ISM

ISM curriculum

The ISM curriculum is unique—it is the only undergraduate program in supply management that has an engineering component in addition to courses in supply management, strategy and continuous improvement.

Engineering courses are a key distinction in the ISM program. In practice, Supply Management professionals interact with technical people in many ways, and having a basic understanding of engineering makes ISM graduates more effective on the job. In Purchasing, Supply Management professionals must coordinate new product development efforts with engineering personnel from their own company as well as the supplying company. In Production Management, Supply Management professionals have to understand the manufacturing processes that they are managing, and need to be able to relate to product design and production engineers. Understanding engineering drawings, manufacturing processes and electrical components are critical skills that graduates of other programs have to develop on the job, while ISM students have these skills before graduation.

Business courses provide ISM students with a technical understanding of the plan-source-make-deliver-return functions of the supply matrix as well as methods of continuous improvement.