The Covid pandemic also demonstrated to the world the fragility of supply chains, showing the importance of effective supply chain management to combat delays and blockages. Changes have since been implemented across industries including retail, manufacturing, and technology.
These developments make specialized Masters in Supply Chain Management an interesting prospect for those aiming to climb the ladder and push their career forward within the field.
Their popularity is clear: according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) applications to Masters in Supply Chain Management worldwide rose by 46% in 2021.
So which are the best supply chain management schools when it comes to masters degrees?
10 Best Masters in Supply Chain Management
According to the 2024 QS Masters in Supply Chain Management ranking, MIT’s Centre for Transportation and...
The school’s Master in Global Supply Chain Management places first for key criteria including Thought Leadership, Alumni Outcomes, Value for Money, and Employability, which indicates the percentage of students employed six-months post-graduation.
MIT students work directly with researchers and industry experts on complex and challenging problems. The program's success owes largely to its emphasis on putting theory into practice using real-life examples.
Jumping to second place in this year’s ranking is the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, which placed third last year. The school is ranked among the top three for Thought Leadership and Value For Money.
The Ross Master's is a 10-month, STEM-certified program for college graduates with up to 10 years of work experience. A large majority of students go on to work for global companies including Amazon, McKinsey & Co, Microsoft, and Deloitte.
Taking the final place on the podium is WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. Though dropping from second place last year, the school still ranks among the top three for Employability, and Alumni Outcomes which analyzes where over 50,000 top business leaders went to business school.
Netherlands-based Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) maintains fourth place, with strong performances in Thought Leadership and Employability. Located in Europe’s busiest port and the epicenter of international trade, RSM provides first-hand knowledge on global supply chains which drives its world-renowned expertise and research.
For the first time this year, EMLyon Business School ranks in fifth place, with a strong performance in Alumni Outcomes and Thought Leadership categories. The school also ranks highly in diversity, with a student base comprised of 125 different nationalities.
The program at EMLyon gears students towards working with supply chain in international markets, where they are given the opportunity to attend international seminars to expand their global network.
Dropping from fifth to sixth place is the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. However, the school ranks particularly highly in Alumni Outcomes this year, coming second only to MIT. The USC Marshall program is uniquely flexible, designed around students’ academic and professional goals and can be completed either on-campus or as an online Master's.
The UK’s Alliance Manchester Business School is pushed from sixth to seventh place, while Trinity Business School in Ireland similarly falls back to eighth.
POLIMI Graduate School of Management (previously known as Politecnico di Milano) ranks in ninth, compared to its eighth-place spot last year, while the final spot is occupied by the University of Washington, Foster School of Business.
Unusually for Masters rankings, US schools represent 40% of the 10 best supply chain management schools. European business schools often dominate business masters rankings, including the Master in Marketing or Master in Finance.
The QS Masters in Supply Chain Management Ranking is assessed by looking at data from three surveys, including surveys of recruiters and the business schools themselves. Programs are ranked according to five key indicators: Employability, Alumni Outcomes, Value for Money, Thought Leadership, and Class and Faculty Diversity.
QS places significant importance on employability (35%), as well as on the categories for Value for Money and Thought Leadership, with an equal weighting of 20% overall.
Best Supply Chain Management Schools For A Master's
Is A Master In Supply Chain Worth It?
Studying a master’s requires a significant investment, it’s important to consider whether it matches your career goals and, ultimately, if enrolling is worth the price.
Masters tuition fees in the US are often expensive. Studying a Master in Supply Chain at MIT, for example, costs $82,000, while cheaper options at USC Marshall and Michigan Ross amount to $66k and $57k ($62k for non-Michigan residents). But US universities in the top 10 also place well for Value for Money, with students able to kickstart their careers in the field in top-rated companies after graduation.
You may decide to study in the EU or the UK, where tuition fees tend to be lower. It costs around $22,800 (€21,500) to study in Rotterdam as a non-European citizen or $2,458 for Europeans.
Paying lower fees also doesn't jeopardize your chances of obtaining a high-paying role post-graduation—89% of graduates find a job within the first three months at Erasmus Rotterdam School of Management.
Across all programs in the ranking, QS reveals, the average time it takes to pay back the cost of tuition is 3.5 years. You're likely to reap the rewards from a Master in Supply Chain Management for many years to come, which suggests enrolling is a worthy investment.
To decide which program and which university may suit your needs the best, it's important to check out differences in curriculum, diversity in applicants and culture, any required visas, and of course the location.
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