Digital Supply Chain Management MSc

Who is it for?
 

The Digital Supply Chain Management degree is for you if you want to learn about the latest thinking and business practices in digital supply chain management generally. It is not suitable if you’re already very experienced and looking to specialise.

 

You must have a general interest in various supply chain processes including procurement, logistics and supply chain analytics.

 

You may hold a bachelor’s degree in business, engineering or social sciences and either have a basic level of understanding of statistics or be up to the challenge of learning more about quantitative analysis.

 

"My MSc gave me a 360-degree view of businesses that have supply chain at their core and broadened my career opportunities." Alumnus Panos Efraimoglou took this master's degree when it was called MSc in Supply Chain, Trade and Finance.
 

Objectives
 

On graduation, you’ll have a 360º perspective of digital supply chains, an essential first step in building your career in the discipline.

 

You’ll be ready to identify the opportunities and risks facing supply chains and provide both strategic and analytical tools to manage them.

 

All based on the most recent academic research and innovative current business practices.

 

In this most global of sectors you’ll be equipped with cultural sensitivity, and effective business communication, networking and time management skills.

 

Structure
 

How you will learn

 

On the Digital Supply Chain Management master’s course, you will:

• Learn from academics that are following best practice for teaching operations and supply chain management according to higher education literature, via simulation games

• Have the opportunity to undertake a wide variety of elective courses, that are mostly delivered by practitioners in the field with decades of experience working in the sector

• Take international electives where you take a course offered in another university worldwide

• Benefit from career fairs, alumni and other networking events and conferences that help you succeed in job hunting

• Learn from module instructors who hold teaching excellent awards and have real-world working experience with companies that is shared in class.
   

Induction weeks
 

All of our MSc courses start with two compulsory induction weeks which include relevant refresher courses, an introduction to the careers services and the annual careers fair.
 

Term one
 

Five core modules

• Essentials of Accounting and Finance

  • 10 credits

  • 18 hours over ten weeks in lectures or workshops

  • 8 hours per week self-directed study

  The aim of this module is to equip you with an understanding of the most common accounting and finance techniques and practices, and will include the use of published company reports and accounts, and other internally generated information, that enables management to make decisions and control operations.
   

• Digital Supply Chain

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  This module introduces you to the frontiers of digitalisation in supply chains. The key technologies behind modern supply chain designs are highlighted and their impact on how products and services are produced and delivered are analysed.

  You will be familiarized with high-level strategies for digitalisation and concrete applications in areas such as manufacturing, supply chain management, and service delivery.
   

• Analytics for Supply Chain Management

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  This module introduces you to some important methods relevant to supply chain management from the fields of analytics.  Many problems in today’s business world are often too complex to rely simply on intuition and common sense.

  The application of analytics is critical for firms to improve the quality of business decisions by grounding those decision in analyses of available data and quantitative methods.

  This module investigates principal analytical methods for understanding data and guiding decision-making related to various aspects of managing a supply chain.
   

• Business Process Management

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  This module therefore takes a detailed look at the responsibilities, issues and decisions required to manage these business processes within an organization effectively.

  The objective is to develop an understanding of how managers can design, analyse, measure, and improve processes in order to improve an organisation’s performance and attain long-term competitive advantage.
   

• Supply Chain Fundamentals

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  This module will ensure that you have a strong foundation to understand the more specialist supply chain management concepts and frameworks, This module will expose you to a range of basic and fundamental supply chain related concepts as well as the global and relevant supply chain management cases.

  Some of the contemporary supply chain management (SCM) issues, such as digitalisation, sustainability, risk management, will be also covered briefly.
   

Term two

 

Five core modules

• Professional Development Skills I

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  The aim of this module is to strengthen the behavioural, analytical, and methodological skills that will assist you in applying the concepts you have learned through your studies into practice.

  The module includes topics on leadership, consulting skills and research methods to help you become a well-rounded manager.
   

• Sustainability in Digital Supply Chains

  • 10 credits

  • 18 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 8 hours per week self-directed study

  In this module, you will learn about supply chain sustainability and the complex ethical, social, and environmental responsibilities of business organisations towards a range of stakeholders.

  You will also examine the challenges and requirements of building sustainable products and sustainable supply chains across a wide range of contexts with a focus on the practical application to real-world business situations.
   

• Purchasing and Supply Management

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  In this module, you will learn about digital procurement.

  Through the examination of core procurement principles, frameworks, and tools, you will gain an understanding of how to plan and execute a procurement strategy that supports corporate goals and broader business objectives. You will learn about the role of integration, data, and analytics in digital procurement.

  You will also observe various digital technologies used in procurement that create opportunities for process automation, frictionless supply chain collaboration, and smarter procurement based on data science.
   

• Supply Chain Finance and Risk Management

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study

  The module aims to provide you with a profound understanding of the role of finance and risk management in supply chains, including the specific technologies that are used by the industry and banks. More specifically, you will explore various supply chain finance related issues such as:

  1. working capital optimisation with a focus on the role of technology in managing receivables, payables and inventories

  2. trade credit and technology-based financing techniques such as reverse factoring and dynamic discounting

  3. risk management strategies including the identification, assessment and mitigation of operational as well as financial risks within the supply chain using digital solutions.
      

  All these topics have in common that they are enabled by innovative technologies that are becoming increasing popular for managing digital supply chains.
   

• Machine Learning for Logistics

  • 15 credits

  • 30 hours over ten weeks in lectures

  • 12 hours per week self-directed study and group work

  This module takes a detailed look at the decisions managers need to make about logistics and supply chains. The module provides conceptual, analytical and practical insights into the effective management of supply chain in all organisations, in both the private and the public sectors.

  The module is concerned with large and small organisations from all over the world. This module introduces you to the analytical techniques from the discipline of management science required to be able to do this.
   

Term three
 

You will choose to do a Business Research Project and one elective, or choose to study four electives

• Business Research Project

  The optional Business Research Project will be of approximately 8,000 words. This offers an opportunity to specialise in a contemporary supply chain topic related to students' future careers. The Project should be based on independent research either in the context of a single organisation or using third-party sources.

  You are encouraged from the start of the course to think about a topic for your Project. A member of academic staff supervises the project, and you may choose whom you would like to work with.

  The Project must be submitted by the end of August. Company sponsored projects are encouraged and a number of such projects may be available.

  Many students use this opportunity to complete a project in conjunction with an organisation they might want to work for.

  This gets your foot in the door and can lead to permanent employment post programme, whilst earning course credit.
   

Electives offered in 2021
 

• Ethics, Society and the Finance Sector

• Intro to Python

• Driving Supply Chain Innovation through Technology

• Negotiation Skill for Multidiscipline Managers

• Project Leadership

• Retail Supply Chain Management

• Big Data in Commercial Shipping & Trading

• Shipping Risk Management.
   

International electives
 

• Creating Value with Suppliers (taught in Bologna, Italy)

• Procurement (taught in Mannheim, Germany).

 

Please note that electives are subject to change and availability.

• A UK upper second class degree or above, or the equivalent from an overseas institution.

• Some level of previous study in finance or quantitative methods is preferred.

• Work experience is not a requirement of this course.

• If you have been studying in the UK for the last three years it is unlikely that you will have to take a test
• If you have studied a 2+2 degree with just two years in the UK you will be required to provide IELTS results and possibly to resit the tests to meet our requirements.
   

IELTS
 

• The required IELTS level is an average of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in the Writing section and no less than 6.0 in any other section.

UK/EU/International£28,000Tuition fees are subject to annual change
 

Fees in each subsequent year of study for continuing students (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee for continuing students in writing prior to commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).

 

Deposit: £2,000 (usually paid within 1 month of receiving offer and non-refundable unless conditions of offer are not met)
 

First installment: Half fees less deposit (payable during on-line registration which should be completed at least 5 days before the start of the induction period)

Second installment: Half fees (paid in January following start of course)
 

Fees are the same for both UK and international students. Please note that fees do not include living expenses or books.

Career destinations for MSc Digitial Supply Chain Management
 

Our MSc Digital Supply Chain Management offers graduates strong strategic supply chain knowledge and advanced analytical and consulting skills. These are skills which are highly valued across industry sectors. You’ll be equipped with the most up to date research and innovative business practices, which is essential for a successful career in this global sector.

 

Our graduates move into fantastic careers in procurement management in retail, supply chain consultancy and specialist finance positions in the banking and insurance sectors.

 

Our dedicated Careers Team will help you identify your ideal career path and work with you to maximise the potential of accomplishing your professional goals.
 

Class of 2019 and 2020 profile
 

Some examples of where our graduates started their post-graduate career:

• Associate, Deloitte

• Director,  Savills

• Supply Chain Analyst, Sono Global

• International Sales Cooperator, Liebherr (China)

• Regional General Manager for Operations, Starline Logistics

• Analyst, Fortna

• Operations Leadership Programme, General Electric