Graduate Studies

Supply Chain Management
2023-2024

Chairperson: Tara Feld
Office: Stipes 101
Telephone: (309) 298-2442
E-mail: TN-Feld@wiu.edu
Website: wiu.edu/scmcertificate
Location of Program Offering: Macomb, Quad Cities, Online

Learning Outcomes

For student learning outcomes, please see wiu.edu/provost/learningoutcomes.

Program Description

The post-baccalaureate certificate program in Supply Chain Management (SCM) is intended to prepare students for employment and advancement within the supply chain management field. The certificate provides a solid preparation in logistics, transportation, and warehousing, with an opportunity to choose electives that meet the specific career interests of the student. The SCM Certificate is also well-suited for someone interested in graduate business education but is unsure of making a commitment to complete the full 33 semester hour Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree program. The Supply Chain Management Certificate can be completed online or through face-to-face courses at the Macomb or Quad Cities campuses.

Students who choose to complete the Supply Chain Management Certificate may apply hours earned in the certificate towards a WIU MBA degree. Please note that certificate students who wish to pursue the MBA degree must meet the entrance requirements for the MBA program.

Requirements for Enrollment

Applicants to the Supply Chain Management Certificate program must have a bachelor’s degree and meet one of the following criteria:

  • A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (or a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.3 over the last 60 semester hours), OR
  • An undergraduate GPA of 2.75 and significant acceptable work experience/career relevance (please include a letter from the applicant describing his/her experience and the relevance of the certificate to his/her career goals), OR
  • Meet the criteria for acceptance into the WIU Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

Students must also be able to meet the prerequisites of the courses required in the certificate program.

Certificate Requirements

I. Core Courses:  6 s.h.

SCM 531 Supply Chain Management (3)
SCM 539 Transportation and Warehouse Management (3)

II. SCM Electives: 6 s.h.

SCM 465G Supply Chain Risk Management (3)
SCM 529 Worldwide Logistics and Supply Chain Technologies (3)
SCM 549 Strategic Procurement and Sourcing (3)

III. Directed Electives: 6 s.h.

DS 533 Applied Business Planning and Forecasting (3)
IS 567 Information Technologies in Supply Chain (3)
SCM 457G Project Management (3)
SCM 465G Supply Chain Risk Management (3)
SCM 470G Inventory Management (3)
SCM 529 Worldwide Logistics and Supply Chain Technologies (3)
SCM 549 Strategic Procurement and Sourcing (3)
SCM 620 SCM Internship (3)
Any SCM graduate level course with advisor permission (3)

TOTAL: 18 s.h.

Course Descriptions

Decision Sciences (DS)

533 Applied Business Planning and Forecasting. (3) A survey of the basic forecasting methods and techniques essential for modern managers. Topics include moving average and decomposition techniques, ARIMA processes, regression techniques, and technological methods such as Delphi and S-curves. Prerequisites: DS 503 or STAT 171 or equivalent.

Information Systems (IS)

567 Information Technologies in Supply Chain. (3) Topics relating to the use of information technologies in Supply Chain Management. Presents the underlying IT systems that drive visibility and collaboration in supply chains. Course will use case studies, simulations and supply chain systems. Prerequisites: IS 524 or equivalent or permission of the Department Chair.

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

457G (cross-listed with ENGR 457) Project Management. (3) Presents concepts, steps/techniques required to select, organize, staff, manage, and deliver successful projects. Topics include managing innovation, change, cross-functional teams, and applying critical thinking to meet outcomes/objectives. Aligns with the Project Management Institute’s CAPM and PMP certifications. Prerequisites: SCM 211 or OM 352 or ENGR 211 or permission of the instructor.

465G Supply Chain Risk Management. (3) Examination of effective risk management in global supply chains. Topics include identification of risk sources contingency planning, risk and disaster mitigation and recovery, responses to government regulatory, sustainability, societal, and stakeholder demands, and financial aspects of managing supply chain risk. Prerequisites: SCM 340 or SCM 411 or SCM 453 or permission of the instructor.

470G Inventory Strategy. (3) A review of current and emerging strategies for managing and controlling inventory levels. Emphasis is on the development of quantitative techniques for successfully managing inventory costs and supply. Prerequisites: SCM 211 with a grade of “C” or better and STAT 171 or equivalent.

529 Worldwide Logistics and Supply Chain Technologies. (3) This course covers international trade theories, infrastructures, entry methods, incoterms, transportation, terminal operations, risks and other global supply chain issues. Additionally, it covers technologies like blockchain, AI, loT, big data, analytics, robotics and machine learning to solve supply chain challenges. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

531 Supply Chain Management. (3) A survey course in supply chain management from the perspective of the operations and/or supply chain manager. Students will examine effective supply chain strategies involving logistics, transportation, physical distribution, customer materials flow, order processing, inventory management, materials flow, warehousing, distribution network design, procurement and supply management, supply base risk management, and global logistics.

539 Transportation and Warehouse Management. (3) A survey course covering the fields of transportation and warehousing. Transportation topics include modes of transportation, pricing, regulation, traffic management, and other special issues. Topics discussed in warehousing include receiving, handling, storage, and interfaces with purchasing, inventory control, transportation, and operations. Prerequisites: SCM 531 or permission of the instructor.

549 Strategic Procurement and Sourcing. (3) Survey of direct and indirect procurement in service and manufacturing industries. Topics include supply base management, supply risk, supplier selection and evaluation, sourcing strategy, supplier quality, global sourcing, contracting, lean procurement, and total cost analysis. Prerequisite: SCM 531 or permission of the instructor.

620 Supply Chain Management Internship. (1–6) Integrates supply chain management theories with application to actual business practices. Students are exposed to a variety of positions within the business firm during the semester. All internships are supervised by a faculty coordinator and an executive in the business firm. Analytic reports of work accomplished by each student are presented to the coordinator. Graded S/U only. Prerequisites: 6 s.h. in graduate SCM coursework and permission of the Department Chairperson.