educational landscape. From 2012 to 2014, enrollment in
traditional face-to-face classes in public universities in the
U.S. dropped by 2% (National Center for Education Statistics)
while the number of graduate students taking online classes
grew by 12% (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technolo-
gies, 2016). By 2015, a Digital Learning Compass study (2017)
found that 29.7% of all post-secondary students were enrolled
in at least one online class.
I have fielded countless calls from potential students
working across Alaska in the supply chain management
industry, hoping to take UAA logistics classes online. Those
working on Alaska’s North Slope, in Central Alaskan mines,
and for Southeast Alaska’s fisheries expressed a desire for an
education in logistics and supply chain management, but their
work locations and schedules made it impossible to attend
classes in person. The leadership of CBPP also found that in
their travels abroad for conferences and university marketing
efforts, a recurring question emerged: “Do you have an online
graduate program in supply chain management?”
Thanks to the input of
Alaska’s supply chain manage-
ment leaders, our MS GSCM
alums, an in-depth market
analysis, and a study of the
most up-to-date topics and
trends in online education and
supply chain management,
the UAA College of Business
and Public Policy is ready to
re-launch its Master of Science
in Global Supply Chain Man-
agement (MS GSCM) degree
– 100% online – in Fall 2018.
The 20-month, five-semester
program will include courses
in logistics and global supply
chain management applications and strategy, the role of global
supply chain management in international trade, supply chain
technology and systems, quantitative and financial perfor-
mance metrics, and leadership principles and management
skills for global supply chain managers.
The Online Master of Science in Global Supply Chain
Management (MS GSCM) program at UAA is designed for
working professionals around the world, allowing students to
take their courses anywhere they have an internet connection.
The design of the MS GSCM program works well with the
busy and often unusual schedules of its students. There are no
required course times, but there are regular interactions with
other students, faculty, and outside industry leaders within a
modular timeframe, creating an opportunity to build a net-
work of professional peers across the globe.
UAA’s MS GSCM program is geared to make a signifi-
cant impact on both Alaska and supply chain education. The
program will be one of the very small handful of 100% online
graduate programs in supply chain management accredited
by the AACSB, the premier global accrediting agency for
post-secondary business education. This means that, whether
they are in Alaska, Arizona,
Aruba, or Azerbaijan, those
looking for an entirely online
graduate degree in supply
chain management can turn to
UAA as one of their options for
a quality education.
We have been working
closely with the UAA Academ-
ic Innovations and eLearning
(AI&e) department, recipients
of a the highly competitive
Title III Robust Online Learn-
ing Grant, from 2015 to 2020.
They are helping our faculty
obtain the skills and informa-
tion needed to wade into the
world of online graduate education. We have been working
with them to develop original, Alaska-focused instructional
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