Its major areas of study revolve around products, information, and cash flows between supply chain partners, as well as balancing supply and demand, managing supplier and customer relations, improving processes, fulfilling orders, developing logistics and transportation networks, and controlling returns.

Think of a product on an invisible conveyor belt, moving through forecasting, inventory planning, purchasing, manufacturing, delivering, and even returning. Supply chain managers plan, schedule, and control that flow of goods to help companies stay competitive and control costs. They build the critical bridges between suppliers, companies, and consumers.

What are your career possibilities?

Many of today’s most admired businesses dominate the competition using supply chains as their competitive advantage in an increasingly global economy.

Supply chain management majors work in a variety of industries including manufacturing, process industries, the service sector, education, and government. They have their hands in the invisible path products travel as inventory managers, procurement specialists, operation supervisors, buyers, logistic specialists, contract negotiators, and transportation managers—and all the way up the chain of command to vice presidents of operations and chief operation officers.