You will undertake a balanced 50/50 split between business management content (where you explore business functions such as finance, marketing, and human resources) and operations and supply chain management topics such as International Operations Management, Applied Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Global Logistics and Inventory Management, Strategic and Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and Supply Chain Innovation. The degree will start with a heavy focus on broad business content, becoming gradually more supply chain management focused as you move towards final year.

This three-year course can also be converted to a four-year sandwich degree. This would involve a year out after completion of your second year, undertaking either a paid work placement, study abroad or a combination of the two. You also have the option in your final year to take part in a group-based consultancy project, where you work on a real business problem for a client company to further enhance your commercial skills.

The Business and Supply Chain Management course has been designed to prepare you for graduate employment in operations and supply chain management or broader business. The course content has been developed in partnership with industry bodies the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), providing you with professional-level knowledge and the option to undertake additional professional qualifications after graduating. It is also covered by the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation for Newcastle Business School.

The University are actively seeking the following Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditations for the programme. However, these are subject to approval by the relevant accrediting body:

Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT)

Making your career happen is at the heart of all our Business courses – with every module designed to reinforce the transferable skills you’ll need in the workplace. We have introduced two dedicated modules focusing on career-development skills: Supply Chain and Operations Study and Consultancy Skills, where you can experience live operations or supply chain management related projects; and Preparing for Professional Practice where you will practice and develop skills necessary to obtain a placement or graduate employment in a supportive environment.

Our programme is also supported by NOVUS, in  partnership with CILT who recognise the need to reinvent the way in which the supply chain profession finds and prepares its future leaders. NOVUS is a long-term, strategic answer to the serious skills gaps and shortfall of graduate talent that is becoming increasingly evident in the supply chain and operations profession today. Here at Northumbria, our researchers and support services are determined to help you develop and enhance your skills, to ensure our graduates are equipped to excel in the industry.

Beyond the classroom, you’ll have opportunities to develop your career through practical experience and wider learning. In your second year, you can spend a semester studying abroad, or take an extra year before your final year studying elsewhere in the EU, or further afield such as the USA, Australia or China. 

There’s also the option of a work placement year, where our Internship Programmes are on hand to help you gain hands-on Supply Chain Management experience. And there’s our Business Clinic, offering you the chance to work with real clients to help solve their business challenges.  

If you decide not to take a year/semester out on a work placement or study abroad, there are still plenty of opportunities available. Our extensive network of operations, logistics and supply chain management professionals (including many past graduates of the course) offer you extra opportunities to attend events and meet the associated professional bodies, allowing you to sculpt a truly distinctive CV to use in the graduate marketplace. This network involves working with the key professional bodies, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).

After graduating, you may wish to embark on Postgraduate study. And there are a wide range of potential future career areas including Supply Chain or Process analyst, Scheduler, Material Planner, Purchasing Agent, Quality Improvement Consultant, Operations Manager or Analyst, and many more. Your progression into such employment after graduation is supported by our careers service, as well as the skills and knowledge developed throughout the programme.