Why a master’s degree in supply chain management from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a good investment in your future

From small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, supply chain is the beating heart of a company's operations and is essential for its success.

An article from World Economic Forum (WEF) “Why supply chain professionals make great CEOs” has recently garnered a lot of attention.  Some famous examples of supply chain professionals who went on to lead organizations are:

• CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, was a Chief Operating Officer before he took the CEO position.
• CEO of Procter & Gamble, Alan George Lafley, was a former supply officer at the U.S. Navy before becoming CEO.
• CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra, served as Global Product Development, Purchasing & Supply Chain before becoming CEO.
• CEO of Perrigo, John Hendrickson, was a Vice President of Global Operations and Supply Chain.
• The current CEO of Unilever and previous CEO of Revlon, Fabian Garcia, was a Chief Operating Officer for Colgate Palmolive.
• The current CEO of CDK Global and former CEO of Intel, Brian Krzanich, was also a Chief Operating Officer for Intel before being promoted to CEO.

Supply chain challenges professionals to work with people all over the world, understand detailed operations, work in different functions across the organizations, incorporate the most advanced technology into their work, and update their knowledge and skills to meet the ever-changing work environment.

Supply chain professionals are frontline practitioners of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, Big Data, etc. They are problem solvers who are detailed-focused, customer-orientated, goal motivated, and have a direct impact on customers.

Students from different states, industries, and countries have all found opportunities from our online Master of Science in Integrated Supply Chain Management program to leverage their careers. Our courses introduce fundamental concepts of supply chain and operations management and present industry technology with the most cutting-edge techniques. 

Our program creates an open learning online community for our students to engage with faculty and their peers. This format allows students to share ideas and experiences,  and discuss the success and challenges of supply chain issues—such as supply and logistical efficiency, strategic sourcing, and sustainable supply chain growth and development. Students will have the chance to apply their industry knowledge through the Capstone Project, conduct rigorous research in their chosen field of interest through the Seminar Paper course, or both.

Our program is motivated to provide knowledge, skills, tools, resources, and opportunities to empower students to thrive and grow. We offer flexible study plans and schedule to accommodate our students so that they can choose to work full-time while still pursuing their degree. We also host both on-campus and virtual career fairs to connect employers with our students.

Our alumni have gone on to work at companies that include General Electric, Hershey, Spectrum, and many more. Their continued success showcases our program's ability to provide advanced talents to the industry.

Below is a table highlighting some common supply chain positions, as well as the median salary for each.

*Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
Source: https://www.onetonline.org/find/result?s=supply+chain&g=Go

Ready to enroll in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Supply Chain Management Master’s degree program or want to learn more? Click the link to get started!