AMR: Supply chain academia not quite up to snuff
Survey finds industry wants more from university supply chain programs
Dave Hannon -- Purchasing, 6/22/2009 1:25:13 PM
While there are more colleges and universities offering degrees in supply chain studies today, the topics those programs are focused on are missing the mark in many cases, while top-ranked programs shine bright.
A recent report from Boston-based AMR Research found that "Unfortunately, most universities are only partially meeting the most pressing needs from industry, with supply chain programs on average teaching only 5 of 11 academic areas needed, inconsistently applying supply chain technology ad not ensure sufficient applied knowledge transfer."
Based on a survey of 126 companies and 19 universities, AMR identifies 11 key components of an "advanced supply chain" and says supply chain programs are not preparing students well enough in these areas. "Through our survey, industry has stated its most pressing need: the additional capabilities required for most advanced supply chain organizations demand a different academic experience that educates generalists," the AMR report says.
One of the areas where universities fall down is not having an effective internship or co-op program in supply chain. According to AMR's research, "in spite of the overwhelming requirement from industry to deliver better prepared and more experienced graduates that have familiarity of the work content, time constraints, and communication requirements, only 25% of supply chain programs mandate a cooperative or internship program in order to graduate."
So what schools are providing that kind of experience, according to AMR's survey? AMR scored the programs across 11 metrics and says, "Penn State University and Michigan State University had the highest total scores, with Arizona State, Ohio State, MIT, University of Tennessee and Georgia Tech not far behind."
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Join the discussion on the top supply chain programs now in the Classroom on PurchasingBizConnect now.
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Is there a University in the Richmond, VA area that teaches Supply Chain or procurement? I can find one.
Sandra Tanner
Hunton and Williams
stanner@hunton.com
Sandra Tanner - 6/29/2009 9:42:54 AM EDT -
There isn't a university in the PGH metro area that teaches supply chain/purchasing management. The university I attended, Robert Morris, dropped that field of study from their curriculum because they claim that field is shrinking.
Kunta Fossett - 6/29/2009 9:33:16 AM EDT
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