Top 5 Online Associate in Supply Chain Management Programs for 2019

Located in eastern North Carolina, Lenoir Community College offers a 67-credit hour supply chain management associate degree online. This program focuses on both domestic and international goods transportation. Students earn an associate in applied science in global logistics technology after studying a range of topics, including advanced global logistics, trucking, and distribution management. Distance coursework is delivered asynchronously. Graduates are prepared to work in manufacturing, government agencies, and service companies.

Students can also pursue one of Lenoir’s many related certificates, including global skills, global logistics, and trucking operations management. There are no minimum GPA requirements for acceptance, but all applicants must submit their high school and/or college transcripts or a GED.

Students enrolled in Wake Technical Community College’s associate in applied science in supply chain management program can choose between two concentrations: distribution management (64 credit hours) and global logistics technology (65 credit hours). Each concentration can be completed online and takes about four semesters to complete. Coursework in the program is delivered asynchronously, although students may choose a blended learning option that requires some on-campus work.

Each concentration includes the same core of supply chain management courses, including coursework that covers transportation management and logistics. Upper-level courses are relevant to a student’s specific concentration. Graduates are prepared to work in entry-level management positions in warehouses, government agencies, and a variety of private businesses.

Suburban Atlanta’s Chattahoochee Technical College offers an online associate of applied science in logistics and supply chain management program. Students usually finish this 62-credit hour program in four semesters. The program includes a 15-credit general education core, with coursework in areas such as composition and rhetoric and economics, and occupational courses in supply chain management. Students also learn about industry-specific areas such as business logistics, purchasing, and materials management, in addition to general skills such as leadership and management.

In order to apply, all students must be at least 16 years old, submit an official transcript or GED, and complete a placement test. Chattahoochee encourages distance learners to attend an optional on-campus orientation.

Palo Alto College is a community college located in the Bay Area that offers a 60-credit associate in applied science in logistics and supply chain management program. Students typically earn their degree in five semesters, with the final term consisting solely of a relevant internship in the supply chain management field.

Palo Alto’s program is somewhat unique among supply chain management online degrees in that its curriculum is sequential; students have a set of courses explicitly laid out for them each semester without any electives. Over the course of the program, students learn about foundational areas of supply chain management, including transportation management, operations management, and purchasing.

Albany Technical College, in southern Georgia, offers an associate degree in business logistics management program that combines core business classes with occupational coursework related to the supply chain field. Students complete a total of 60 credit hours and usually earn their degree in two years. Classes include studies in materials management, purchasing, and e-commerce. Albany Tech students who don’t have time to pursue a full associate degree can obtain specific certificates in areas such as customer contact, service supervision, and quality assurance.

Before earning a supply chain management associate degree online, Albany Tech students must complete a thorough ACCUPLACER placement test; this test evaluates students in terms of their writing, reading, and math proficiency and places them in appropriate Albany Tech courses.

Southern California’s Coastline Community College offers one of the most flexible online supply chain management degrees in the country. The school’s 60-credit hour associate of arts in supply chain management requires 18 credit hours of general education courses, which can include a diverse range of classes ranging from personal finance and history of rock music to modern Iraqi culture. Distance learners also take 21 hours of electives and 21 major-related hours. Students can earn up to 40 credit hours in less traditional ways, including through military experience and Excelsior exams. The major takes a broad business approach to the field. Students complete survey courses in business, human resources management, and accounting.

Davidson County Community College serves Davidson and Davie counties in North Carolina. The school’s associate in applied science in global logistics and distribution management technology program emphasizes technical literacy. Its curriculum includes coursework in quantitative literacy, computers, and database concepts, in addition to studies in foundational supply chain management areas like global logistics and purchasing.

Distance coursework is delivered asynchronously, and the program usually takes students two years to complete. Upon graduation, DCCC supply chain management students can find work as traffic managers, warehouse managers, inventory professionals, and transportation managers. The college also offers an 18-credit certificate in supply chain management that includes only occupational courses.

As a military-inspired institution, Georgia Military College focuses on both educational and character development. As such, students in the school’s logistics management program complete coursework in personal development areas like college success, wellness, and critical thinking. In addition to these classes, the program’s curriculum opts for a broader, liberal arts approach; this school offers universal business courses as opposed to specific studies related to supply chain management. Full-time students can complete the 94- to 98-credit hour program within 18 months. Students can choose to pursue either an associate in arts or an associate in science degree option. Distance coursework is taught asynchronously. Upon graduation, students are prepared to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year institution and pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration or logistics management.

Located in the city of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College offers an associate of applied science in supply chain management program that is comprised of 67 credit hours. This program usually takes about two years to complete and includes coursework that covers warehousing, transportation, operations, inventory management, and purchasing. The program approaches each of these topics from both a global and domestic perspective.

Students interested in this asynchronous program must complete an online application and submit either a high school transcript or a GED. Distance learners are also required to demonstrate computer proficiency and should be comfortable using Microsoft Office.

Located in Yuma, Arizona Western College offers a 64-credit hour associate in applied science in logistics supply chain management program that can be completed in two years. The program combines an extensive, 21-credit general education core with major courses in areas such as freight claims and contracts, inventory control, and warehouse management. Each student also completes an internship at the end of the program.

As an occupational degree, this program focuses on readying students to enter the workforce rather than preparing them to continue their education. As such, much of the coursework is hands-on and skills-based as opposed to theoretical. The business and computer information division at AWC also offers a host of occupational certificates, including programs that cover accounting, entrepreneurship, and retail management.