-
Want to Learn More?
Can This Degree in Supply Chain Management be Earned Online?
American Public University’s online bachelor’s degree is designed specifically for the online education environment. This means that you will be learning from professors who are experienced in teaching online and who are industry leaders in global supply chain management, transportation, and logistics.
Benefits of Earning this Bachelor’s Degree Online
Balancing the multiple—sometimes simultaneous—demands of work, family, and everyday life can present logistical challenges to pursuing your supply chain degree. Supply chain management programs, particularly in an online format, can help you acquire or refine your technology skills. Technology can play an enormous role in purchasing and supply management, risk management, procurement, inventory management, business administration, and transportation and logistics. Strengthening your tech skills may help to prepare you to develop solutions for real-world challenges typically encountered by supply chain managers.
When you choose to earn your supply chain degree online, you have more control over your learning schedule. American Public University’s courses are asynchronous, so you can log in any time of the day or night, from wherever you have a stable internet connection.
Your assignments will be due at the end of the week. You can work on your supply chain degree online, from your kitchen table, your home office, your local library, or your favorite café, then submit your assignments by the due date.
Why Get a Supply Chain Management Degree?
Many industries are supported by people with knowledge that may be acquired in a supply chain management program. Online bachelor of supply chain management programs typically explore subjects that are often relevant to the day-to-day operations of many types of businesses. Your studies will help improve the planning, critical thinking skills, finance, logistics, communication, and problem-solving skills often required to address the needs of business enterprises, government agencies, and military agencies.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, logisticians work in nearly every industry. Employment of logisticians is projected to grow 28 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed July 2023] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Degree Concentrations
Supply chain management majors will choose a concentration, which involves a specified number of required courses building upon your general education, major courses, electives, and the senior seminar. Supply chain management students may choose from concentrations covering these areas to gain specialized knowledge:
- General
- Government Contracting and Acquisitions
- Reverse Logistics Management
- Transportation and Logistics Management
It’s best to start researching financing options as soon as you decide where you will pursue your supply chain management program or at least six weeks before your courses start. That way you’ll have plenty of time to assemble the required documents and complete the paperwork before your courses begin.
We are committed to making quality education affordable, and we’re here to help navigate the financial aspects of your education.
Financial aid is available from various sources to help you pay for your supply chain degree. Online and traditional programs—as long as they are accredited—are eligible for federal student aid. American Public University is part of the accredited American Public University System.1
Here are some financing options you might consider:
- Employer Benefits
- Federal Student Aid
- Scholarships and Private Loans
- Military Tuition Assistance
- Veterans Benefits
If you plan to pay for your supply chain management bachelor’s degree out of pocket, you have several options:
- Credit cards
- Digital payments
- Electronic checks
- Automatic debit plan
1 American Public University System (APUS) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Transfer Opportunities for this Bachelor’s Degree
Maybe you started earning a degree at a brick-and-mortar academic institution or you are returning to school for your bachelor’s degree in supply chain management after taking a pause to raise a family or focus on your career.
It’s worth taking some time to review your experiences to find out whether you can earn college credit toward your supply chain degree. Online or on-campus courses that you completed elsewhere may also count toward your BA in supply chain management.
A small investment in time to gather documentation about your previous education and life experience before you enroll could help reduce the amount of time and expense you’ll spend working on your degree.
You will need a total of 120 credits to earn your BA in supply chain management. Supply chain management experience may have been part of a previous job or an aspect of prior training. If you have certain types of prior experience or education, you may be able to apply that knowledge toward your supply chain management degree as transfer credits. The University accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward a bachelor’s degree in supply chain.1
You can apply eligible professional experience, certifications, on-the-job training, and previous education toward your online supply chain degree. Find out more about transferring credits with a no-cost Transfer Credit Evaluation.
1The University reserves the right to accept or deny credits according to policies outlined on our University website. Please see the University’s transfer credit policy webpage for complete information.
Accreditation
There are so many supply chain management programs to choose from that making a decision can seem overwhelming. Accredited colleges and universities have been evaluated for their program relevance and quality, qualifications of their professors, and overall institutional merit.
American Public University’s bachelor of supply chain management program has achieved specialty accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, which accredits business, accounting, and business-related programs at the associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degree levels.
Also, American Public University is part of American Public University System, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
What Is Accreditation and Why Is It Important?
Accreditation is a stamp of approval that shows that a college or university provides a quality educational experience. It’s important to consider accreditation when you’re contemplating an online supply chain management degree.
Potential employers, other academic institutions, licensing boards, and financial aid resources will also be looking at accreditation of your supply chain management degree. Online and campus-based accredited academic institutions are evaluated on:
- Academic rigor
- Admissions and student services
- Financial stability
- Governance and administration
- Institutional effectiveness
- Institutional resources
- Relationships with internal and external constituencies
- Student learning
What Comes After You Earn the BA in Supply Chain Management?
This supply chain management degree is designed to help you gain the knowledge and skills needed to address complex problems and prepare to develop solutions for real-world challenges.
Logistics and supply chain management is a complex, ever-evolving field. In order to gain the knowledge and skills needed to address multifaceted situations, it’s possible you will need to pursue continuing professional development, possibly as a certification.
Top certifications to consider include:
- APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional Certification
- APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management
- APICS Supply Chain Operations Reference Endorsement
- APICS Certified Logistics, Transportation and Distribution
- ISM Certified Professional in Supply Management
- ISM Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity
- SCPro Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
- SOLE Certified Professional Logistician
- NCMA Certified Professional Contract Manager
- Project Management Professional
Supply chain management can be particularly appealing to people who enjoy variety in their professional life and those who are interested in lifelong education. Respondents to ASCM’s 2023 Supply Chain Salary and Career Report also indicated:
- The MBA is most common among supply chain professionals over the age of 30
- A Master of Science with an emphasis in a supply chain discipline is much more common among those 29 and under
- The number of people aged 29 and younger who studied supply chain subjects (including supply chain, business administration, and engineering) at the undergraduate level increased
Frequently Asked Questions
Businesses and consumers rely on the expertise of supply chain professionals for the smooth delivery of everyday needs from office and healthcare supplies, construction equipment and machine parts to clothing, groceries, and more. Earning a logistics and supply chain management degree helps build knowledge to face challenging and rewarding responsibilities in a constantly evolving industry. The field also contributes to the health of the national economy. According to ASCM’s 2023 Supply Chain Salary and Career Report, respondents appreciate their logistics and supply chain jobs, with 96% of professionals reporting that they plan to remain in the field for the next five years. Despite ongoing global logistics and supply chain disruptions—including shortages and losses of raw materials—supply chain professionals continue to report high levels of satisfaction.
The best supply chain management degree for you will depend on your current education level, your professional goals, and what aspects of the supply chain industry appeal to you the most. Maybe you already know that you’re intrigued specifically by the topic of reverse logistics, which involves all aspects related to returning goods—including the sustainability of recycling or reusing shipping materials and the products themselves. Or, perhaps you are more interested in the data that helps improve business and workforce performance as it relates to delivering goods and services.
You may want to start with an associate or a bachelor’s degree program that focuses specifically on supply chain logistics, or on related subjects such as general business, finance, or engineering. College courses in these related subjects may be applicable and relevant to people interested in becoming supply chain managers.
An associate supply chain management degree is usually designed as an overview of the subject while a bachelor of supply chain management program typically takes a more detailed view. Other bachelor’s degrees relevant to logistics and supply chain include:
- Management
- Retail Management
- Reverse Logistics Management
- Transportation and Logistics Management
- Business Analytics
- Business Administration
Since logistics and supply chain is a constantly evolving industry, an advanced degree may help you meet your learning goals. An advanced degree, earned after a bachelor’s degree, is designed to provide preparation for leadership in global supply chain management. Master’s degree options might include one of the following:
- Management
- Reverse Logistics Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Transportation and Logistics Management
- Master of Business Administration
- Applied Business Analytics
A typical supply chain management bachelor’s degree explores the details of the entire lifecycle of a product or service. Students learn how businesses create and move their products from the idea stage to the drawing board to the manufacturing facility to industrial distribution to the final destination.
Supply chain managers start with the planning process, which involves how and where to source raw materials, transporting them to a production or manufacturing facility, then distributing the finished goods to a distributor or retailer, delivery to the customer or user, and the return process, also known as reverse logistics.
Professionals who specialize in logistics and supply chain management provide valuable support in many businesses. A supply chain management degree or education in transportation and logistics is designed to prepare individuals for responsibilities involving supply chain logistics and many other aspects of business administration including purchasing, procurement, risk management, and industrial distribution.
The degree is designed to help you build your knowledge related to many industries including:
- Healthcare
- Manufacturing
- Retail
- Technology
- Transportation