College of Business Adds New Major

In keeping with its mission to create value for students, business, and society through activities that lead to career success and the advancement of knowledge, the College of Business will offer an Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) major, beginning fall 2022. OSCM focuses on the movement of goods and services through the global supply chain network from point-of-origin to point-of-consumption. OSCM professionals help organizations more efficiently manage their operations by overseeing the sourcing of raw materials, the manufacture of goods, and the storage, transportation and distributions of products to consumers.

OSCM has been offered as one of three academic tracks within K-State’s Management major for more than 10 years, with student demand increasing each year. The need for OSCM talent is at an all-time high as companies have recognized the importance of supply chain management for the success of their businesses. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the supply chain management crisis that created shortages of personal protective equipment and essential household items, along with skyrocketing costs of certain parts and materials.

“We are very excited to offer our students the chance to major in Operations and Supply Chain Management,” said Bill Turnley, Professor and Management Department Head. “We know that there is growing demand for individuals with these skills in the workplace, and we have developed excellent relationships with our corporate partners in this area. In fact, our advisory board was unanimous in voicing its support for the development of this major.”

The news that OSCM is the fastest-growing business sector in the Heartland region is good for students hoping to stay in Kansas. In fact, Kansas City is now seen as a center of choice for warehousing, manufacturing, and distribution. Regional third-party logistics/trucking companies and some of the most prominent companies in the world like Amazon, DHL, and Walmart are establishing or expanding their facilities due to the region’s abundant, multi-modal transportation network. Recent graduates of the OSCM track under the Management major have been recruited to work for companies in locations across the country such as Amazon, BNSF Railway, Cargill, Cerner, DHL, General Electric, John Deere, Koch Industries, Lockheed Martin, PepsiCo, Southwest Airlines, Target, Union Pacific, and UPS.

“We already have a core group of faculty who possess skills in areas like supply chain management, project management, quality management, logistics and transportation, and warehousing and distribution,” said Turnley. “The time is right to launch this major and we are confident that it will meet the needs of both our students and our corporate partners.”