Supply Chain Management Program

The Supply Chain Management Program (SCM) prepares graduates for logistics and supply chain management careers in manufacturing, distribution, retail, transportation, logistics, consulting, and software development organizations. This engineering-focused professional degree program, offered through the Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), is designed for early and mid-career professionals in supply chain, operations, and industrial engineering roles to step out of the workforce for a short period, receive intense, practical training in supply chain fundamentals and leadership skills, and then return to the workforce at a higher level of responsibility. The program provides organizations of all kinds with supply chain professionals who are highly trained in both analytical problem solving and transformational leadership.

The SCM program leads to one of two degrees:

  • The Master of Engineering (MEng) in Supply Chain Management is appropriate for students who wish to continue on in research or who plan to pursue a PhD.
  • The Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Supply Chain Management is appropriate for students who wish to pursue a career in either industry or consulting.

Details on the subject requirements for each degree can be found on the SCM degree charts page.

The SCM program consists of two different cohorts of students each year. The "residential" students (SCMr) spend ten months from August through May on the MIT campus in Cambridge. The "blended" students (SCMb) have already earned the MicroMasters Credential in Supply Chain Management through edX and thus spend only five months on MIT’s campus from January through May. In each case, during their time on campus, students take specialized subjects taught by leading logistics and supply chain professionals in areas such as logistics systems, supply chain design, inventory planning, transportation management, analytical methods, data science, and machine learning. Students also take subjects in leadership, business writing, public speaking, and strategy. During the January Independent Activities Period (IAP), students participate on teams with their peers from the MIT Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network centers in Spain, Malaysia, Luxembourg, China, and Latin America. Each student writes either a master’s thesis (MEng degree) or a capstone report (MASc degree) based on a real-world project sponsored by a participating company, agency, or nongovernmental organization. SCM students also participate in week-long study treks to domestic and international locations to expand their education and see supply chain in action.

Both cohorts are primarily for students with industry experience but are open to anyone who can meet the admission requirements. Applicants should have a background in college-level calculus, economics, probability, and statistics. SCMr applicants must take either the GRE or GMAT exam, or the first online MicroMasters subject in analytics. SCMb applicants are required to have the MicroMasters Credential in Supply Chain Management and do not take the GRE or GMAT test. Applicants whose first language is not English must take the IELTS or TOEFL exam or receive a waiver. The admission rounds for both SCM cohorts are in the late fall and early spring.