Supply & Demand

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It's those kinds of data points that lie at the heart of supply chain management, a multifaceted process that most people gave little thought to until the pandemic turned flour and toilet paper into scarce commodities. And in a world where commerce remains truly global and digital, the demand for smart supply chain management professionals is growing stronger, which is exactly why the Sawyer Business School launched a new interdisciplinary supply chain management (SCM) major this fall. As Marketing Professor Cristian Chelariu puts it, SCM “is the bread and butter of the economy.”

Because of the complex nature of the subject, the new SCM major draws expertise and resource from three key departments: Information Systems and Operations Management, Marketing, and Strategy and International Business, plus several other business disciplines.

Chelariu and Chad Huemme, an instructor in strategy and international business and a seasoned industry executive, are co-directors for the new program. Chelariu oversees the program curriculum—which will include a new course focused on supply chain fundamentals paired with existing courses on international business, enterprise resource planning, predictive analytics, B2B marketing strategy, as well as elective courses on diverse topics such as negotiations, business law, and blockchain technology—while Huemme focuses on forging corporate partnerships for the new program.

Huemme points out that students’ opportunities for immersive learning in New England are plentiful. As a result, the new SCM program requires a practicum or internship as part of the degree program to better prepare students for starting their careers in the field.

“Here in our backyard in Boston, there are a lot of companies that are actually part of big supply chains,” Huemme says. “TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. CVS. New Balance. Not to mention the hospitals and pharmaceutical and medical device firms in the greater Boston area. They offer great career opportunities and good salaries.” According to the 2025 Salary and Career Report by the Association for Supply Chain Management, the base salary of supply chain compensation stands 52% above the national median.

FreightPlus, a logistics company based in Quincy, began partnering with the Sawyer Business School this past spring by sponsoring two capstone projects: one for the Predictive Analytics course, part of the Business Analytics concentration for undergraduate ISOM majors, supervised by Professor Sepideh Kaffash, and another for the Global Strategy course in the MBA program supervised by Professor Huemme.

For Predictive Analytics capstone project, students worked closely with the FreightPlus team, applying their analytical and strategic skills to real-world challenges, and presented their findings to company executives at the FreightPlus headquarters in Quincy. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with one executive noting, “They really catered to their audience and sounded more like consultants than interns!” The professionalism and expertise demonstrated by the students left a strong impression—so much so that FreightPlus hired one of the students.

“Public awareness about the importance of supply chain management has been surging in recent years, from the shortages experienced during COVID-19 to the current spotlight on tariffs. Coupled with the advent of new technologies such as AI, blockchain, cloud computing, and IoT, managing supply chains requires a new set of skills,” says Amy Zeng, dean of the Sawyer Business School. “It is a perfect time to launch this new interdisciplinary major to harness the rapidly growing career opportunities for our students.”

Learn more about the new supply chain management major.