend time on Ohio State’s main campus for workshops, industry tours and networking events three times throughout their time in the program. The MSCM curriculum also includes a capstone project in which students create solutions to real-world business challenges, sourced directly from their current employer or from an assigned company.
In addition to leveraging the strengths of two academic departments, a key focus of the MSCM program will be continuing Fisher’s efforts to recruit, retain and train underrepresented groups to excel as supply chain leaders, said Keely Croxton, professor of marketing and logistics, who is helping to administer the program.
“We will prioritize recruiting a diverse set of students so that we both get a range of perspectives in the classroom, and so that we can help train a diverse set of future supply chain management leaders,” Croxton said.