Bauer’s Undergraduate SCM Program Among the Best in the Nation
Gartner Ranks College’s Program 14th — and Well Ahead of Many Peer Institutions
Published on August 28, 2014
For the first time, the C. T. Bauer College of Business Supply Chain Management program was ranked 14th in the nation by Gartner Inc.
The University of Houston C. T. Bauer College of Business’ undergraduate program in supply chain management (SCM) has been ranked 14th in the nation by Gartner Inc., the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company.
Bauer’s debut in Gartner’s Top 25 is an impressive achievement that enhances the college’s stature in the eyes of peers, practitioners and potential students.
“This is first time the Bauer SCM program was evaluated, and we beat out several high-quality and well-known programs,” said Funda Sahin, an associate professor of supply chain management in the college’s Department of Decision & Information Sciences. “This is a significant accomplishment for our department and Bauer.”
Michigan State and Penn State tied for the No. 1 ranking, followed by the University of Tennessee (3), the University of Texas at Austin (4) and Western Michigan University (5). Bauer’s SCM program outranked those at the University of Oklahoma (20), Georgia Tech (21) and Texas A&M (22).
“This is very, very encouraging for us,” Sahin said. “The challenge is to move into the Top Ten in the next ranking, which will be held in two years.”
Gartner, a 35-year-old Stamford, Conn.-based organization, began researching SCM programs in 2008 and has issued two previous reports. For its 2014 edition, published Aug. 5, 40 undergraduate SCM programs were evaluated on scope, industry value and program size.
Bauer ranked third in program scope (tying with 12 other schools) and second in program size (tying with two other schools). Currently, there are 13 full-time faculty members and 580 undergraduate majors in Bauer’s SCM program.
Sahin said the ranking was the result of a “conscious effort” by SCM faculty members. “Our goal was basically: ‘Get organized and make sure the program is ranked in top supply chain programs nationally and internationally.’ ”
“All of our supply chain faculty members worked really hard to make this happen,” Sahin said. “We reviewed our program and redesigned it to better reflect the criteria that industry is looking for as well as what we think our students should know when they graduate.”
She also credited Bauer Dean Latha Ramchand and Everette S. Gardner, Jr., chair of the Department of Decision and Information Sciences, for their commitment to the program.
The Gartner ranking is a validation of all those efforts.
The Gartner report also contained good news for SCM majors entering the job market.
“Supply chain undergraduate placement rates range from 85 percent to 100 percent and, in many cases, graduates are accepting higher starting salaries than finance and accounting majors,” the report stated. “The average starting salary for undergraduates is $53,584, but top students are commanding premiums $25,000 or more beyond this.”