A new ranking of university supply chain management programs has put both the graduate and undergraduate programs from the Naveen Jindal School of Management among the very elite in the nation.
Gartner, a business management consulting firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, released its biennial Gartner Supply Chain University Top 25 (registration required) June 26, placing the Jindal School’s Master of Science in Supply Chain Management (MS SCM) program at No. 4 and the Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management and Analytics (BS SCMA) program at No. 6.
According to John Fierst, director of the graduate supply chain program at the Jindal School, Gartner pointed out that the program scored consistently well across the various categories that they look for in their ranking process, which includes curriculum, industry recognition, graduate outcomes, and program size. As such, the program was able to maintain its No. 4 ranking from 2022.
“Our large alumni base of well over 1,300 helps with this tremendously because our graduates find their way to hundreds of different companies across the country,” he said. “They become UTD ambassadors to their supervisors and teammates which elevates our program’s awareness and status among supply chain professionals.”
Fierst also pointed out that graduate students at the Jindal School are afforded a lot of choice in how they customize the electives in their degree.
“We allow our students to take advantage of many courses with a focus on technology and analytics, which helps make them industry-ready,” he said. “Our instructors provide a rigorous classroom experience, and these high standards ensure our students have the skills to be competitive in the job market.
The supply chain programs at the Jindal School are housed in its Operations Management (OM) Area. Faculty, Fierst said, come from many different backgrounds, and that range of faculty experience really benefits the students by allowing them to learn about supply chain from many different angles.
“We know that a degree plus experience is the recipe for student success, and that is why we require all of our students to complete an internship or capstone project as part of their degree requirements,” he said. “We even have some students who do multiple internships, or do both an internship and capstone project. We encourage that! We want to ensure all of our graduates have relevant experience on their resume when they cross the stage at graduation.”
Fierst noted that many MS SCM graduates have gone into many different industries and have found themselves in many different job titles.
“We have alumni working in everything from procurement to logistics in every kind of industry from semiconductors to healthcare and so much more,” he said. “One of the best features of our program is how it prepares students to enter whichever area of supply chain suits them best. For me as a program director, it is an amazing opportunity to help students refine their career goals and help them map out a plan at UTD to help them get there.”
The BS MSCA moved up from 2022’s No. 8 ranking to No. 6 this time. Dr. Monica Brussolo, director of the undergraduate program attributes at least some of that rise to adding supply chain analytics to the program’s curriculum.
“To adapt to the industry trends was critical for our program to improve in the rankings in this evaluation cycle,” said Brussolo, an associate professor of instruction in the OM Area. “The flexibility of our curriculum, where students have different concentrations, has positively impacted the student’s job outcomes, making them more attractive to local and national employers.”
Brussolo also credits the program’s rise in the rankings with having a recognizable brand among alumni and industry partners. This year, Gartner added two non-program-specific sub-rankings to its overall ranking: “Top Performers: Most Recruited From,” in which UTD was ranked No. 4, and “Top Performers: Top Supply Chain University Brands,” in which UTD had the No. 7 ranking.
“Being ranked No. 7 among all the programs in the university brand ranking — including some programs that did not participate in the rankings, like MIT — shows that our alumni and industry partners consider UTD an academic solid option,” she said. “The industry professionals are hiring talent from our programs, as UTD (in both the graduate and undergraduate programs) ranked No. 4 in that industry value category.”
Dr. Mark Thouin, associate dean for graduate studies – academic programs at the Jindal School, said the rankings reflect the Jindal School’s continuous efforts to educate its students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and prepare its students for success after graduation.
“To be ranked among the very best supply chain management programs is a testament to the excellence of our faculty, supporting staff, students and alumni,” he said. “Knowing that our efforts are being recognized among our peers and industry partners is a humbling experience. It is a proud moment for the Jindal School.”
