When Software Advice released its “Top Universities for Supply Chain Technology Education for 2017,” the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business’ Supply Chain Management program found itself in a familiar position -- ranked among the nation’s elite.

Auburn University’s program earned a No. 8 national ranking among undergraduate programs a No. 11 ranking for program reputation.

“We have a couple of differentiators that set us apart,” said David Paradice, chair of Harbert College’s Department of Systems and Technology. “We have a unique and very strong blend of people with PhDs in the supply chain academic area and great people here with a lot of real-world work experience. Our lecturers have 30 to 40 years of work experience. We have a really strong merger of academic rigor and industry relevance.”

Paradice also gave credit to the program’s internship requirement. “Our students go into a job after they graduate and they already have work experience.”

Software Advice used a three-step approach in determining the nation’s top supply chain programs. First, it used an aggregate account of Gartner, U.S. News & World Report, and SCM World rankings to find its Top 30 schools.

From there, it determined which programs featured software more heavily than other schools. Software Advice is an online resource for software purchasers that provides research and reviews on thousands of products. It also inspected each program’s curricula, including the number of credit hours to graduate and the number of required or elective courses focusing on supply chain technology.

Lastly, it combined the aggregate rankings and to its software-related findings in step two to determine its final Top 15.

Harbert College’s Supply Chain Management program is no stranger to national and worldwide acclaim. Within the past year, the college’s program has been ranked No. 8 nationally by Gartner and No. 10 internationally by SCM World.