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Supply Chain and Operations Management BS

College of Management / Marketing, Supply Chain Operations Management and International Business
Undergraduate major / Bachelor of Science

About The Program

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Supply chain management and operations management are concerned with the flow of materials, information, and money between suppliers, producers and servicing organizations, and customers. The procurement of goods and services, management of inventories, transportation to and from production and service facilities, distribution of goods and services, and information systems support are all key issues in supply chain and operations management. Also, organizations are increasingly seeking improvements in operations through many different initiatives, such as quality management, lean systems, and information systems implementation.

Students will acquire knowledge of logistics, transportation, supply chain management, inventory and warehousing, sourcing and purchasing, supply chain systems, and planning and control of activities related to distribution of goods and raw materials. The courses combine diverse management, finance, and marketing skills and focus on technical and managerial skills required by supply chain and operations professionals.  The Supply Chain and Operations Management major prepares students for a wide range of careers in business, government and not-for-profit organizations.

Students can aspire to careers as varied as business analyst, supply chain analyst, materials management analyst, supply chain project manager, logistics planner, transportation planner, retail analyst, retail store manager, production supervisor, sales and operations planner, buyer, purchasing manager, and global trade analyst.

There are many professional organizations to which students can belong to enhance their careers. These organizations provide the ability to learn industry practices and make contact with industry professionals. Some of organizations include Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP); American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS); Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and Institute of Supply Chain Management (IoSCM).

Student outcomes

A student majoring in Supply Chain and Operations Management will be able to: 

  • Apply principles of supply chain and operations management to organizations.
  • Analyze supply chains and operations in organizations.
  • Integrate understanding of the external environment of an organization with supply chain and operations management practices.

Related minors

How to enroll

Current students: Declare this program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Supply Chain and Operations Management BS now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Supply Chain and Operations Management BS

More ways to earn your degree: Metropolitan State offers the flexibility you need to finish your degree. Through programs at our partner institutions, you can find a path to getting your Supply Chain and Operations Management BS that works best for you.

About your enrollment options

Program eligibility requirements

Students must complete major program courses with a grade of C- or better. The COM Foundation Courses are prerequisites for many upper division College of Management courses. Completing these courses early in your program will help you succeed and have the most valuable experience in other College of Management courses.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

At least 20 credits from among the Business Core Courses, Major Required Courses, Major Electives and Capstone must be completed at Metropolitan State.  See also the COM policies page for requirements that are common to all programs.

Requirements (120 credits)

+ College of Management Foundation (22 credits)

This course is the first information technology foundation course in the College of Management. It focuses on the technology literacy, managerial and business problem solving dimensions of computer based information systems. It provides students with an introduction to the fundamental terminology of the hardware, software and the people involved with computer based information systems. The course includes hands on computer lab time to introduce students to word processing, database, spread sheet, and Internet microcomputer applications. This course is designed specifically to prepare students for information technology competence as needed in College of Management courses.

Full course description for Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations

This course develops the fundamental concepts of algebra with an emphasis on the classification and analysis of linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Applications to the natural and social sciences are given throughout. It aims to provide insights into the nature and utility of mathematics, and helps students develop mathematical reasoning skills.

Full course description for College Algebra

This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.

Full course description for Statistics I

This course focuses on the economy as a whole and studies how government can affect the economy. After starting with principles of markets, the price system and supply and demand, the course covers national income accounting, business cycles, inflation, unemployment, fiscal policy, monetary policy and the Federal Reserve System, different approaches to economic growth, and the foundations of international trade.

Full course description for Macroeconomics

This course focuses on the interactions between the consumer and the producer. It begins with the theory of markets, supply and demand, and the price system. Then it covers demand elasticity, the costs of production including the various factor inputs, the four major market structures (pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly), and ways to increase the competition in markets.

Full course description for Microeconomics

This course in financial accounting acquaints students with the "language of business" and the concepts and practices of accounting in order to understand, interpret, and analyze the financial accounting reports of economic entities. Topics include: economic context of accounting; introduction to basic financial statements with emphasis on the statement of cash flows; measurement fundamentals; analysis of financial statements; cash; receivables; inventories; investments in equity and debt securities including Consolidations; long-lived assets; current and long-term liabilities; stockholders' equity; and time value of money concepts and computations for decision making: international accounting practices are incorporated into every topic. This is not a bookkeeping course.

Full course description for Financial Accounting

+ College of Management Business Core (20 credits)

This course surveys factors that marketing managers take into account when creating a marketing plan, including consumer behavior principles, market segmentation, product life cycle, packaging, branding, pricing, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling, product distribution methods and key laws affecting marketing practices. The course takes a practical approach to explaining how to identify marketing objectives and determine strategies for reaching them. It is useful to general business students, students who plan marketing management or marketing communications careers and those who wish to be better informed consumers. This course is also offered online. Prerequisite: Goal 1 writing requirement plus 30 credits must be satisfied.

Full course description for Marketing Principles

This course is designed to define the role of information systems in organizations, and in particular the roles of IS staff and end-users in developing and maintaining computer systems. The managerial aspects and implications of databases, telecommunications, hardware, software and e-commerce are included. Special attention is given to management information systems theories in the organizational setting including: infrastructure, transaction processing, operational reporting, decision support systems and executive information systems. Also included are all phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) as well as alternative development methodologies. The course prototypically includes analysis of real world business cases and post-implementation audit report of a recently completed management information system. All students taking this class must have completed as a prerequisite the MIS 100 Fundamentals of Information Technology in Organizations course or its approved…

Full course description for Principles of Management Information Systems

This course introduces the application to financial decision-making of mathematics, statistics, economic theory, and accounting procedures. The two central ideas are time value of money and the relationship between expected return and risk, and how these ideas are used to value bonds, stocks, and other financial securities, and to make capital investment decisions.

Full course description for Principles of Finance

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and techniques of production and operations management for both service and manufacturing organizations. It will address the role of operations in relation to other functions and the methods to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Topics covered include: product and service design, capacity planning, design of work systems, location planning and analysis, material requirements planning, supply-chain management, enterprise resource planning, inventory management, total quality management, Six Sigma, lean enterprise and kaizen approaches, aggregate planning, just-in-time systems, scheduling, and project planning. Also included are tools and processes used in operations decisions such as forecasting, breakeven analysis, and critical path method using available software.

Full course description for Introduction to Operations Management

+ Required

This course addresses tools, techniques, and strategies used in service and manufacturing organizations for management and controlling internal and enterprise supply chains. Topics include demand management, forecasting, sales and operations planning, production scheduling, material requirements planning, capacity planning, just-in-time, distribution requirements planning, order-point inventory control methods, and strategic design of planning and control systems.

Full course description for Supply Chain Planning and Control

This course examines those activities involved in planning, implementing and controlling the flows of raw materials, in-process inventories, and finished goods from the points of origin to the points of consumption at the lowest total cost. Topics covered include enterprise resource planning; forecasting; inventory management; transportation modes, services and rates; warehousing; information systems; performance measurement; quality; materials handling; customer services; and the overall management of logistical functions. The computerized information programs intending to support the management functions are also treated. Special emphasis is placed on building business analysis skills to assess the feasibility and cost benefit of its functions to support logistics operations.

Full course description for Logistics in Supply Chain

This course integrates planning, design and analysis to develop a holistic view of supply chain and operations through problems, cases, research papers, readings, projects, and presentations. It requires students to describe, analyze, review and critique important design and planning features of supply chain and operations management. Student will work individually or in groups to develop a project/research paper to analyze an existing complex supply chain and operations function. Students will also explore supply chain and operations through readings, papers, guest lectures, and videos. The focus of the course is on experiential learning and critical analysis. Students will learn critical tools like optimization, models, decision trees, and network analysis.

Full course description for Supply Chain and Operations Management Strategy

+ Electives (14 credits)

This course focuses on developing the skills needed to become a successful project manager and project team member. Topics covered include all aspects of project management from project initiation issues and project planning to scheduling, organization, implementation, monitoring progress and controlling to achieve desired project results. Also included are project management techniques such as PERT, CPM and project evaluation methods using Microsoft Project software.

Full course description for Project Management

This course examines several frameworks to the management of organizational excellence, including Deming Juran the Baldrige Award, ISO and Six Sigma. Topics include customer focus, leadership, management by fact, strategic planning, human resources, continuous improvement of processes and business results.

Full course description for Managing Quality

This course examines the role of information systems applications involved in supporting supply chain & logistics operations. Topics covered include electronic purchasing/RFQ, Warehouse management systems, Warehouse Technology, Bar coding / RFID, mobile solutions for distribution and field force automation, MRP/ERP, Enterprise Asset Management and the Internet of Things, Transportation systems. Special emphasis is placed on building analytical skills for the detailed assessment of vendor software solutions in the supply chain arena.

Full course description for Supply Chain Information Systems

This course provides an introduction to the role of financial and nonfinancial information for planning and control decisions, emphasizing the strategic role of the management accountant in the organization. It emphasizes strategy and the application of concepts and practices of management accounting on economic and noneconomic decisions. Topics include: cost behavior and estimation; cost analysis for planning and control decisions including value chain analysis, target costing, quality costs, customer value measurement systems, and benchmarking; cross-functional teams; activity-based management; and capital budgeting.

Full course description for Strategic Management Accounting

This course focuses on activities concerned with materials and inventory requirements, from receiving the materials to their introduction into the manufacturing processes. Topics discussed include objectives and organization for materials management, total quality management, materials requirement planning, traffic management, warehousing, automated inventory control systems, and legal and ethical considerations in materials management.

Full course description for Materials Management

This course will address special topics, current issues and research trends in supply chain and operations management field. The supply chain and operations management field is undergoing some rapid change due to driving factors such as globalization, technology change, and environmental concerns. The course will revolve around five themes or topics: (1) managing risks; (2) theory of constraint, (3) lean management; (4) green, environment and carbon issues; and (5) globalization. Other specialized topics may be added as the field undergoes changes. Prerequisites: DSCI 434 Intro. to Operations Management

Full course description for Special Topics in Supply Chain and Operations

This course examines the use of retail information systems applications at an advanced level to improve efficiency and effectiveness of retail stores and chain retailers. Topics covered include: Retail data configuration (the story of a sku), Merchandise planning and IT, Purchasing & replenishment and IT, Role of IT in Merchandising and store operations, Post-season analytics. The course will prominently feature hands-on exercises with actual Retail management software. The software used may include Oracle Retail, SAP Retail, Microsoft Dynamics AX, etc.

Full course description for Retail Information Systems

This course reviews the purposes, philosophies and organization of the U.S. legal system. It provides an intensive study of the law which governs contracts for services, real estate, employment, insurance, trademark, patents and copyrights. Topics covered include legally binding contract requirements (offer and acceptance, legality of subject matter, capacity of parties and contractual consideration); circumstances which require a contract to be in writing; defenses for avoiding contractual liability; and legal remedies for breach of contract. It also focuses on the articles of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which govern the rights and obligations of parties to transactions involving the sale of goods (Article II), commercial paper such as checks, notes and drafts (Article II), and financing arrangements in which one party gives another a security interest in property (Article IX) and the effects of federal bankruptcy laws on these transactions.

Full course description for Business Law: UCC and Contracts

NOTE: You can choose to do an internship in supply chain and operations elective credits. Please contact your advisor or department chair for more information.

+ College of Management capstone (4 credits)

This advanced course uses the case study approach to develop systems and techniques for analyzing the internal strengths and weaknesses of diverse organizations and the external environments in which they operate. Students craft strategies and develop implementation plans that apply organizational resources to opportunities and threats in its external environment. This course should be taken during the last semester of a student's program.

Full course description for Case Studies in Strategic Management

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