Supply Chain Management undergraduate program ranked 8th nationally

Heralded for its in-depth scope and required internships, Harbert College’s undergraduate Supply Chain Management program earned a No. 8 national ranking in a study conducted by Gartner.

Program Director and Wilson Family Professor Brian Gibson said the ranking – and the increased visibility it provides -- should influence the program in a number of ways.

“It will help us attract companies who want to recruit supply chain graduates, who need research conducted, and who need to educate their employees,” Gibson said. “The ranking will improve awareness of our capabilities and high caliber students.

"The ranking is a reflection of the hard work and the focus of the faculty team to build a strong program. We are very industry-oriented and well-attuned to their needs. This helps us prepare supply chain graduates for early career success.”

Other schools ranked in the Top 10 included Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Western Michigan, Brigham Young, North Texas, Arizona State and Rutgers.

The ranking’s criteria included program scope (curriculum), industry value and program size. Gartner, an information technology research and advisory firm, noted that Harbert College students get a “very strong cross-section” of coursework in operations management and logistics, transportation, warehousing and procurement.

“This balanced perspective gives our students a strong foundation that Gartner ranks very highly,” Gibson said. “Our graduates are capable of becoming general managers who can work across multiple supply chain processes. We’re continually refining our curriculum to make sure that our students are as well-prepared as they possibly can be for the work world. ”

Gibson said Harbert College’s Supply Chain Management Program was also recognized for its job-placement rate (79 percent in May of 2013) after graduation, average starting salary (Spring 2014 graduates averaged $53,000), and the program’s requirement that all students earn professional experience through internships, practicums, and international study opportunities.

“That’s what employers want today – a graduate with a strong education and practical experience,” Gibson said. “The ranking rewards the fact that our students have these experiences.”

Gibson said students interested in pursuing a degree in Supply Chain Management should consider Harbert’s growing program.

 “We are intently focused on our undergraduate program,” he said. “We’re not diverting faculty resources to graduate programs or using PhD students in teaching roles. Our courses are led by full-time faculty with extensive industry experience – a mix of tenured, tenure-track, and professionally qualified faculty who understand supply chain strategy and emerging practices. We also take that extra step to help students understand the available supply chain career opportunities and how to pursue them.”

For further information about Harbert College’s Supply Chain Management Program, contact Brian Gibson at (334) 844-2460 or email him at gibsobj@auburn.edu.