Bellevue University’s Supply Chain Programs Offer Unique Pathways to Success
With the continued global supply chain challenges and needs driven by the pandemic, the demand for students who have a degree in the field is higher than ever.
And there’s perhaps no better place to pursue a degree in this field than at Bellevue University. The University offers two different undergraduate supply chain programs through its Omaha campus, both of which allow students to graduate in less than four years.
The first is the Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain, Transportation, and Logistics Management program, which is an accelerated, online 60-week program. The second option enables students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain and Logistics Management via a residential campus experience.
What further makes these programs unique, according to Dr. Ed Haynes, Assistant Dean of the College of Business and Program Director for Supply Chain Management, is that “both programs touch on all the different parts that make up a supply chain. This helps the student understand all the jobs created by supply chains.”
Bellevue University’s supply chain instructors all currently work in or have had a career in supply chain, so they’re able to incorporate many real-world examples into their teaching. This provides students with an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and adopt best practices.
Students in the supply chain and logistics management program also take field trips to different manufacturing companies in the area to get an idea of their operations and how their products are manufactured, packaged and prepared for shipment. Dr. Haynes said that throughout their two years at Bellevue, students will typically attend 12 to 14 field trips. In the past, they have visited companies like Rotella’s Bakery; CLAAS, an agricultural equipment manufacturer; Nebraska Furniture Mart; and Kawasaki Industries, where students witnessed the assembly line for ATVs, rail cars and bay doors for Boeing 767 airplanes.
The programs touch on all the different parts that make up a supply chain. This helps the student understand all the jobs created by supply chains.
In addition to Bellevue University’s two undergraduate supply chain degree programs, the University has a 2+2 partnership program with the Guangzhou College of Commerce in China. The program began seven years ago and offers two bachelor’s degrees, one in supply chain and logistics management and one in international business administration.
Dr. Haynes explained that the students spend their freshman and sophomore years at Guangzhou College of Commerce taking general elective and English courses. They then arrive at Bellevue University’s campus in Nebraska to complete their remaining seven semesters over the next two years. Dr. Haynes said that the program has been well-received over these past few years, and many of its students go on to graduate school after graduating from Bellevue University, including some at prestigious schools such as Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University.
Regardless of which program a student chooses to pursue, now is an especially ideal time to get into the field of supply chain.
“The focus on the current supply chain job shortage – and that this seems to be mentioned every night on the news – would show that there is a lot of job potential in the supply chain career field,” Dr. Haynes said. “All businesses need a supply chain of some sort. No business can succeed without a supply chain.”
He added that supply chain is an exciting field because it’s constantly changing.
“It is never boring,” Dr. Haynes said. “Each day is different.”
And, for the students who are prepared with a degree in the field from Bellevue University, they’re armed and ready to tackle every challenge, every day.