Master Global Supply Chain Logistics

The Master of Science in Supply Chain Management (MSSCM) concentration in Logistics Management at Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET) provides a solid foundation in the qualitative and quantitative methods used by logistics and transportation managers of complex global supply chains. Specifically, the MSSCM Logistics Management concentration will emphasize decision-making in the areas of transportation management, warehouse and distribution center operations, import/export operations, and international trade and logistics.

With its disruption of so many moving parts, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical and complex nature of logistics in global supply chains. A 2020 supply chain survey by Capgemini Research Institute shows that a significant majority of organizations—77 percent—are accelerating their investments in supply chain sustainability initiatives over the next three years, focusing on logistics and manufacturing. In their 2021 report, Allied Market Research projects that the global logistics market will reach almost $13 billion by 2027, registering a compound annual growth rate of 6.5 percent from 2020 to 2027. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows fast-as-average job growth for logisticians through 2029.

Program at a Glance

  • Top 10 Online Program
  • Online, On Campus, and Blended
  • Part-Time or Full-Time Study
  • 40 Credits
  • 12–20 Months to Completion
  • 12 Core Faculty
  • No GRE/GMAT
  • Tuition & Fees Range—Part-Time Study*: $35,140–$38,500

*Based on 2023–2024 Boston University tuition and fees. Merit scholarship may reduce cost.

Advance Your Career in Supply Chain Management

Offered online and on campus, BU MET’s Logistics Management concentration in the Supply Chain Management master’s degree focuses on how to analyze alternative inventory, storage, and distribution networks using mathematical and statistical tools to forecast demand, calculate safety stock, consider inventory aggregation, compare alternative transportation modes, and evaluate operational risks. Learn the foundations of international trade, import/export regulations, international tariffs, and other global trade mechanisms, as well as systematic process-oriented approaches to evaluating supply chain performance using statistical modeling with Six Sigma principles and techniques. By including insight into the management of performance and exposure to the coordination of large-scale projects, you will be well-equipped to take your place among today’s supply chain leaders. Capstone projects provide an opportunity to work on real-world business problems for prominent client firms while resources such as the Decision Sciences Research Laboratory connect you to the supply chain industry through collaborative applied research.

According to the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), supply chain jobs—including high-tech roles in data analysis, cloud solutions, supply chain planning, and risk management—are projected to grow in line with the national average of 9 percent over the course of the next decade. In their 2021 career and salary survey, the ASCM found that the annual median salary for supply chain professionals with a master’s degree is $99,900, and that 95 percent kept their jobs during the pandemic. In addition, one third of respondents reported finding a job in less than a month.

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Supply Chain Management program courses Operations Management: Business Process Fundamentals (MET AD 605) and Quality Management (MET AD 734) may qualify you for Green Belt Training accredited by the Council for Six Sigma Certification—an Official Industry Standard of Six Sigma Accreditation for Six Sigma training providers worldwide.

“The program offers a good balance of theoretical concepts with real and practical applications. . . the overarching message of operational efficiency, designing better-quality systems, objective analysis, and data-driven decision-making are recurring themes that link concepts to my current job.”Abiy Eshetu, PMP (MET’19), Industrial Manager, Pratt & Whitney

Why BU’s Supply Chain Management Degree is Ranked in the Top 10

  • Capstone Project: Student teams tackle a real-world project from a company and benefit from practical experience and opportunities to network, with the potential for internships and jobs. Each project is executed by a diverse team of students under the guidance of a BU professor in liaison with the client firm. Clients that have partnered with us as part of capstone projects include the City of Boston, Construction Specialties, Henkel Corporation, LEGO, Loctite, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Raytheon Technologies, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, SharkNinja, and Waters Corporation, among others. View completed projects as well as capstone projects in progress.
  • DSLab Research Projects: BU MET’s Decision Sciences Research Laboratory (DSLab) offers opportunities to engage in applied collaborative research with professors and industry practitioners, while applying your analytical skills to solve current problems facing organizations. Most projects involve decision-making in the context of manufacturing and service supply chains and healthcare organizations, with the role of risk and uncertainty comprising an important aspect of our work. In all DSLab projects, we seek opportunities to disseminate results through local, regional, and international conference presentations, poster presentations, and academic journal articles.
  • Certification: Successfully complete Quality Management (MET AD 734) and you may qualify to earn a Six Sigma Green Belt accredited by the Council for Six Sigma Certification. By also completing Business Process Fundamentals (MET AD 605) you are eligible to earn a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. A Six Sigma certificate can help you increase productivity and decrease costs, enhancing your ability to deliver top-quality products and services to consumers in a limited amount of time. Eligibility is determined by satisfactory performance on final examinations in each course.
  • Active Learning Environment: BU MET’s Supply Chain Management program focuses on practical, hands-on education, ensuring you are immersed in all aspects of the supply chain—education you can apply on the job.
  • Career Counseling: MET’s Career Development office and BU’s Center for Career Development offer a variety of job-hunting resources, including one-on-one career counseling by appointment for both online and on-campus students.
  • Engaged Faculty: In BU MET’s Supply Chain Management master’s program, you benefit from working closely with highly qualified faculty who draw from active research and substantial professional achievements in areas such as global supply chains, operations management, logistics management, quality and production management, enterprise risk analytics, international business and trade, ecommerce, data mining, econometrics, and more.
  • Extensive Network: Study principles of Supply Chain Management alongside peers with solid business experience, learn from faculty who have valuable business contacts, and benefit from an alumni community with strong professional connections. The Supply Chain Club and other resources provide access to networking events, panels, and facility tours designed to connect you with peers and supply chain experts.
  • Complimentary Labs: Students have access to the following free self-paced laboratories: MwAM: Mathematics with Applications in Management and SwAM: Statistics with Applications in Management. Additionally, two levels of preparatory analytics laboratories offer access to advanced tools and provide opportunities to hone analytics skills using cases that are populated with realistic data.
  • OPT and CPT Designated: Eligible graduates on student visas have access to an Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT) of 12 months.
  • 15:1 Class Ratio: Enjoy an exceptional student-to-instructor ratio, ensuring close interaction with faculty and access to support.
  • Valuable Resources: Make use of Boston University’s extensive resources, including the Center for Career Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Educational Resource Center, Fitness & Recreation Center, IT Help Centers, Mugar Memorial Library, Center for Antiracist Research, Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, George Sherman Union, and many others.
  • Flexible Options: Study at the pace that works for you, evenings on campus or fully online. Courses begin fall, spring, and summer; online courses have two starts per term.
  • Track Record: Learn from the best—since 2014, BU MET’s part-time master’s programs in business and management have been ranked among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
  • Merit Scholarships: US citizens and permanent residents are automatically considered during the application process and nominated based on eligibility. Learn more.

Master the Principles of Supply Chain Management

The Logistics Management concentration is part of BU MET’s MS in Supply Chain Management (MSSCM) degree program, which provides a solid academic foundation in the design, optimization, and operation of a global supply chain. The MSSCM offers a curriculum that is ideal for professionals who want to advance up the job ladder and mid-career leaders who need better skills in the area of supply chain management to improve their decision-making, as well as applicants with no work experience.

All students in the BU MET Supply Chain Management degree program have an opportunity to engage with an actual supply chain challenge faced by a firm. Many of these capstone projects are proposed by our industrial advisory group, who also provide feedback on curriculum and individual courses. Experiences such as these ensure that graduates of the program are capable, confident, and courageous professionals who lead change and offer creative solutions that ensure prompt delivery of goods and services in an ever-changing global environment.

Graduate with Supply Chain Expertise

Metropolitan College’s Supply Chain Management master’s degree concentration in Logistics Management will equip you to:

  • Demonstrate the ability to use interlinked data inputs, analytics, and systems to support decision-making in a supply chain that is geographically dispersed and culturally diverse.
  • Use optimization theory and mathematical techniques to design and coordinate supply chain transportation systems in multiple directions across closed-loop global supply networks, while reducing shipping and storage costs.
  • Utilize financial statements, plan import/export transactions, and create strategies to take advantage of global macroeconomic trends while managing logistic supplier relationships, including supply chain consortiums and joint ventures.
  • Analyze alternative inventory, storage, and distribution networks using mathematical and statistical tools to forecast demand, calculate safety stock, consider inventory aggregation, compare alternative transportation modes, and evaluate operational risks.
  • Apply a systematic process-oriented approach to evaluating supply chain quality using statistical modeling with Six Sigma principles and techniques.

Certificate-to-Degree Pathway

BU MET graduate certificate programs can serve as building blocks to a master’s degree. The Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management shares specific courses with the master’s in Supply Chain Management concentration in Logistics Management, giving you the option to take the certificate on your path to a master’s degree. Students currently enrolled in a graduate certificate who are interested in transitioning into a master’s degree should contact their academic advisor to declare their interest in this pathway. A new master’s degree application is not required. Connect with a graduate admissions advisor at adsadmissions@bu.edu to learn more about this option.



A total of 10 courses (40 credits) is required.

Students must complete the degree core courses, Logistics Management concentration requirements, as well as a capstone project and two electives. Students who take MET AD 734 and meet certain performance standards will earn Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Students who take both MET AD 605 and MET AD 734 and meet certain performance standards will earn a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Each student enrolling in the program is required to take Mathematics and Statistics in Management (MET AD 510) in their first semester. This foundation course may be counted towards one of the electives. Students who have already taken both a math and a statistics course with a B+ or higher may petition to waive MET AD 510. Additionally, students have access to the following free self-paced laboratories: MwAM: Mathematics with Applications in Management and SwAM: Statistics with Applications in Management.

Degree Core Courses

(Four courses/16 credits)

Logistics Management Concentration Requirements

(Three courses/12 credits)

Capstone Project

(One course/4 credits)

Elective Courses

(Two courses/8 credits)

Select two graduate level courses. These courses can be selected from other Administrative Sciences offerings or Metropolitan College departments, as well as from other Boston University schools and colleges, with an advisor’s approval.

The following are some of the elective courses allowed with advisor approval:

*Degree requirements may vary for those students transferring credits from previous coursework at Boston University or receiving course waivers due to professional designations.


Supply Chain Management Faculty

Tuition & Financial Assistance

Competitive Tuition

Our part-time rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education.

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Comprehensive Financial Assistance

Our services include scholarships, graduate loans, and payment plans.

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BU MET programs offer the flexibility of part-time or full-time study, either on campus or online. Tuition, fees, and total program cost are determined by enrollment status. If you enroll in 1–2 courses (4–8 credits) in a semester, you are charged the part-time per-credit rate. If you enroll in 3–4 courses (12–16 credits) in a semester, you are charged the full-time semester rate.

MS in Supply Chain Management, Logistics Management Concentration (Online and On Campus)

Enrollment Status Part Time Full Time
Courses per Semester 2 courses
(8 credits)
4 courses
(16 credits)
3 courses
(12 credits)
Time to Degree 5 semesters
(20 months)
3 semesters
(12-16 months)***
4 semesters
(16-20 months)***
Tuition* $535-$955
per credit**
$31,899
per semester
$31,899
per semester
Fees per Semester* $60 $457 $457
Total Degree Cost* $35,140–
$38,500
$72,412 $100,948

*Based on 2023–2024 Boston University tuition & fee rates.
**Cost per credit is determined by course number (100–599 = $535/credit, 600–999 = $955/credit).
***Summer semester enrollment is not required for international students to maintain F-1 visa status. Enrollment in summer semester coursework will expedite completion of program and reduce total program cost.

International students seeking an F-1 visa for on-campus study must enroll full time and demonstrate availability of funds to cover the Estimated Cost of Graduate Study; those who wish to study online may enroll part-time but are not eligible for a visa. Learn more about International Student Tuition & Fees.

Questions? Please contact us to hear from an Admissions Advisor who can help you determine the best enrollment pathway. For information regarding financial aid, visit BU MET’s Financial Aid page.

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Please visit the BU MET admissions page for details on how to apply, financial assistance, tuition and fees, requirements for international students, and more.

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