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MSc Supply Chain Management and Logistics

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    Key information

    Mode of delivery
    Online
    Start date
    Open enrolment
    Duration
    2.5 years
    Qualification
    MSc

    Contact

    Contact our enquiries team

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    Overview

    This degree provides you with a chance to expand, refine and enhance your knowledge in the Supply Chain Management and Logistics subject area.

    Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University’s online MSc Supply Chain Management and Logistics calls upon established industry links and sector-leading research to equip you with cutting-edge expertise. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of supply chain management in managing global risk. It will provide you with a robust understanding of global logistics and supply chains and the analytical tools for manging them in the modern business environment. The degree also gives you a great opportunity to engage with real-life case studies and to develop the skills required to make informed decisions.

    The Edinburgh Business School approach

    Our mix of research-led, industry-focussed learning offers the ideal preparation for those who aspire to build successful careers in the ever-advancing discipline of Supply Chain Management and Logistics. Students will study a mix of core courses and then choose from a range of optional courses. If you study this degree you will develop expertise across key areas of the subject, including: Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies, Operations Management and Planning, Global Purchasing and Supply and Freight Transport and Warehousing.

    Transferable skills for industry

    On top of expertise you will gain in Supply Chain Management and Logistics, this degree will equip you with the ability to think critically, identify problems, evaluate options and communicate solutions. These crucial, transferable skills will allow you to effectively implement your specialist knowledge and adapt to any logistical problem you may face in your career.

    Degree duration

    It takes approximately 200 study hours per course. On average, it takes two years to complete a full MSc, but it can be completed faster or over a longer period. You can choose your own pace by picking up or setting aside your studies whenever it suits you best. Your schedule always takes priority.

    Who should study this degree?

    Our online degrees are designed for you to complete a MSc degree. Our students also have the option to study each of our individual course modules in order to upskill or reskill to progress your career, whether this is to fulfil a professional requirement or to specialise in a specific area.

    Online learning delivery

    Our progressive course materials are made available online through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The VLE links you with our expert academics and course materials through videos, webinars, articles, journals, assessments and discussion boards. With us, it’s completely up to you when and where you sit your exams and you need only pay for one at a time. You can choose when to sit your exams and if you need to rearrange, that’s no problem either. To find out more about the degree structure, resources and support please visit our Online learning delivery and support pages.

    Student support

    Even the most gifted and most confident of students need a little help from time to time. Whether you study online at home or with a learning partner you’re never far from the support of our faculty and your fellow learners. Additional support is available through optional online tuition and revision sessions and other online resources such as tests, practice essays, collaborative discussion forums where you can engage with your fellow students around the world and tools to help you track your progress through the course materials.

    Supply Chain Management and Logistics

    Course content

    Year 1

    The MSc Supply Chain Management and Logistics calls upon established global industry links and sector-leading research and practice to equip students with cutting-edge expertise.

    The degree comprises of six core courses, one optional course, and a reflective portfolio. Courses are assessed by a Final Online Assessment. Pass these and join our global network of Edinburgh Business School graduates and business professionals.

    Degree structure

    Core
    • Strategies for Managing Supply Chains
    • Operations Management
    • Logistics Operations: Freight Transport and Warehouse Management
    • Global Purchasing and Supply
    • Green and Sustainable Logistics
    • Humanitarian Logistics
    • Supply Chain Management and Logistics Reflective Portfolio
    Optional
    • Performance Management for Business
    • Business Analytics

    Detailed degree guide

    Understanding, Knowledge and Cognitive Skills

    Case studies will be used where students need to show that they can interpret data and relate those circumstances to the frameworks identified in the academic literature.

    The dissertation will enable a student to undertake an in depth study in a selected area of the students choice where the relationship to current models needs to be established and findings used to verify or add to current knowledge.

    • Knowledge that covers and integrates most of the main areas of the discipline, including their features, boundaries, terminology and conventions
    • A critical understanding of the principal theories, principles and concepts
    • A critical understanding of a range of specialised theories, principles and concepts
    • Extensive, detailed and critical knowledge and understanding of one or more specialisms, informed largely by research-teaching linkages
    • Critical awareness of current issues in research and knowledge creation within specialist areas of the discipline
    • The development of original and creative responses to problems and issues associated with professional level practice and research.

    Scholarship, Enquiry and Research (Research Informed Learning)

    Students will be encouraged to work independently to complement the knowledge gained by reading, lecturers, programme work and a dissertation. Programmes in critical reading, literature reviews and research methods will be given to assist students to undertake work of scholarship.

    The research output from the Logistics Research Centre will be incorporated into the taught curriculum e.g. Green Logistics and Supply Chain Risk and Adaptation

    • Knowledge or understanding of the ways in which Logistics and Supply Chain Management is developed, including the implementation of emerging techniques of research and scholarly enquiry.
    • Planning and execution of a significant project of research, development or investigation
    • Demonstration of originality and creativity in applying knowledge and understanding to professional practice
    • The use of a wide range of standard techniques and some specialist research (or equivalent) instruments in pursuing research led enquiry

    Approaches to Teaching and Learning

    The School is committed to enhancing the student learning experience through its approach to teaching and learning, which is derived from the University’s own Learning and Teaching Strategy.

    In the first months of study, considerable emphasis is given to assisting students in the return to Higher Education through induction events. These introduce students to the different teaching methods that they will encounter: mostly lectures, workshops, lab work – as well as familiarising students with support services such as the library, computing services and the virtual learning environment. In this programme, considerable emphasis is placed on ensuring that this support meets the needs of foreign students, who are least likely to be familiar with the expectations of a British institution. In addition, the School is committed to providing a thorough grounding in scholarship skills at an appropriate level covering matters such as critical approaches to secondary texts and data, academic writing techniques, and reflective learning.

    Throughout the degree, teaching is strongly research-informed. Building on students’ existing study skills from prior study and experience, the programme is designed to develop students’ professional expertise through group based work and projects, culminating naturally in the completion of a dissertation. Professional development planning also forms an integral part of the programme of studies, so that students graduate with considerably enhanced skills suitable for senior, specialist professional level or managerial employment in careers in business and public service in areas closely associated with the study of Logistics and Supply Chain Management. These policies ensure that graduates have high levels of employability and professional career readiness.

    Approaches to teaching and learning are examined yearly through programme and course review. These processes are informed by various forms of feedback of which the most important are student feedback, external examiners reports, and evidence of the achievement of learning outcomes from formative and summative assessment.

    Further details of the approaches to teaching and learning used in individual courses are included in course descriptors.

    Assessment Policies

    The programme uses a range of assessment types at all stages of study. Formative assessment is used in many courses to provide students and staff with feedback on performance and the achievement of learning outcomes. This feedback is used both to inform programme development, but also to enable the adaptation of learning opportunities to meet the needs of individual students and the cohort of learners. Summative assessment for most courses will involve a combination of coursework and examination, with greater weight typically given to unseen examination rather than coursework. The format of all assessment is determined by its appropriateness for measuring the learning outcomes of courses.

    Among the forms of assessment used in the programme are essays, written exams, presentations, group and individual projects and the dissertation.

    Further details of the approaches to teaching and learning used in individual courses are included in course descriptors.

    Fees and funding

    Tuition fees

    Additional fee information

    The MSc degree comprises of seven courses and a Reflective Portfolio. Each course is £1,230, the full degree fee is £9,840. You can study on a course-by-course basis and pay as you learn, or sign up for two or three courses at once.

    Read additional information for emerging economies.

    Scholarships and bursaries

    Each year Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University makes available a number of scholarships and discounts to help students to achieve one of our awards.

    Scholarship funding

    Fully funded scholarships for some of the courses contained within the MSc are available to people living and working in Scotland. Find out more information about the Upskilling Scotland Scholarship.

    Entry requirements

    Typically, you will hold a recognised first or second class honours degree, or equivalent professional qualification. Students whose native language is not English and who have not been educated previously in the English language must provide evidence of their English language proficiency.

    Rewarding previous study

     Edinburgh Business School recognises that some students entering our online MBA or MSc programmes will have completed prior academic study in subjects that align closely to certain EBS courses.

    The qualification being presented for exemption consideration should have been gained within the last five years. Qualifications gained over five years ago may be considered if additional supporting evidence shows that you have kept abreast of the current developments and trends in the subject area. 

    Exemptions are considered only on the basis of qualifications which have been gained through formal assessment. No consideration will be given for life/work experience.

    Exemption from mandatory and optional courses may be granted on the basis of master's/postgraduate level qualifications and professional qualification only. Undergraduate level qualifications cannot be considered.

    Exemptions will not be awarded on the basis of courses which have been used towards the award of another degree (of the same discipline) at Master's level, whether this was awarded by Heriot-Watt University or any other institution. For example, a student who has gained an MSc in Accounting will not be given an exemption in Accounting from Edinburgh Business School’s MBA or MSc degree programmes.

    Exemption eligibility

    If you would like to enquire about your eligibility, please complete an Exemption Application Form.

    Employability

    The MSc Supply Chain Management and Logistics is aimed at both graduates and professionals seeking the leadership and technical skills to confront the challenges for a new era in business management. The degree offers students the opportunity to advance with a highly employability skillset, in-depth knowledge and expertise which are required for variety of jobs.

    Potential career paths

    • Supply chain consultant
    • Supply chain manager
    • Global logistics manager
    • Procurement specialist
    • Supply chain analyst
    • Distribution manager

    Why Heriot-Watt?

    Flexibility and affordability

    Study at a time and pace that suits you, and even while you work. HW Online offers pay-as-you-study courses and fees inclusive of exams and study materials, meaning you can focus on success, not extra costs.

    Online tutoring and revision

    We offer live tutoring and revision sessions with highly experienced tutors from our global network of teaching partners. You can choose the session which best suits your needs, such as time of day, duration and structure.

    Your career

    Employers around the world actively seek out our graduates because they are work-ready. All our degrees are career-focused and relevant to the needs of industry. Around 95% of our students are in employment or further study within six months of graduating.

    Online events

    We host online events throughout the year, giving you the opportunity to speak to our academic teaching staff, meet students, find out what it is like to study using our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and discover how to enrol.

    Lifelong connections

    Upon completing your studies you will automatically join the UK’s oldest alumni association The Watt Club, with 147k members worldwide.

    Study options Edinburgh - Logistics and Supply Chain Management

    Our MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management is also available to study at our Edinburgh campus.

    Study options Dubai - Logistics and Supply Chain Management

    Our MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management is also available to study at our Dubai campus.

    We are accredited by the following organisations

    At Heriot-Watt University we develop degrees that are relevant for the world of work. We work with Professional bodies and Institutes to gain appropriate Accreditations and Professional Memberships for your industry. Find out below how this degree aligns to industry.

    Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

    Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

    While you are studying, you can join as Student Member before becoming Affiliate Member and then Member (MCIPS).

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