MSc - Supply Chain and Logistics Management with Extended Professional Practice

University of Hertfordshire

Undertaking a placement year provides you with the opportunity to place your academic studies in a broader professional context, gain practical experience in an engineering or STEM environment, and strengthen key employability skills. You will develop confidence, industry awareness and a clearer understanding of workplace expectations. The MSc Professional Work Placement module supports you in reflecting on the learning gained during your placement and helps you articulate your experiences, responsibilities, and enhanced skills clearly and effectively when applying for future employment or progressing your career.

The module is designed to equip students with a deep understanding of the key components of operations management, from strategic planning to practical implementation of systems and methodologies, preparing student for effective leadership in operational roles. This module explores how operations strategy is derived from and contributes to the organisational/ business strategy.

There is an increasing demand for modern sourcing systems aimed at enhancing speed, process integration, and customer satisfaction. Given that procurement spending often constitutes a significant portion of a company's budget, effective management of procurement and inventory becomes essential for optimizing the supply chain. This module focuses on designing and managing processes and control systems within the inbound supply chain.

This module supports students in their search and application for a placement via a series of online seminars and material in topics like CV writing, applying for placement, preparing for psychometric test, and developing interview techniques. The module aims to assist students in their placement search, application and to provide a general preparation for successful participation in the workforce.

This module provides a comprehensive understanding of financial aspects essential for effective decision-making in contemporary business environments. Students will gain insights into the range of activities conducted within the organisation for the purpose of supporting the decision-making and planning processes. Furthermore, the module provides student with advanced knowledge and understanding of key finance tools and techniques required for supply chain professionals (such as financial statement analysis, investment analysis and evaluation techniques, short-term and long-term sources of financing).

In an era marked by globalisation, effective people management is paramount for navigating organisational landscapes. The module equips students with the knowledge to make informed decisions and communicate them effectively, to achieve organisation's long-term success while upholding financial stability. The module is tailored for procurement and supply chain professionals with the essential leadership skills to meet organisational objectives and enhance supply chain performance. Furthermore, it enables students to grasp the impact of ethical practices and standards on their decision-making processes.

The module explores the roles of a warehouse in contemporary supply chains. The implications of regulatory constraints and risks, including legal, ethical, environmental, and commercial are also explored. As part of this module, students gain skills in warehouse IT, automation, and technology. Through case studies, students gain insights into how businesses have addressed complex problems, made decisions, and overcome operational issues. This approach allows individuals to apply knowledge and develop problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

The Supply Chain Management module provides foundational knowledge focusing on business structure, relationships, and operational efficiency from a supply chain perspective. The module content is derived from the latest research findings and global managerial experiences which involves developing, implementing, monitoring, and optimizing the global supply chains. It prepares the student with advanced knowledge in the field of supply chain management, and to develop the essential skills to apply the knowledge to real-world business cases.

The movement of freight is more than just loading goods onto a truck and delivering to the customer. In an idealised business environment, transport and logistics managers would work collaboratively with other key stakeholders to determine the optimum shipping solutions, whether by air, sea, inland waterways, road or rail, which balance efficiency, costs, sustainability, and customer service. As part of this module, students will explore solutions to the challenges facing day-to-day logistics and supply chain operations.

The module is designed to challenge and further develop critical thinking skills at a post-graduate level. It provides the student with the opportunity to bring together and apply much of what they have learnt both in their undergraduate and postgraduate studies to solve manufacturing and supply chain management matters. The project should relate to a supply chain and logistics related topic, e.g. procurement/purchasing, outsourcing, material/production control, inventory optimization, or transport planning.