Support the Global Economy as a Supply Chain Manager

Supply chain management: Three simple words that might seem confusing and complicated when taken as a whole. In fact, it’s tempting to simply gloss over the whole important (and massive and integral) system that is supply chain management — a system that quite literally keeps the entire industrialized world moving ahead.

However, to ignore logistics and supply chain management would mean you’d miss out on a whole diverse, growing, and lucrative field that you could easily join after earning your Associate’s Degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Cincinnati Online.

What Is Supply Chain Management?

Supply Chain Management involves the management of goods and services from one place (manufacturer) to another (end-user) and includes everything in between, such as the processes that are needed to make a raw material a complete and final product.

The “chain” itself refers to all the companies that participate in the design, assembly, and delivery of a particular product (the supply). Supply chains make it possible for us to have products that we want, when and where we want, and at a price, a consumer can afford.

Because we work in the context of a global economy, there is an always-increasing demand for greater innovation, efficiency, and cost reduction to keep the supply chain working smoothly so that supplies generate value for both the supplier and their customers and everyone in between.

What Does a Supply Chain Manager Do?

With a Supply Chain Management Associate Degree, you’ll have the skills necessary to manage and coordinate all of the logistical functions in an enterprise. Supply chain management jobs include working with outside suppliers to obtain what is needed to make a product, the ability to make more than one of the product, and to negotiate with vendors to get the product sold.

For example, you’ll work with:

• Vendors who supply raw materials.
• Producers who convert those raw materials into products.
• Warehouses that store product until it’s needed.
• Distribution centers that pick up and deliver that product.
• Retailers (online and in-store) that bring that product to consumers.

What Is the Job Outlook for a Supply Chain Manager?

There has never been a better time than now to earn your Supply Chain Management Degree, due to an imbalance in the supply chain management workforce because of a shortage of skilled workers and an increase in retirees from the field. According to some estimates, the global demand for supply chain professionals exceeds supply by 6-to-1.

In fact, the U.S. supply chain contains 37% of all jobs and employs about 44 million people. And, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs in logistics is projected to grow 5% by 2028, driven by the need for supply chain management in the transport of goods in a global economy.

Supply Chain Management program graduates can expect salaries ranging from $65,000 to over $85,000 with job opportunities in a variety of industries.

• Logistics and Transportation
• Warehouse/Distribution
• Production & Inventory Control
• Purchasing, Procurement, and Sourcing
• SCMT Cost Management
• Supplier Management
• Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Sales and Marketing

Ready to get started down the exciting path of Supply Chain Management? Connect with an advisor to learn more today! Or take the first step and apply now!