Supply Chain Fundamentals

Our program will set you apart. We are:

• One of only a few universities in the country that offers programs in supply chain management.
• One of the few AACSB-accredited programs in Illinois to offer graduate-level supply chain programs.
• Aligned with Gartner’s Supply Chain Talent Attribute Model, an industry-recognized indicator of comprehensiveness.
• Partners of Quinlan's Supply and Value Chain Center. The center's 70 corporate members helps ensure that our program curriculum is driven by best-in-class industry practices.

The goal of the Supply Chain Management Fundamentals Certificate program is to prepare business professionals to use advanced knowledge and skills in managing today’s supply chain.

This certificate is an excellent option for current supply chain professionals who need to enhance their knowledge base. It is also an ideal specialization for students who are currently pursuing a graduate business degree, and a great complement for MBA graduates who need to retool or to enhance their resume.

At the completion of the program, graduates are expected to:

• Use advanced supply chain strategies and be able to implement these strategies in a variety of global business environments.
• Utilize sophisticated methodologies to improve or optimize operations across a wide range of industries.
• Execute advanced tasks associated with process design and improvement, transportation management, inventory management, and purchasing management.

Courses are scheduled to enable completion of the certificate within 9 to 12 months. Sessions meet once per week, for ten weeks. Courses are offered online.

All courses completed in the certificate program can be applied toward a Quinlan MBA degree or MS in Supply Chain Management.

Students should have completed one course in statistics (or can complete a statistics course ISSCM 491 or ISSCM 492N at Loyola before beginning the certificate program) and have the U.S. equivalent of a BA or BS degree.

The certificate requires completion of five courses. Four of the courses are required, and one is elective.

Required Courses

SCMG 480: Intro to Operations Management*
*This course can be substituted with a program elective by the approval of the academic director and depending on the academic background.
Introduction to concepts and methods for managing operations in manufacturing and service organizations. Topics typically include forecasting, capacity and aggregate planning, material requirements planning, scheduling, facility layout and location, inventory management, just-in-time, total quality management, project planning, and logistics.

SCMG 486: Global Logistics
This course examines how business partners along the supply chain can work together to gain competitive advantage in moving products and services around the world to satisfy customers. The course will be an examination of the planning and management of global supply chain operations. Emphasis will be placed on the areas of traffic management, carrier operations, and warehousing. Each area will be analyzed in terms of its key goals, operational processes, technology applications, and performance control mechanisms.

SCMG 487: Purchasing Management
A study of organizational procurement processes and decision making framework. Topics include insourcing/out-sourcing decisions based on total cost of ownership, purchasing cycle and processes, developing material and technical specifications, supplier evaluation, selection and management, supplier quality management, purchasing capital goods and services, global sourcing and e-commerce, and purchasing tools and analytics.

SCMG 488: Inventory Management
A study of the fundamental principles of effective management of inventory with emphasis on inventory costs, product stratification, performance measures, demand forecasting, periodic and continuous review, safety stock, material requirements planning, customer service, and use of technology in inventory management. Issues related to storage and the handling of inventory stock are also studied.

Elective Courses (select 1, or select 2 if SCMG 480 has been substituted)

ISSCM 484N: Project Management
The art and science of project management as applied to a variety of business and technical projects in commercial, public, and private sectors. The course covers: project life cycle and methodology; team-building; project organization, stakeholders and leadership; proposals and contracts; techniques for project planning, estimating, scheduling, and control; and PMO.

ISSCM 495: Forecasting & Demand Management
This course covers current concepts in forecasting methods and use, with focus on implementation of these concepts in context to demand projections, economic and financial data analysis. This course uses R statistical language to create and implement various models. Main topics of the course include Regression, Time series analysis, and Markov Processes.

SCMG 481: Performance Improvement in Business Processes
The course focuses on a process view of the organization and provides students with a formal approach to designing, monitoring and improving business processes. The course provides the tools, methods and practical examples to help managers learn how to think from a process standpoint and how to ensure critical processes are controlled and functioning efficiently and effectively in their organization.

SCMG 482: Lean Production Concepts and Practices
Methods for managing operations in manufacturing and service organizations based upon the Toyota Production System. Topics include the principles lean production: employee empowerment, workplace organization, smooth process flow, pull production, setup reduction, TPM, cellular manufacturing, standard operations, visual management, and supplier partnerships.

SCMG 483: Management of Service Operations
This course explores the management of services in general, and the application of operations concepts to the design and management of service delivery systems in particular. A case study approach will be used, supplemented with lectures.

SCMG 489: Supply Chain Analytics
A study of the design, development, and use of decision models for analysis of supply chain problems. This course provides an example-driven approach to learn about important supply chain models, problems, and solution methodologies.

Below you will find both required materials and opportunities to strengthen your application when applying to the Quinlan School of Business. Additional information regarding the application process for international students can be found here.