Supply Chain Management FAQs

Why should I pursue the SCM Undergraduate Degree at Bauer’s College of Business at the University of Houston?

What is unique about the Supply Chain Management program at the Bauer College of Business?

What are the classes like? Will I be learning practical knowledge, or just academic theories?

I understand that Supply Chain Management is a broad topic. What part or function of Supply Chain Management is emphasized?

Who will be teaching my classes?

What will I learn in the SCM Program?

What management skills will I develop within the SCM program?

Why Houston? Why should I pursue my SCM degree in Houston, TX?

Other Questions

I know I want to be involved in Supply Chain Management as a career. But, Supply Chain Management is so broad, I don’t know what area of SCM to pursue and I don’t know exactly what job I want when I graduate. Will this be a disadvantage to me?

I really want to pursue a career in Project Management. Which is better: Supply Chain Management or Project Management?

Should I get an internship or be working during the program?

Why should I pursue the SCM Undergraduate Degree at Bauer’s College of Business at the University of Houston?

The C. T. Bauer College of Business is the ONLY Business school within the University of Houston System chosen to be part of the elite designation of being a Carnegie Foundation classified Tier 1 program. Earning your SCM degree from the C. T. Bauer College of Business carries more prestige, backed by real performance, career success, and honored reputation, than any other business program within the University of Houston System.

 

What is unique about the Supply Chain Management program at the Bauer College of Business?

Universities are scrambling to keep up with the increasing demand for Supply Chain Management graduates. The University of Houston has always been on the leading edge of Supply Chain Management. Our program is one of the first developed in the country and we are one of the largest. Companies travel from all over the world to recruit SPECIFICALLY at the University of Houston. Our program focuses on SCM applications, with many of our courses involving hands-on, industry-based projects to give students the experience needed to get the best job. Our program teaches the analytical and problem solving skills that companies are looking for in Supply Chain Professionals.

 

What are the classes like? Will I be learning practical knowledge, or just academic theories?

Your SCM courses are designed to be experiential – including projects and real-world cases studies that provide opportunities for you to practice the tools, techniques, principles that you are learning within the context of real business. Taking our classes, you will be prepared to deliver value to a company on Day One. Many of the companies that hire our students report that UH SCM graduates are the most prepared, most productive new hires.

Our courses are designed using material that is relevant to the companies who are recruiting from UH and the companies our students are interested in pursuing for a career. You will learn specialized concepts that will differentiate you from other job applicants. The course material focuses on the real skills companies require for their employees, not “academic” concepts that have limited real world applicability. These courses are interactive, with small group activities, interactions, class discussion, and simulations.

 

I understand that Supply Chain Management is a broad topic. What part or function of Supply Chain Management is emphasized?

Our program is a comprehensive Supply Chain Management program that includes all of the aspects of Supply Chain Management. Our program is well balanced, preparing you to be successful in any career path within Supply Chain Management that you desire:

  • PLAN/Supply Chain Strategy/Executive management function of Supply Chain
  • BUY/Sourcing/Procurement/Category Management
  • MAKE/Process Improvement/Quality Management/Production/Services
  • DELIVER/Transportation/Logistics/Distribution/System Analytics
  • Project Management and Project Governance
  • Analytics/Excel/Data Visualization
  • Inventory Management and Control
  • Managing Supply Chains utilizing Business Financial metrics
  • Integrated end-to-end Supply Chain Management

 

Who will be teaching my classes?

Our professors offer a diverse balance of backgrounds and specialties:

  • Several faculty have practical business management experience within the areas of Supply Chain Management that they teach.
  • Several faculty continue to maintain working relationships with the top recruiting companies of our Supply Chain Management program in order to include relevant examples, tools, concepts, principles that these companies require of their new hires in order to be successful in a career in Supply Chain Management.
  • Several faculty are actively researching new, cutting edge, envelope-pushing, grounded-in-industry, Supply Chain Management techniques and methods that are being used to expand the capabilities of today’s Global Supply Chains.
  • Our professors really care about you. They want to see your career success and work to develop relationships with their students, providing career coaching and advice and assistance applying the course material.
  • Our professors encourage and drive innovation and creativity.

 

What will I learn in the SCM Program?

In the College of Business, our classes go beyond being able to “do” Supply Chain Management. Of course, you learn World Class SCM principles in purchasing/procurement, production/process/quality, and in transportation/logistics. But the goal of our program is not only to prepare you to do a “job” in Supply Chain Management, our program is designed to give you the tools you will need to become a manager and leader in your organization. Here’s how:

Every one of your classes includes a business management component. You learn how to manage teams of people who are using the tools and techniques you are learning. When you participate in business simulations and class activities, you use the business financials (balance sheet/income statement) to measure performance because that is what top managers are expected to do. Companies today are looking for advanced analytics skills in the employees who are going to rise to the top ranks of management. Most of our classes have a data-analytics component that gives our graduates an advantage in the job market. And as a graduate of the C. T. Bauer College of Business, your degree is associated with the business leaders and executives who have risen to the top levels in their organization as a result of obtaining their degree from Bauer.

 

What management skills will I develop within the SCM program?

  • Problem Solving Skills
  • Time Management Skills
  • Systems Thinking
  • Communication Skills
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Teambuilding and Team Management
  • Business Analytical Skills
  • Critical Thinking
  • Business Financial Acumen: in preparation for business management roles
  • Collaboration with all other business functions: Finance, Accounting, Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Customer Service, Human Resources, Executive Management

 

Why Houston? Why should I pursue my SCM degree in Houston, TX?

There are many reasons that Houston, TX is a great place to pursue your degree in Supply Chain Management:

  • Global Personal Diversity – you will be attending classes with a diverse group of students from different backgrounds, nationalities, work experiences, multi-racial, languages, and beliefs. This will prepare you to enter the increasingly Global Supply Chain marketplace.
  • Global Company Diversity
    • Around 25 Fortune 500 companies have headquarters in Houston
    • More than 50 companies with $5B annual revenue have headquarters in Houston
    • Houston is home to a variety of exciting industries that are all hiring Supply Chain Management Professionals:
      • Oil and Gas and Oilfield Services
      • Healthcare/Medicine
      • Aerospace and Aviation
      • Communications and Technology
      • Manufacturing
      • Distribution and International Shipping
  • Houston is a major international hub for Global Supply Chain Management
    • The Port of Houston, one of the region's greatest assets, ranks as the nation's largest port in international tonnage and second in total tonnage.
    • Three airports, which form the sixth-largest airport system in the world
    • A massive trucking and rail system that links the southern, south central, midwestern and western United States
    • More than 600 trucking firms operate in Houston
    • Two major rail systems operate 14 mainline tracks radiating from Houston
  • Houston is a growing job market in a variety of Supply Chain-related industries
    • Professional and business services including architectural, engineering, and related services industry: 9.1% increase over the year compared to a national 1.9% increase.
    • Houston manufacturing, including durable goods manufacturing: 3.9% increase over the year compared to a national 0.4% gain.
    • Houston petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 17.0% annual rate of job growth.
    • Mining and logging in Houston: 7.4% annual rate of job growth compared to a 0.5% rate of job loss nationally.
  • Other than Supply Chain Management employment opportunities and the Bauer MS SCM program, there are many reasons to relocate to Houston, TX:
    • Low housing costs
    • Competitive energy costs
    • No state income tax
    • Desirable urban and suburban housing developments
    • Professional and Semi-Professional Sports: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer
    • Arts, Culture, Concerts, and Entertainment: 2nd largest theatre district in the U.S.
    • World class museums and zoo
    • Diverse, International restaurants
    • World class shopping
    • Year-Round outdoor activities

Other Questions

I know I want to be involved in Supply Chain Management as a career. But, Supply Chain Management is so broad, I don’t know what area of SCM to pursue and I don’t know exactly what job I want when I graduate. Will this be a disadvantage to me?

Supply Chain Management professionals make sure our companies have the right materials, products, and services in the right place, at the right time, with the best quality, and the lowest cost. With our degree in Supply Chain Management, you will learn advanced, leading-edge, world-class tools and techniques within all areas of Supply Chain Management (Plan-Buy-Make-Deliver). You do not have to decide which part of Supply Chain Management you would like to pursue in a career right now. The training you will receive in our program will enable you to be successful in ANY Supply Chain Management career (and be a preferred candidate for these jobs). In fact, you don’t even need to decide what part of Supply Chain Management you would like to pursue after you get a job. Because Supply Chain Management is so interconnected, no matter what job you get right out of our program, you will be working alongside and interacting with Supply Chain Professionals within every Supply Chain Function. In fact, many companies offer an introductory rotation program for Supply Chain Management graduates where you spend 3 – 6 months at a time in a variety of Supply Chain Management related roles to discover what you like best and where you perform the best. Regardless, after working for 18-24 months, it becomes possible for our graduates to pursue a different job in a different part of the Supply Chain.

 

I really want to pursue a career in Project Management. Which is better: Supply Chain Management or Project Management?

Project management is essentially like running a Supply Chain. You have to plan activities and coordinate the work of a variety of resources. You must purchase products, materials, and services. You must schedule the delivery of these products, materials, and services so that you have the right resources in the right place at the right time in the right quantities at high quality and minimal cost. You must manage the work involved in blending and transforming these products and materials and resources into a unique deliverable. You must deliver value to your customers. You must coordinate the transportation and logistics of the resources within your project. In a sense, Project Management is just a specialized representation of Supply Chain Management.

By studying Supply Chain Management, you will learn advanced techniques, skills, and concepts that will enable you to perform Project Management at a higher level. In fact, within our SCM program, we have a course dedicated to Project Management that is taught by an experienced industry Project Manager.

In addition to this, by obtaining your Supply Chain Management degree, you will build flexibility into your career so that your career is not limited to only Project Management. In the future, you will have the flexibility to to be successful in ANY Supply Chain Management career (and be a preferred candidate for these jobs). Because Supply Chain Management is so interconnected, no matter what job you get right out of our program, you will be working alongside and interacting with Supply Chain Professionals within every Supply Chain Function.

 

Should I get an internship or be working during the program?

You are not required to have a job during our program or to obtain an internship. Your classes will include practical, business-based projects, cases, and assignments to give you Supply Chain Management experience. However, the more Supply Chain Management success you can demonstrate on your resume, the more competitive you will be as a job applicant. Additionally, working within an internship or SCM-related role:

  • Gives you a real business context in which to understand the concepts taught in class. Because Supply Chain Management is an applied discipline, the concepts you will learn are best understood within a specific business environment. Your professors will be providing case examples and business application, but our students enhance these experiences by having their own work context in which to understand and discuss the topics.
  • Gives you a real business environment in which to apply your classroom knowledge. Students are encouraged to use the material they learn within their jobs and internships.
  • Provides you with practical Supply Chain Management work experience, which, in addition to your advanced degree in Supply Chain Management, makes our graduates extremely competitive in the job market.